Hi, everyone.
This is Paul Harris from the Center for Water Efficient
Landscaping.
Over the last few months, we've been doing some improvements
to our irrigation system here at the Greenville Research Farm,
and part of that has been to install a subsurface drip
irrigation system for a turf grass area.
I want to show you guys what that project's been like.
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So the system actually wasn't as complicated
as I thought it was going to be.
It's fairly basic.
So we start out there with an isolation valve, pressure
reducer and a filter, and then a water supply
comes down and is distributed to our different drip hoses.
And this is just regular inline emitter hose
that runs all the way down the length of the area.
One unique thing about this system
is we're utilizing this fabric, and what this fabric does
is it helps distribute the water a little bit more
evenly throughout the area.
As the water comes out the emitters, it hits this fabric
and disperses, and that way you kind of eliminate
dry spots or wet spots.
So one thing we've added to our system
is an extra isolation valve.
And what that isolation valve does
is control these overhead sprinklers.
And if you're wondering what's the point of having a drip
irrigation system if you're just going to add sprinklers to it?
And the reason we have these sprinklers
is if we have inputs such as fertilizers or pesticides
that need to be watered in.
So what we can do is we can turn off our drip,
add our fertilizer, pesticide, or what have you,
and then turn on our sprinklers, irrigate it in, and then switch
back over to the drip.
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Quick update on the project--
we finished putting the soil back
and we turned the system on to see if it would work.
It looks like it's working OK.
Right now we're adjusting sprinklers
for the establishment, and then soon we'll be laying sod--
my favorite part.
So we're going to do the sprinklers a test,
turn that off, turn this on.
Yep.
Ah!
Got wet.
So we'll have these sprinklers on when we do any fertilizer
applications and during establishment,
but the main irrigation is going to be from the drip.
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OK, Jesse, roll out the last piece of sod.
All right.
Can you do it straighter next time?
[LAUGHING] You'd think I'd be practiced enough, but no.
Looking good.
Beautiful tall fescue.
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