Adjusting for new mulch

post by MrBeans on May 6, 2024

Hello! I have been using a Rachio controller for the past year. I have things somewhat dialed in for 6 zones using Flex Monthly. I have adjusted the Crop Coefficient in a few zones to tune the watering, but other than that I use the default settings. I live in Southern California, in case that’s relevant.

My question: this year we added about 3 inches of shredded hardwood mulch to the entire garden. How should I adjust my Rachio zones and schedules accordingly? Should I adjust the crop coefficient? Or does the affect the efficiency? Thanks in advance.

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post by tmcgahey on May 6, 2024

It might affect things a bit as adding any type of cover will help evaporation, but I’m not sure it would be enough to warrant changes in settings. I’d suggest running it as is for a while and see how things look. If soil constantly looks overly moist, then adjust.

post by MrBeans on May 7, 2024

Makes sense. Would I use crop coefficient to make the adjustment? I am using flex monthly.