The benefits of a smart irrigation system

By Alistair May 17, 2021 10:06 Updated

With climate change making the job of turf maintenance more difficult than ever before, smart irrigation solutions are paving the way forward. Last year was one of the top five hottest years on record for the UK, with the sunniest spring yet and a heatwave in the summer. With this weather to contend with, it’s more important than ever to have a system in place that provides efficient and accurate irrigation, so your turf doesn’t get damaged and you don’t waste water.

Here we talk to Robert Jackson, water division sales manager at Reesink Turfcare, about how smart irrigation can help turfcare businesses.

Technology and turfcare

With the weather becoming more unpredictable due to climate change, it’s becoming increasingly hard to stay ahead of the game when it comes to turf maintenance. Without being able to rely on historical trends in weather, it’s difficult to know when and how often turf should be irrigated, which is why smart irrigation solutions are gaining popularity.

The world of smart technology is evolving exponentially, and it is thought by 2021 46 billion devices with connection to the internet will be in use, up 200 percent from 2016. From buying a cup of coffee to connecting us with loved ones, smart devices are continually putting more convenience and control at our fingertips.

With technology comes accurate and easily accessible information and data, one of the biggest things helping industries to better manage resources and help workers to complete tasks faster. And as we all know speed combined with accurate information are critical in today’s business world and thanks to technology, business is now conducted at the speed of thought and at the click of a remote button.

Using technology and connecting certain elements of turfcare management online can help golf course professionals and groundspeople maintain the perfect playing conditions every day by providing actionable data to help optimise turf management decisions. The more we know, the more solutions, tactics and plans can be implemented.

But the key to using this information effectively, is to have it all available on one, easy to use platform. Turfcare professionals don’t have time to wade through data; they need to be out getting the job done. Delivering connected information on one platform brings easy access to all aspects of the turf, showing how it all comes together to enable decisions to be made that maximise the performance of the crew, the equipment and the turf instantly.

With systems on the market able to wirelessly transmit data on everything from the weather to nutrients in the soil, for the first time accurate information on all aspects of turfcare management is available to turf professionals from one access point.

With Toro Lynx Central Control, you can easily adjust your irrigation to target the areas you need from your mobile phone

What is a smart irrigation system?

A smart irrigation system is one that integrates between the control system, pumpset, weather station, mobile phone apps and more. Using the internet, these systems will collect data from all the elements of your irrigation, compiling the information in an easy to read format, accessible from one platform.

So how does this help when it comes to turfcare maintenance? Once you have access to information for the entirety of your irrigation system, you can then properly assess if there are any problem areas or adjustments that need to be made.

For example, turf and soil monitoring sensors may flag that a certain area of turf is lacking in moisture, or perhaps the temperature of the turf is up because of the weather. With a smart irrigation system, you could access this information on your computer or phone and adjust your irrigation to target that area instantly.

Accessing irrigation information in real time from a mobile device is vital and possible thanks to products such as the Toro Lynx Central Control system

Irrigation control

We all know that effective irrigation is vital for the healthiest grass and to positively affect playability. Advances in technology mean that where once turf managers were reacting to conditions in order to care for turf, they can now be proactive and formulate more specific plans based on accurate data.

Being able to prepare and implement what the turf needs in advance, rather than trying to fix issues after the event, means the quality of the playing surface can be maintained to the highest standard ensuring the best playability for customers.

Having access to information, such as how much water your turf needs, gives turf managers the ability to implement the best course of action which can result in huge reductions in water used and significant cost savings. Which is why smart irrigation control systems that effectively utilise modern technology are so beneficial. The difference between irrigating for a minute versus 55 seconds might not sound big, but with the volume of water being used by sprinklers it quickly adds up, so having the ability to recognise the exact amount your turf needs and implementing that should not be underestimated.

Being able to access irrigation information in real time from any mobile device with an internet connection is vital and possible thanks to products such as the Toro Lynx Central Control system. Now, the touch of a button is all it takes to make changes to your irrigation plan, and with additional extras such as the weather station, you can adapt in response to changes in the weather, no matter where in the country you are, which is particularly useful with the quick-changing nature of the weather.

In fact, Toro’s Lynx Central Control system leads the field in smart irrigation. It was designed in close consultation with greenkeeping and other turf professionals and is the preferred control system for golf and irrigated sports venues available from Toro because, quite simply, Lynx can do everything. With everything else so uncertain in the world today, one thing you can be certain of with Lynx is greater control than ever before over your irrigation.

As well as giving you the ability to monitor and change your irrigation, advanced software systems such as Lynx Central Control also allow you to access all the information you need from one place. Having all the information you need readily available and combined into a single intuitive interface gives you greater control than ever before.

And with Reesink Turfcare, opting for Toro Lynx Central Control also comes with the added benefit of Toro trained engineers, providing expert training on everything from sprinklers to controllers. With ongoing training and support, you can rest assured your irrigation system will continue to perform to an excellent standard for years to come.

Leading the field in smart irrigation is Toro’s Lynx Central Control system; fast, intuitive and able to deliver all the information needed to better manage water and resources

Toro Lynx Central Control Features

Simple menu. All similar functions are organised into folders.
Irrigation at a glance. Colour coded icons tell you which areas will be irrigated.
Save the most important pages. All the daily functions can be one mouse-click away.
Precise irrigation. Decide how many inches or millimeters to water.
Intelligent irrigation. Turf Guard sensors help you to decide when to irrigate and how much water to apply.
Plan ahead. Decide which days of the week you are going to turn on sprinklers.
Easily edit your course map or create your own interactive map.