“If I hadn’t seen it I would not have believed it.” This is quite a statement about an irrigation product just being released in Canada, a water chip that creates high-frequency oscillating streams. How? I am sure we will not be shown how Toro has come up with this space-age product, but it has arrived.

This summer, I had these new heads installed at the University of Guelph Trial Gardens at Landscape Ontario in Milton. We laid out 82 Toro 570z12p high pop-up sprinkler bodies, connected to blue loc-flex pipe, and then set them plumb, buried and compacted. The bodies were supplied by John Mytroen of Canada Turf. This allows the sprinklers to do their magic watering when they pop up and disappear out of sight when not in use, so the sprinklers — which irrigators think are beautiful — do not detract from the plant show the landscape designer has strived so hard to achieve. Many years back I learned about landscape lighting and the motto, “See the effect, not the source,” which applies even more to irrigation. We don’t have to see the sprinklers, only the healthy landscape plants.

So, what’s all the fuss about? Frans Peters of Humber Nurseries, who knows his plants, exclaimed, “Now, that’s good coverage.” Exactly what Toro has strived for with this ground-breaking technology. But excellent coverage comes with a few more benefits like one inch-per-hour precipitation rates which translates to water savings.

According to Toro, “Nozzles operate in the same performance parameters as other conventional sprays. This ensures proper irrigation even when run times are not increased; while delivering up to 42 per cent lower flow (at 12 ft. radius).” Another benefit, according to the manufacturer, is “MPR (matched precipitation rate) across all radii and arcs, even after a 20 per cent radius reduction.”

Does it really work?
This is what the product literature says, but is it true? A visual inspection of the spray pattern during operation indicates a very even distribution of water, with no visible dry or weak areas during set-up and testing of the four spray stations. A reduced station runtime from an industry standard of ten minutes for sprays, as long as no run-off is witnessed, does indicate water savings. (Other systems divide the run time and create two five-minute watering cycles.)

Lawrence Budd, owner of Urban Water Conservation in California, whom I have dealt with, was hired by a school district having issues with water use at its irrigated sites. Lawrence set up a three-station audit test, comparing rotating, conventional and precision nozzles. In an article for Irrigation and Green Magazine, entitled Precision Spray Nozzles Case Study, the results of the study were revealing. “The precision sprays were the most efficient, coming in with a distribution uniformity (DU) of more than 80 per cent. That’s a pretty amazing number,” Budd said. The school district representative commented, “In the areas where we are testing the sprays, we’re seeing our water consumption decreased by about 10 to 15 per cent. I’ve really never seen anything deliver water more precisely.” In the words of experts, distribution uniformity is increased, providing an even coverage of the plants within the target area with precise edge control thrown in at no extra cost. Water consumption is down, due to the high level of efficiency — allowing for shorter station runtimes. In areas such as the school district, where time is critical and water windows are strictly enforced, an irrigation station that provides enough precipitation in a shorter period of time is a big benefit.

Waiting for next year
The nozzles are in place, and as much as I hate to say it, fall shut-downs are just around the corner. I, for one, am interested to see how the nozzles handle compressed air and overwinter in a southern Ontario climate for the first time. I am sure they will do just fine, but there is nothing like a real test to prove the worth of a new product.

Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated in the Trial Garden irrigation system installation. We now have point-source, subsurface and precision spray systems to use in conducting educational sessions onsite, as well as a quarter-inch hanging basket dripline system. Landscape Ontario’s site has never looked so healthy.

Lorne Haveruk is an Ontario-based water resource consultant, irrigation designer, author, speaker and educator.