Smart water use isn’t just sustainable, it’s strategic. Balancing rising water costs, tightening regulations, and increasing pressure to meet sustainability goals while keeping landscapes attractive and healthy is challenging. Traditional irrigation systems often overwater, underwater, or operate on outdated schedules.
Smart irrigation uses technology-enabled systems that improve plant health while reducing operating costs. This blog explains how smart irrigation systems work, where they deliver the biggest return on investment, and how commercial property managers can implement them effectively.
What Is Smart Irrigation & How Does It Work In Commercial Landscapes?
Traditional irrigation systems use a network of buried pipes, automatic controllers, and valves to deliver water to landscape zones on a schedule programmed by on-site maintenance without taking the landscape’s condition into account.
In comparison, smart irrigation for commercial properties uses weather-based controllers, soil moisture sensors, flow sensors, and leak-detection technology. This weather-based irrigation system gathers real-time data and adjusts watering schedules based on weather, soil conditions, and plant needs.
Smart irrigation systems use a centralized, cloud-based control system that automates scheduling, eliminating manual, site-by-site adjustments for multi-site property managers and national accounts.
Reducing Water Waste & Controlling Operating Costs
Overwatering commercial properties creates a cycle of waste that increases costs while damaging the landscape. Excess runoff carries contaminants that can harm plant health and erode soil. Overwatering also increases evaporation, causing water to vaporize before it can benefit the plants.
Water-saving irrigation systems not only help with reducing water bills and commercial water conservation, but they also support environmental, social, and governance efforts (ESG), sustainability reporting, and corporate water-reduction goals. Systems that focus on irrigation efficiency also help reduce fines and regulatory risks by detecting leaks and broken heads early.
Improving Plant Health With Irrigation
Despite popular belief, more water does not necessarily make plants healthier. Precise irrigation uses the right amount of water based on soil moisture and weather conditions, improving soil health and, in turn, boosting root development, reducing disease and fungal pressure, and supporting the overall health of turf and ornamental plants on commercial properties.
The relationship between smart irrigation, soil conditions, and plant health management that improves with smart irrigation systems also reduces plant replacement and renovation costs over time.
Implementing Smart Irrigation Across Commercial Properties
Commercial irrigation management can be intimidating. Irrigation system upgrades can be complicated, and commercial grounds maintenance managers may not feel equipped to make big changes to their irrigation systems.
Professionals with experience in landscape technology design, installation, and ongoing monitoring can help centralize system management, making reporting and maintenance easier for regional and national property portfolios.
Davey’s water management team can help reduce water costs, build healthier, more resilient landscapes, and support sustainability and compliance goals.
Smart Irrigation FAQs
- How does smart irrigation save water for commercial properties?
- Smart irrigation measures weather, soil moisture, and flow sensors to precisely water a commercial property, reducing water use.
- Smart irrigation measures weather, soil moisture, and flow sensors to precisely water a commercial property, reducing water use.
- Are smart irrigation systems worth the investment for large landscapes?
- On top of reduced water waste, healthier plant growth, and lowered utility costs, smart irrigation systems also improve system control, reduce emergency repairs, and provide better long-term landscape performance, making them ideal for larger landscapes.
- On top of reduced water waste, healthier plant growth, and lowered utility costs, smart irrigation systems also improve system control, reduce emergency repairs, and provide better long-term landscape performance, making them ideal for larger landscapes.
- What is the best irrigation system for commercial landscaping?
- Smart-controlled irrigation systems are ideal for commercial landscaping by balancing rising water costs, tightening regulations, and increasing pressure to meet sustainability goals while keeping landscapes attractive and healthy.
- Smart-controlled irrigation systems are ideal for commercial landscaping by balancing rising water costs, tightening regulations, and increasing pressure to meet sustainability goals while keeping landscapes attractive and healthy.
- How does irrigation impact plant and turf health on commercial properties?
- Irrigation systems provide the water plants and turf need to maintain lush, healthy landscapes. Smart irrigation systems use precise, consistent water distribution to boost landscape health.
SMARTER IRRIGATION STARTS WITH SMARTER PLANNING. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DAVEY OFFICE TODAY
