Lawn Irrigation Gets Smarter: New controls reduce wasted water, make plants healthier and save money

摘要

Automatic lawn irrigation systems are a wonderful luxury. In fact, they work so well that many people just forget about them, and that explains why you sometimes see these systems watering a lawn right after a rain. New irrigation controls are a better way to water. They adjust themselves or allow you to make changes to their schedule from a home computer. Although manufacturers have been experimenting with these products for the past couple of years, they are just now reaching the market. Systems that are self-operating use data from a mini weather station in your yard, or take information from satellites and meteorology stations (see illustration, next page). These systems are known as ET-based, for evapotranspiration-a crop science term that describes evaporation (out of soil, droplets or puddles) and water loss from plants (transpiration).