Landscape Design with Water in Mind -
Irrigation Design and Scheduling

Instructor: Lori Palmquist

For the irrigation designer, reducing water use in the landscape, or dealing with the prospect of little or no available water, is a balancing act. To this end, we strive to use as little water as we dare, while keeping the plants as robust and happy as possible.

As water restrictions increase, this course may well be vital to sustain our landscapes and our businesses. Sign up now to prepare yourself and your team, if applicable.

When designing for little or no available water, the irrigation designer must be diligent to put systems in place that not only optimize every drop of water, but that spell out management practices that uphold the promise of plant health and welfare for the life of the landscape. The key to success extends far beyond the drawing board or the CAD design software.

In this course, irrigation designer Lori Palmquist will explore strategies for using less water in the irrigation design and scheduling phase of a landscape project. She presents new, innovative ideas, as well as time-tested methods.

Topics include:

● Temporary irrigation systems - when, where, and how to use them

● Irrigating to ETo (evapotranspiration)

● Using mulch and compost to optimize soil water content and minimize water lost from the soil

● The difference between establishing new plants and watering mature plants

● Meters and flow sensing to monitor and regulate irrigation water

● The concept of planting the water

● Striving for net-zero-water landscaping

● Leveraging rainfall

● Precise scheduling strategies

Hi, I'm Lori Palmquist!

I'm an irrigation designer, consultant, and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've been specializing in irrigation for the past 24 years of my 35-year career. As an irrigation contractor, I designed, installed, maintained, repaired, upgraded, and assessed hundreds of irrigation systems.

I have five industry certifications to back up my knowledge and expertise. Through the Irrigation Association, I'm a Certified Irrigation Designer, Certified Landscape Water Manager, Certified Irrigation Contractor, and a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor. I'm also QWEL certified (Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper), and have taught the QWEL training in the Bay Area and the Sacramento Region since 2010. 

I've been teaching irrigation since 2008, and to date, have taught almost 600 classes, workshops, seminars, and training programs.

In 2023, I co-taught the Irrigation and Water Economy class at Monterey Peninsula College. I'll teach the irrigation course at Merritt College in Oakland, starting in January of 2024.

Course Curriculum

CEUs: APLD awarded 4.25 CEUs

Hours of Content: At least 4.25 hours

Introduction

• What to expect in the course
• Future-proofing your landscapes and your business

Drought-Proofing Existing Landscapes

• What to do if irrigation is suddenly restricted or prohibited
• Triage checklist
• Drought-proofing landscapes ~ start now!
• Assessing water-use performance

New Landscapes - Irrigation Components You Should Be Using

• Complying with MWELO, whether you're required to or not (Model Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance)
• Components at the POC (point of connection)
• Components at the valve and point of delivery
• How to choose from hundreds of smart controllers

Striving for Net-Zero-Water Landscapes

• Planting the rain
• Temporary irrigation systems

Creating Accurate Irrigation Schedules

• New versus mature landscapes
• Minutes-per-week scheduling formula
• Scheduling using Lori's Irrcalc web app
• Free scheduling web apps
• Soil-moisture sensors

Course Wrap-Up

• Resources and more