Prerequisites – Baseline Systems BaseStation 3200 V12 User Manual
Page 54
BaseStation 3200 Advanced Irrigation Controller Manual
Historical Calendar – Using the Historical Calendar watering schedule you can set up
custom start day intervals for the first half and second half of every month of the year.
This watering schedule works best in regions where landscapes are irrigated all year.
Refer to the topic for setting up program start days based on a historical calendar on
page 48.
5. After you have configured the start days for the current program, perform one of the
following actions:
To configure start days for another program, press the Enter button until the number of
the program that you want to configure displays in the Program field at the top of the
screen. Repeat step 4.
When you have finished making changes, turn the dial to the RUN position.
Note: A program that is started on one day will continue to run until it completes, even if it
needs to continue to the next day, which may or may not be a watering day. For example, if a
six-hour program starts at 10 PM on Monday, it will finish at 4 AM on Tuesday, even if
Tuesday is not a watering day.
To set up program start days based on a historical calendar
In the BaseStation 3200, one of the Start Day modes for a program is Historical Calendar. A
historical calendar uses ET (evapotranspiration) data to predict how frequently you will need to
irrigate over the course of an entire year. ET refers to the loss of moisture from the soil by
evaporation and by the transpiration of plants. Factors such as air temperature, humidity, solar
radiation, and wind speed affect the rate at which ET occurs. Scientists with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continuously monitor climate data in all regions of the
United States. When this data is averaged over a 30 year period, historical ET values are generated
for each month of the year.
The Historical Calendar mode enables you to set up a watering schedule for the entire year that
compensates for seasonal changes without your having to adjust times and frequency multiple
times throughout the year.
If you set up a water time that applies ½ -¾ inch of water and then you change the frequency of
watering based on the historical ET needs for your area, the controller will water deeply and less
frequently and encourage the roots of your plants to grow deep.
Prerequisites
•
Set zone water times that will apply ½ - ¾ inch of water during each watering cycle.
•
Get the historical ET deficit data for your region. Consult with your local Agricultural
Cooperative Extension office – you can find a national register of the extension offices at:
•
Split each month of the year in half and determine how frequently you will need to water in
order to replace the amount of moisture used by your plant material since the last irrigation
event. Use the ET deficit data to determine the watering frequency.
Note: If you combine the Historical Calendar mode with the upper limit watering strategy
using biSensors, you will have a very effective watering schedule. The biSensor will monitor
the soil moisture in real-time and compensate for non-historical weather behavior by making
fine adjustments to the water time.
Page 48