Full Product Manual

Table Of Contents
Page 30 Chapter 5
Emission Devices
To select the best emission device or devices to irrigate the base plant, start by
considering the following:
Types of Plants. As we have already seen, the primary factor that affects
your design is the water requirement of the individual plants or groups of
plants in the landscape.
Intended Use. Factors such as traffic and the threat of vandalism will affect
your choice of distribution components and emission devices. For example,
micro-sprays and micro-bubblers are probably not appropriate in high-traffic
areas. These emission devices can also create overspray.
In areas that are prone to vandalism, system components that can be in-
stalled below grade are better than above-ground devices. Landscape
Dripline and Xeri-Pop micro-spray pop-ups would be good choices because
they are out of sight when not in operation.
Size of Planted Area. It may be too labor intensive and costly to install
individual emitters over a very large planted area. In these cases, it might be
more economical to use Landscape Dripline, micro-sprays or Xeri-Pops. For
extremely large areas, consider using conventional sprays or rotary heads
with a separate drip zone around the perimeter to eliminate unwanted
overspray onto walkways or streets.
Soil Type and Infiltration Rate. As shown in Chapter 2, different soil types
absorb water in different ways. In coarse (sandy) soil, water tends to perco-
late downward, while in fine (clay) soil the moisture tends to spread horizon-
tally before moving vertically.
When irrigating areas with very coarse soil, consider using higher flow PC
Modules or micro-bubblers rather than emitters. Conversely, avoid higher
flow PC Modules and micro-bubblers when irrigating very fine clay soil,
unless you build troughs or wells around each plant being watered. Choos-
ing emitters with low flow rates will help avoid runoff.
Watering Window. The watering window is the amount of time available for
irrigation each day. For example, some sites might require that conventional
irrigation take place during the night to avoid problems with overspray or
runoff or to follow municipal regulations. A low-volume system using
emitters may increase the watering window by permitting irrigation to take
place during the day. Micro-sprays and micro-bubblers may have a more
limited watering window than emitters or Landscape Dripline systems
because they discharge water into the air, making them more similar to
conventional sprays and rotors.
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