Landscape Architect Articles

LSMP Irrigation Issues July, 200407-01-04 | News

High-Tech Site Irrigation

The Challenge: Unbelievably Diverse Site Conditions
The Answer: SiteControl Central Control with ESP-Satellite Controllers

By Jodie Carter, regional editor

Gaylord Palms rests on 63 beautifully landscaped acres in Central Florida. St. Augustine turf bends around flowerbeds like this spring pansy display. Most of the site?EUR??,,????'???s flowerbeds are rotated or replanted seasonally for holiday and special event surprises. A special SiteControl programming feature, QuickIRR, can put together or modify irrigation programs in minutes to control dynamic planting zones.

?EUR??,,????'??The irrigation system can be set up [programmed] so it knows the pump capacity of each water source?EUR??,,????'???it won?EUR??,,????'???t open more valves than it can supply water to,?EUR??,,????'???EUR??,,????'??+Laurent Reinhardt, product manager, Rain Bird.

The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center sits on a 63-acre site in Kissimmee, Florida, just a short drive from Central Florida?EUR??,,????'???s world-famous theme parks. The 1,400-plus room resort is reminiscent of the architecture of a grand Florida mansion. The resort?EUR??,,????'???s signature feature is a four-and-a-half-acre glass enclosed atrium along with three tropical themed atriums that depict the popular Florida destinations of Key West, St. Augustine and the Everglades. Outside a perfect green plane of St. Augustine, Bermuda and Zoysia grass flows around curving flowerbeds that are rotated seasonally or to dress up special events.

With the assistance of the FREEDOM remote control system, groundskeepers can stand next to a suspect sprinkler head and turn the valve on by simply punching numerical codes into the phone. This allows immediate visual verification that the sprinklers are working.

The Porte Cochere drive (under canopy) leads visitors to the registration area. Seasonally-rotated flowerbeds with red ruffle azaleas, Indian hawthorn and Asiatic jasmine flow around a perfect plane of Bermuda turf. Gaylord Palm?EUR??,,????'???s central irrigation controller has been programmed to service the irrigation requirements (soil composition, plant type, available sunlight) of different landscape zones.

While the amazing diversity and sheer area of the resort?EUR??,,????'???s lush landscape makes for a great get-away destination, it makes irrigating the site a real challenge. To maintain all the unique areas of the resort?EUR??,,????'???s landscape, the irrigation system must at once accommodate the needs of a multitude of plant types within three distinct indoor atrium environments, while also accommodating the exterior watering requirements. To add another dimension to the challenge, ponder the effects of Central Florida weather, including daily thundershowers, on exterior turf areas. With exotic plant specimens from around the globe, the resort?EUR??,,????'???s irrigation plan needed to accommodate over 500,000 individual specimens, including everything from turf grass and drought-tolerant plant species to tropical specimens requiring a rainforest environment.

Differing Soil Conditions

If accommodating all those plant specimens wasn?EUR??,,????'???t enough of a challenge, add vastly differing soil conditions to the list. ?EUR??,,????'??When the resort performed their initial excavations they brought in topsoil, but soil conditions are not uniform because of the way the contractor pushed soil around the site,?EUR??,,????'?? says Laurent Reinhardt, product manager for Rain Bird?EUR??,,????'???s commercial division. Some turf areas stay saturated following rain while others dry out quickly, and other areas need more soak time to allow the water to penetrate through densely compacted soil. ?EUR??,,????'??SiteControl programming gives the turf manager the ability to program irrigation down to a very precise level, with different programs running for different areas?EUR??,,????'??+even allowing them to micromanage small, unique areas,?EUR??,,????'?? Reinhardt says. For example, a cycle and soak program will stretch out the application of water on the site based on soil and terrain conditions, letting users program an interval to enable the water to soak into the soil.

The resort?EUR??,,????'???s color flowerbeds are rotated seasonally or replanted while guests are sleeping for overnight holiday and special event surprises, sometimes creating the need for daily changes in irrigation requirements. With minimal program changes, a new temporary irrigation schedule can be set up and modified when new bed changes occur. QuickIRR, a special programming feature, can be used to create a new program in minutes, including new start and run times.

Potable and NonPotable Water Sources

Because the resort uses two different water sources?EUR??,,????'??+two nonpotable and two potable?EUR??,,????'??+for four pumps, the irrigation software contains flow management capabilities that optimize available water. When users are programming and configuring their systems they can designate the system to work with multiple water sources and can select certain water sources to serve specific areas. ?EUR??,,????'??Being able to monitor the different water sources is imperative at Gaylord Palms because certain areas?EUR??,,????'??+anything around the atrium and food service areas?EUR??,,????'??+are required to use potable water,?EUR??,,????'?? Reinhardt states. ?EUR??,,????'??The irrigation system can be set up [programmed] so it knows the pump capacity of each water source, and it can actually schedule and organize the system to maintain the demands of the pump capacity. In short, the system won?EUR??,,????'???t open more valves than it can supply water to.?EUR??,,????'??

About SiteControl

SiteControl is made for use on a single site in one geographically contiguous area. One of the best features of SiteControl technology is that it uses a map-based interface that operates in real time, which gives users the ability to interface with the system via the map. Maps of the entire site, broken down into unique zones, are installed on the computer using AutoCAD drawings. These are normally the same irrigation construction drawings that were used to build the original system. Groundskeepers can turn on the map and see which zones are running and which valves are open?EUR??,,????'??+they all show on the map.

Seasonal planting in rotating flowerbeds include winter sonnet snapdragons and crystal bowl pansies that highlight the International Drive entrance. Seasonal flowerbed change-outs increase the irrigation needed for a week or two until the roots set in. This may mean a small change like increasing water to run five minutes longer. New central control features make small temporary programming changes easy. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s literally a click of the mouse, and you can adjust run times from zone to zone. It takes care of it for a one time program change. We utilize that part of the system extensively,?EUR??,,????'?? says Tim McColgan, Gaylord Palms horticulture manage.

Seven satellite controllers act as transfer stations that send information back to the central computer, where irrigation functions for the entire site are easily monitored and controlled by the click of a mouse.

The map allows users to see a visual snapshot of the system and control different irrigation requirements to different zones. In essence, with the push of a few keystrokes, users can calibrate their irrigation to different site needs instantly in real time. And with the ever changing Central Florida weather, that control gives users instant watering flexibility.

Installation Basics

Gaylord Palm?EUR??,,????'???s transition from Rain Bird?EUR??,,????'???s Maxicom2??????oe to SiteControl was as easy as installing a TWI (Two-Wire Interface) as the interface between the computer (central controller) and the exterior satellites. ?EUR??,,????'??Gaylord Palms used an existing (unused) dry-pair of the installed phone lines as the communications path from the TWI to the external areas,?EUR??,,????'?? Reinhardt states. ?EUR??,,????'??This prevents the need to install a whole new run of communications cable to connect the office where the computer is located to the external areas.?EUR??,,????'?? The rest of the conversion involved the easy tasks of changing one interface box and loading new software on the computer, and the more time intensive programming of the system to accommodate the diversity of plants, shade and soil conditions of the site.

Automated Weather Data

SiteControl uses communication with a local weather station to make irrigation adjustments. ?EUR??,,????'??Weather data from the local weather station is stored every five seconds, including humidity, solar radiation and wind,?EUR??,,????'?? says Bill Tullos, area specification manager with Rain Bird. ?EUR??,,????'??That data is dumped from the weather station micrologger into the SiteControl computer program at Gaylord Palms, which calculates and adjusts the irrigation system based on those weather stats.?EUR??,,????'??

Rain Gauge

Even though the system is connected to a local weather station, an onsite tipping bucket rain gauge, installed at the top of a light pole, is used to record actual rainfall at the site. The system can estimate how much of that rain is usable by the plants (based on previous programming of soil conditions) and will make adjustments to the scheduled irrigation run times based on estimated soil infiltration rates. ?EUR??,,????'??Having their own rain bucket allows Gaylord Palms to make adjustments for their microclimate,?EUR??,,????'?? states Brian Ries, product manager for Rain Bird?EUR??,,????'???s commercial division. ?EUR??,,????'??Rain might be slightly heavier at their location than that recorded by the local weather station.?EUR??,,????'??

The four-and-a-half-acre Grand Atrium includes popular visitor areas such as Gator Springs, which houses 40 turtles of five species, as well as 40 alligators. Atrium temperatures must be maintained at a constant 68 to 72 degrees. Total landscaping encompasses over 500,000 individual specimens, including Cyrtostachys renda (sealing wax palm), Eucharis X grandiflora (Amazon lily), Cyathea cooperi (Australian tree fern), Musa sp (banana), Panadus utilis (screw pine), Cocos nucifera (coconut palm), Roystonea regia (Cuban royal palms) and Coffea aribica (coffee).

Tim McColgan?EUR??,,????'???s Gaylord Palms horticultural team is responsible for the landscaping of the atrium and other interior areas. Standing left to right: Jose Aviles, Andre Zuis, Estrallita Wakefield, Amy Lawrence, Robert Layman, Don Ekema. Seated left to right: Lanaud Francios, Miguel Alverez, Maurice Exinor. Their many responsibilities include irrigation monitoring and floral and dried flower designs, as well as planting and maintenance of the interior areas of the project. They also work together to create seasonal festivals, such as the Caladium Festival and the springtime bulb display, that add dynamic color to the Atrium pathways.

Another feature, called RainWatch, makes adjustments according to the rain bucket. According to Tim McColgan, Gaylord Palms horticulture manager, the irrigation system can be programmed so that if they get one-half-inch of rain all the zones will turn off. This is essential because, from a PR standpoint, nobody likes to watch an irrigation system run when it?EUR??,,????'???s raining. The program has the ability to pause the system while it?EUR??,,????'???s raining, but it knows it still has to complete the irrigation requirements for zones. Central Florida experiences both heavy downpours and misting rain. RainWatch enables the system to tell what type of rain the site is receiving and adjusts irrigation according to the requirements for their soil type.

Satellites Become Transfer Stations

The Gaylord Palms?EUR??,,????'??? site uses six or seven different satellites, which are numerically labeled in the SiteControl computer program. ?EUR??,,????'??This is not the type of satellite that most people think about?EUR??,,????'??+the kind that orbits overhead.?EUR??,,????'?? Tullos says. ?EUR??,,????'??Instead of using the satellite as an operation point, the satellite becomes a transfer station that sends information to the central computer,?EUR??,,????'?? says Mihok. ?EUR??,,????'??We do have irrigation techs who still operate from the satellite, but now almost all the irrigation is controlled from the computer or using a cellular phone via the FREEDOM system.?EUR??,,????'?? That portable control means users can stand next to a suspect sprinkler head and turn the valve on by simply punching numerical codes into the phone. Users can immediately verify that the sprinklers are working.

Never watch your irrigation system run when it?EUR??,,????'???s raining again. Installed on top of a dual-head light post, the electronic rain gauge records actual rainfall at your specific site and will make adjustments to previously scheduled irrigation run times.

According to Tim McColgan, Gaylord Palms horticulture manager, this remote, real time control is important to a resort environment. ?EUR??,,????'??If there is a party on the paisa, Patty can turn that irrigation zone off from her cell phone by entering a numerical code. Gaylord Palms is a 24-hour resort. Everything we do is predicated on occupancy,?EUR??,,????'?? McColgan says. ?EUR??,,????'??We could have 1,500 check-ins or check-outs. This technology helps us reach our goal to make irrigation functions inconspicuous to our guests.?EUR??,,????'??