Using Web Soil Survey to define your soil settings - Schedules & Zones / Set Up & Edit Zones - Rachio Community
Using Web Soil Survey to define your soil settings
I found through my own experience that setting an incorrect soil type can have a dramatic impact on the watering duration and frequency of flex schedules. I’d lived in my home for 22 years and always assumed we had a lot of clay in our desert soil. Through these forums I found that was not the case, and instead we have sandy loam. Changing that setting really had a big impact on my scheduling.
Finding out your soil type can be confusing, but I personally found the USDA Web Soil Survey site to be incredibly helpful. The first few times through it wasn’t intuitively obvious how to find all of the information that I needed. The document that I put together here is an attempt to make it easier for new users. Please let me know if there are mistakes and I’ll try to keep this post up to date with the latest instructions.
I hope this helps !
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE:
Web Soil Survey Instructions for Rachio Iro
- Moisture Level Inconsistencies
- Where to start on Flex Daily
- This Is How You Need To Water Your Lawn
- Questions about the Rachio 3
- What Soil Type in Rachio is CeB2—Cecil sandy clay loam?
Top Replies
post by azdavidr on Aug 28, 2016
I found through my own experience that…
post by sunny on Aug 28, 2016
Great job, @azdavidr!!
post by Modawg2k on Aug 28, 2016
That’s a great guide @azdavidr. They definitely need to find a way to pin the information.
post by hgugger on Aug 29, 2016
@azdavidr, thanks for putting the hours into create this great and very useful guide. Really great job!
post by DSNJ on Sep 15, 2016
This is a fantastic guide. I spotted it the day you posted and discovered that while I had correctly determined my soil type, I had to change my Available Water setting from 0.17 to 0.13 according to the USGS survey. This seems to have made a noticeable difference to my watering times and I’m much more confident that my system is making better calculations based on more accurate data now.
Content Continuation
- If you are unsure about how to determine your soil type, consider conducting a mason jar test or a soil test for greater accuracy.
- Regularly monitor your plants for signs of stress and adjust your watering settings accordingly to optimize irrigation.
Conclusion
The guide compiled by azdavidr provides significant insights into navigating the USDA Web Soil Survey which aids in determining the appropriate soil type for effective irrigation via Rachio products. Remember to validate your soil settings against observed plant health and empirical data from tests.