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Gerry Charlton DIRECTOR IPOS Consulting Pty Ltd

Hillcrest P rimary School Monitoring Soil Moisture to Achieve Best Practice Turf & Irrigation Management. Gerry Charlton DIRECTOR IPOS Consulting Pty Ltd. Background 2009/10. Hillcrest Primary School Oval - 1.2 ha Reduced water usage to deal with drought conditions.

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Gerry Charlton DIRECTOR IPOS Consulting Pty Ltd

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  1. Hillcrest Primary SchoolMonitoring Soil Moisture to AchieveBest Practice Turf & Irrigation Management Gerry Charlton DIRECTOR IPOS Consulting Pty Ltd

  2. Background 2009/10 • Hillcrest Primary School Oval - 1.2 ha • Reduced water usage to deal with drought conditions. • Resulted in surface cracking and closure of the oval for school activities. • IPOS engaged to carry out turf & Irrigation assessment and make recommendations on future management.

  3. Irrigation System • System 5 years old • Application rate acceptable - 12.7 mm/hr • Distribution Uniformity (DU) acceptable – 77% • Maintenance issues include sprinklers not turning, misaligned. • Irrigation schedules not meeting plant water requirement. • Turf Assessment • Soil Type heavy black reactive loamy clay. Swells when wet shrinks when dry, prone to compaction. • Soil structure acceptable with good infiltration rate. • Kikuyu coverage and density variable with significant broadleaf weed present. • Significant surface cracking, particularly in poorly turfed areas. • Cracking extended deep into the soil profile. • There was not turf and irrigation skills within the school. Irrigation System & Turf Assessment Results

  4. Irrigation System & Turf Assessment Results

  5. Irrigation System & Turf Assessment Results

  6. Irrigation System & Turf Assessment Results

  7. Irrigation Water Usage Irrigation System & Turf Assessment Results

  8. Turf Maintenance • Implement turf maintenance program aimed at improving turf coverage and density, eradicating broadleaf weeds and maintaining soil structure and infiltration .- verti-drain- herbicide application- Sodding bare areas- fertilser application. • Monthly turf quality inspections • Irrigation Management • Carry out irrigation maintenance to ensure all sprinklers are operating correctly. • Increase current irrigation schedule to soak the soil profile and close cracking • Install multi-probe soil moisture sensor to monitor moisture levels through the profile. • Use soil moisture technology to manage irrigation scheduling to ensure the plant water requirements are met and moisture maintained in the profile. Irrigation System & Turf Recommendations

  9. MAIT Industries – Intellitrol System • Multi stage soil moisture probe with sensors at 10, 20, 30, 40 cm • Monitor soil moisture, flow, rainfall, EC, Soil Temp. • Control irrigation scheduling based on soil moisture status. • Management control using calibrated full and refill points. • Real time remote monitoring of irrigation events, soil moisture, flow and rainfall. • Requires back up monitoring of turf condition.

  10. MAIT Soil Moisture - Irrigation Monitoring and Control Soil Moisture Full Point 25% Refill Point 15% Irrigation Rainfall

  11. MAIT Soil Moisture - Irrigation Monitoring and Control 10 cm 20 cm 30 cm 40 cm

  12. Results – Irrigation Water Usage Irrigation Water Usage managed to apply only as much water as required to meet plant water requirements while maintaining soil moisture within the profile.

  13. Results – Turf Quality • Improved turf and surface quality. • No surface cracking. • Oval ‘fit for purpose’, safe for school activities.

  14. Results – Turf Quality

  15. Turf and Irrigation recommendations implemented. • Improved turf and surface condition resulting in uninterrupted use of the oval with no surface cracking. • Improved water use efficiency with actual water usage matching the plant water requirement without wastage. • Positive outcome for the school with sound turf and irrigation management. Summary Thank You !

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