How to set up the Smart Program?

Overview

Yardian’s Smart Program automatically calculates the most efficient watering schedule for your yard based on the weather data, zone settings, preferences for each zone, and optional water restrictions.

The calculation is a 7-day cycle. The information on the first day is accurate, but the following 6 days are estimated for reference. Every day at midnight, the schedule will be recalculated based on the updated weather data.

Yardian's Smart Program is structured using the EPA WaterSense weather-based smart watering algorithm. Please read the article How Smart Watering Works before setting up the Smart Program.

Quick Start

1. First, let’s modify the MAD (% Maximum Allowable Depletion) in the Plant setting page to determine the watering interval. A higher MAD value will result in a longer watering interval, while a lower MAD value will result in a shorter watering interval.
   
   If you usually run a zone 3 times a week, you can modify the MAD value to get an estimated watering interval of around 2.3 days (7 divided by 3 is 2.3).
   
   
2. Once the watering interval is determined, we can adjust the watering time by changing the AR (Application Rate) value in the Sprinkler Heads setting page. A higher AR value will result in a shorter watering time, while a lower AR value will result in a longer watering time.

Set up Parameters for the Smart Program

In the Main tab, go to the My Yard section. Select the zone you want to assign for the Smart Program.

In the Yard tab

1. The Plant Setting Page

1. Please select the default plant closest to yours.
2. You can change the Root Depth and MAD (% Maximum Allowable Depletion). Normally it is hard to know the root depth, so you can leave it as default.
3. You can change the MAD to specify the Watering Intervals. As you change the MAD, the Watering Intervals estimated by the Smart Program will change accordingly.

2. The Sprinkler Head Setting Page

1. Please select the default sprinkler head closest to yours.
2. You can change the Application Rate (AR) to specify the Watering Time. As you change the Application Rate (AR), the Watering Time estimated by the Smart Program will change accordingly.

The water application rate is the depth of water applied by sprinklers in a zone, used to convert the amount of water to watering time. A lower estimated application rate could lead to a longer watering time.

By default, the application rate is presented in either inches or centimeters per hour (in/hr or cm/hr). It can also be converted to the volumetric flow rate of a sprinkler head (gallons/minute or GPM). If you switch to the volumetric flow rate, be sure to input the number of sprinkler heads.

3. Other Parameters

In the zone settings, continue to specify the Soil Types, Slope, Exposure, and Zone Area. You can use default values in most of the cases, but please specify the Zone Area as accurate as possible for better water usage estimation, especially if you use “volumetric flow rate + number of sprinkler heads" to describe the flow rate of the sprinkler head.

Assign Zone(s) to the Smart Program

There are 2 ways to assign a zone to the Smart Program.

1. Specify Directly in the Zone Setting Page

• After specifying all the required parameters in the zone settings, go to “Program”.
• Select Smart Program. You can edit the details if needed.

2. Specify Through the Program Tab

• In the Program tab, select Smart Program.
• Click the Zone option to assign zone(s) for this Smart Program.

Constraints 

Maximum Watering Time Per Day

The "Maximum Watering Time Per Day" setting allows you to limit the total watering duration for a specific zone within a day. This is useful for preventing overwatering, ensuring that a zone does not exceed the specified watering time, even if there are inaccuracies in weather data from the weather station.

Maximum Watering Cycle

Based on the soil type and its infiltration rate, the Smart Program divides a long watering duration into shorter Watering Cycles, with Soaking Cycles inserted in between. This allows enough time for the water to infiltrate into the soil properly. If you want to set a maximum duration for each Watering Cycle to ensure that the water is adequately absorbed by the soil, you can configure this parameter.

Minimum Soaking Cycle

The "Minimum Soaking Cycle" determines the minimum amount of time required for the soil to absorb water between Watering Cycles. Depending on the soil type and its ability to retain water, the Smart Program will insert Soaking Cycles between Watering Cycles to prevent runoff and ensure efficient water absorption. By setting this parameter, you can specify the minimum duration for these Soaking Cycles to allow water to penetrate the soil properly before the next Watering Cycle begins.

Other Adjustments

Smart Watering Adjustment

If you need to adjust the pre-programmed watering schedule for any reason, you can always go to the "Smart Watering Adjustment" to tailor the program for each zone.

Smart Program Hours

You can specify allowable hours to run the Smart Program by setting up the “Smart Program Hours.”