Gainesville bound!

A portion of the Water Resource Team is in Gainesville for the next several days to attend the 3rd Water Institute Symposium at the University of Florida.

Dr. Kati Migliaccio is in attendance to moderate several discussion panels as well as assist with the judging of student poster presentations.

N. A. Dobbs: wind readings in the field plot

Masters student Nicki Dobbs is attending the symposium to present a poster of a study entitled: Interactive Tool for Simulating Water Management in a Virtual Turfgrass System.

Early poster draft

Watch this space for continuing coverage of our adventures at the UF main campus and its surrounding environs.

Feb-08-2012 Fieldwork at C-111

There was heavy rain at C-111 project site in the past few days despite this being the dry season. All our monitoring stations were fine though. We observed that microtopography can exacerbate the problem of surface ponding within the planted fields. Below are some pictures.

Squash field located west of VC1

Corn field north of VC1

Squash field east of VC2

New videos online: bulletproof plants!

I recently produced two videos in collaboration with Miami-Dade Extension. These short works are about low-maintenance plants. Native to the region or not, these kinds of plants thrive in South Florida without requiring irrigation, fertilizer or pesticide.

Video 1: putting in work

In addition to assessing large and small landscape irrigation systems in all corners of Miami-Dade County, every now and again the Urban Conservation Unit (UCU) relishes the opportunity to do some actual installation work.

Late last year we were approached by an Extension agent for assistance with installing a temporary drip irrigation set-up for a low-maintenance plant demonstration plot. This plot would serve to educate Extension visitors about various Florida-friendly plant options for hedges and such.

Well, if there’s anything the UCU loves more than drought-tolerant, low-maintenance plants, its drip irrigation!

Amidst the PVC cutting, glue slinging and drip-line unfurling, we also made sure to keep the camera rolling! See the video here!

Video 2: the urban core

Last month while visiting with a homeowner at one of my ET research sites in Coral Gables, I received a call from local Florida Yards & Neighborhoods (FYN) coordinator Laura Vasquez.

On her way to meet a landscape architect at a new high-rise in Allapattah to certify the landscape as Florida-friendly, she asked if I would be interested in filming a segment.
Well, if there’s anything I love more than FL-friendly landscaping, it’s filming said topic in my favorite City of Miami neighborhoods!

Because FYN-certification was a stipulation in the loan this urban infill project received to be developed, the landscape architect worked with this in mind when designing for the limited landscape space. See the video here!

Committed to aesthetics

Both of these short videos were shot in my preferred mode of working - fast and with no room for error. For the first one, I shot everything I could as the drip install was happening, moving about for the best angles - one chance/one take.

The next day, I captured UCU technician Jesus Lomeli for audio to lay over the visuals.

In the second video, I shot the architect only moments after meeting him for the first time. He required little prompting to discuss points of interest in very detailed and concise sound bites - all I had to do was keep up!

Following the interview, I walked the property capturing visuals that seemed interesting or that matched what was discussed. There is an added element of spontaneity when shooting in a loud and lively urban setting. I absolutely loved this! Of the recent videos I have produced, these are two of my favorites.

Hi Group grad meeting today at 2:00 PM

Remember we have a meeting today.

PhD candidate in full: Congratulations, Isaya!

On a fateful afternoon earlier this week, Water Resource Team member, and graduate student extraordinaire, Isaya Kisekka, braved an onslaught of probing inquiries from his committee and succeeded in passing his oral examination!

In field mode

In addition to demonstrating mastery over his research project’s whys and wherefores, Mr. Kisekka also earned the right to continue forward on the path to PhD status.

Moments before the exam

Keep up the good work, Isaya! Onward toward more research!

In lab mode

New video online! – mechanical timers 101

I recently produced a video for the Urban Conservation Unit. The focus of this new piece is teaching the uninitiated the ins and outs of the mechanical irrigation timer.

Ye olde time keeper

Whether on well-water or city water, 70% of the homeowner landscape irrigation systems we assess in Miami-Dade County are outfitted with a mechanical timer. Though AC-powered, these timers are as streamlined as possible...

...keeping time and day information through the use of pins and wheels, and turning on and off based on where pins are fixed and how many pins are attached in sequence.

Partners in crime

The gruesome twosome

Because all this device can do is send water and stop it, it is paired with the indexing valve in order to distribute water throughout an irrigation system’s different zones.

Exhibit A

Sworn enemy of the UCU, the indexing valve is an inefficient, unreliable and restrictive method for distributing water on a property. Does this make the mechanical timer guilty by association? Discuss among yourselves.

Carne de perro!

Despite its shortcomings, the mechanical timer does have some saving graces. First, it is built to last. Comparing it to a digital timer, one local contractor confessed to us he prefers the mechanical because it is like “carne de perro!” (tough as dog meat!).

AC power in/AC power out

Further, because many South Florida irrigation systems use pumps, the mechanical timer is advantageous because it can send 240V, or 120V, directly from the breaker to the pump – where a low-voltage digital timer requires a pump start relay.

However popular or practical, the truth about this mechanical beast is that few homeowners know how it works and even fewer know how to program it. Therein lies the motivation for producing this new video.

See it here!

New video online – demystifying irrigation maintenance!

I recently produced a video for the Urban Conservation Unit. The piece focuses on simple landscape irrigation maintenance, guiding viewers through a number of repairs step by step.

Thems the breaks!

The field plot: where we set our scene

Last year, in the wake of some especially disastrous trench-filling work at the TREC field plot (perpetrated by neither Water Resource nor TREC staff) I noticed one of the rotator heads was pulled out of the ground at a sharp angle.


As I continued to walk the plot I discovered that other heads had been completely buried under the soil used to fill the trenches. My first thought: unearth all heads and wet-check the plot for problems. My second thought: let’s make a video!

Grist for the mill

Simple enough, right? What better way to illustrate some simple maintenance tips than in a controlled environment where even we didn't know the extent of the leaning head's underground damage? Well, on that day, fortune was a sloppy trench-filler!

What began as a simple repair scene to be tacked onto other “as yet undetermined” material grew into a complete work when the subsequent wet-check revealed both a clogged rotator nozzle and a fractured zone line!

Motivation

The culprit unmasked

During our system assessments throughout Miami-Dade County, we consistently encounter homeowners who (unlike property managers) openly admit to not conducting periodic wet-checks on their irrigation systems.

Fractured pipe piece replaced

Naturally, when a nozzle clog, head break or pipe leak goes undetected, the result is often water waste, uneven irrigation coverage and landscape stress (from flooding or lack of water). Ideally, this video will help inspire enterprising folks to roll up their sleeves and do their part for water-use efficiency.

View the video here.