Landscape Track | Industry Insights

Tuesday, Dec. 3

Landscape Irrigation Management

8:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m.  |  SWAT & Apps for Water Conservation on Turfgrass  |  Bernard Cardenas and Michael Dukes, University of Florida  |  0.5 CEU
Smart Water Application Technologies (known as SWAT) and mobile apps could improve irrigation efficiency on turfgrass. Get a better understanding of how these tools are reducing environmental impacts and promoting water conservation.

8:35 a.m.-9:05 a.m.  |  Comparing Weekly Irrigation to Rain Sensor Performance  |  Charles Swanson, MAgr, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension  |  0.5 CEU
Creating irrigation schedules based on historic or seasonal rainfall can be challenging to irrigation professionals when determining weekly run times. A recent study was initiated to help address this predicament by evaluating what effect rain sensor operation has on controller operation and the resulting irrigation schedule.

9:10 a.m.-9:40 a.m.  |  Rain First – Maximizing Effective Rainfall for Conservation  |  Mark Crookston, PE, CAIS, CIC, CID, CIT, CLIA, CLWM, Northern Water  |  0.5 CEU
Improved management of irrigated landscapes can increase effective rainfall and provide significant water conservation benefits. Learn the steps to using rainfall to your advantage, while, in return, reducing watering requirements and improving landscape vigor and health.

9:45 a.m.-10:15 a.m.  |  Fewer Drinks for the Links  |  Ariana C. Wilfley, CLIA, California Water Service  |  0.5 CEU
California Water Service, committed to responsibly reducing water use specifically during a drought, partnered with some of their heaviest users: golf courses. Learn how this innovative project helped assist golf course management reduce water use, without sacrificing beauty or playability of their turf.

10:20 a.m.-10:50 a.m.  |  Soil Moisture Sensor-Based Irrigation Scheduling on Fairways  |  Mark S. Nakatsui; Priti Saxena, PhD; Alan Moss; and Sean McLaughlin; California State Polytechnic University  |  0.5 CEU
In recent years, California has been significantly affected by drought conditions, leading to the adoption of soil moisture sensor technology to measure and conserve water. This session focuses on solutions the industry can implement using soil moisture sensors to conserve water.

10:55 a.m.-11:25 a.m.  |  Autonomous Turfgrass & Groundcover Irrigation Management Using Smart Irrigation  |  Amir Haghverdi, University of California, Riverside  |  0.5 CEU
This session will analyze the findings of several landscape irrigation research trials in Southern and Central California, including performance evaluation or evapotranspiration-based and soil moisture sensor-based smart controllers and response of turfgrass to multiple deficit irrigation strategies.

11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.  |  Fundamentals of the Smart Water Triangle  |  Rich Miller, CIC, CLIA, Rich Miller Landscape Service Inc.  |  0.5 CEU
Knowledge of available water, system design and installation best practices avoids problems. This session highlights the importance of knowing your equipment offerings and applying best practices and more fundamentals to controlling water.

Wednesday, Dec. 4

Rainwater Harvesting

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.  |  Rainwater Collection  |   Matthew Finch, Rechsand  |  1.0 CEU
Low-impact development and core technology can contribute to the innovation of LID as a best management practice to manage stormwater runoff, as well as improve water quality through sustainable and cost-effective land planning and engineering design. Delve into the need for LID and core technology as it pertains to rainwater collection and reuse.

11:05 a.m.-12:05 p.m.  |  Designing & Building Landscapes Using Only Rainwater  |  Darrel McMaster, Sustainable Homes Inc.  |  1.0 CEU
Sustainable Homes has the largest number of homes that use rainwater catchment as their sole source of water than any other builder in the nation. Get a better understanding of how these houses are changing the way water is being used in and around the home in times of limited water availability.

2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.  |  Rainwater BMPs: Plants, Soil, Irrigation & Regulation  |  Russell Ackerman, CLIA-D, SITES AP, City of Santa Monica  |  0.5 CEU
Learn how green infrastructure and rainwater best management practices address runoff water pollution by filtering rainwater on-site through the use of green roofs, rain gardens and biotreatment areas that meet local, state and federal stormwater requirements.

2:35 p.m.-4:05 p.m.  |  LID & Landscape: Best Design Practices for Stormwater BMPs  |  Mari Garabedian, EPIC Total Water Solutions  |  1.5 CEUs
Have you ever wondered how planting and irrigation are affected by stormwater best management practices and what requirements must be met by the landscape and irrigation design professional? This session will review how stormwater BMPs are selected, sized and designed by the civil engineer.

Thursday, December 5

Irrigation System Management

10:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.  |  Developing Systems That Are Repeatable & Scalable  |  Jake Mathre and Russ Jundt; Conserva Irrigation  |  0.5 CEU
Taking a business to new heights can be challenging in the lawn and irrigation industry. Are you setting your business up for failure if you do not have the right systems in place to accommodate incremental growth? Receive key insight on how properly employed systems will help overcome and avoid common pitfalls that lawn and irrigation contractors face.

10:35 a.m.-11:35 a.m.  |  Basics of Backflow Prevention Systems  |  Sean Perry, FEBCO, a WATTS Brand  |  1.0 CEU
This session will provide an introduction to further the understanding of basic backflow principles, the agencies associated with water protection and the various hydraulic systems used to protect the environment from hazardous cross-contamination regarding irrigation systems.

11:40 a.m.-12:40 p.m.  |  Panel Discussion: Subsurface Irrigation Solutions: Forced vs. Responsive  |  David Conklin; Tam Le; Jan Gould; and Mike Mackerer; Responsive Drip Irrigation LLC  |  1.0 CEU
Most SDI systems deliver water based on a timer, controller or human control, while responsive delivery of irrigation use signals from individual plant roots. Learn the pros and cons of these competing irrigation delivery systems.

Landscape Lighting Session

2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.  |  Lighting Design – Beyond the Basics  |  Lisa Ruggiers, Association of Outdoor Lighting Professionals  |  No CEUs earned
Let outdoor lighting take your business to the next level! Outdoor lighting has become very competitive, and it’s important for green industry professionals to have proper training and education to be successful. Learn how to position and market yourself as a lighting designer, not just a contractor, and see the difference in your sales!

(Exhibit hall closes at 3:00 p.m.)