tales from the trenches

Contrasts

2008-10-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was playing with my camera and photo software the other night.

I took photos at a job where I installed the low voltage IlluminFX Tadpole fiber optics kit in a narrow stream/ wate rfall that leads into a koi pond (out of view to the left).

The photo shows fairly true colors at dusk.... slightly manipulated using Picasa 3 ( free program from Google.)

The dwarf Japanese maple is starting to turn, and the warm colors are enhanced by the halogen uplight shining on it from behind the boulder.

The fiber optic lighting is focused on two tiny waterfalls, and is a much cooler white.

Water, politics and economics

2008-09-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

I was at the movies last night and saw the trailer for a documentary, Flow: for love of water, which looks like a must-see.

Here's a NY Times review. And here is an interview with the film makers.

The official film website. And then the trailer along with with a blog from another point of view.

And if you're still interested, please read this articl e.

Here's an excerpt:

....Water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and all other domestic needs is only a small fraction of the requisite supply. A much larger amount is needed to grow our food as well as the fibers, such as cotton, in our clothes. On average, growing a single calorie of food demands a liter of water... A healthy diet of 3,000 calories requires at least 3,000 liters of water to produce; a vegetarian diet requires the least amount of water, while a Western, meat-based diet rich in corn-fed beef can require as much as 15,000 liters of water per person per day. Roughly seventy times as much water is needed to grow the food that people eat as to serve domestic purposes.

Therefore, to understand the water crisis we need to distinguish two fundamentally different problems, which will require different solutions. The first, the drinking water problem, is about access to affordable water services: here we face a service crisis. The second is about the lack of the vastly greater water resources needed to grow food and maintain ecosystem services: here we face a problem of water scarcity, a resource crisis....

Lighting connectors

2008-08-28T19:01:00.000-07:00

I just came across this question posted to the Nightscaping website... and no answer yet....

John L******* // Jul 5, 2008 at 2:18 pm

I have been using low voltage lighting for 30 years and am frustrated with the awkward system of connecting lights to the main low voltage line. The common way is the pronged system used by Malibu and many others. This a very difficult and cumbersome way of making a connection. Is there any product out there that simply plugs into the main line? Thanks for your help.

John L.

John... Pierce type connectors are really a thing of the past. They're a bad idea because they're not waterproof and they set up points where moisture intrudes and corrosion occurs. As a contractor who has used a lot of Nightscaping products, I have to tell you that one of the best ideas they ever came up with was the Ace Connector. It's a brass lug with hex head set screws that gets wrapped in 3M shrink tube. It is waterproof. Check it out on Nightscaping's website. Ace Connectors are not cheap. But that's really the point... you'll pay a little more, AND it's quality will last a lifetime.

Rain Bird service bulletin for ESP-M controllers

2008-08-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

If you have a Rain Bird ESP Modular sprinkler controller and have been having any problems with it, give us a call. We installed more than a dozen of these over the last couple of years, for their easy programming and manual operation and large, easy-to-read displays.

Rain Bird discovered a problem, supposedly to do with some solder connections, in models manufactured before May 2007. Thy sent out a serive bulletin about it last month, but some distributors still haven't gotten the word.

One of the symptoms is a display window that reads "MV_Err" (for Master Valve Error, whether or not your system uses a master valve).

If that's the case with your controller, the fix is simple, so give please give us a call.

If we installed the original controller for you, then we'll replace the defective parts under warranty at no charge. If you or someone else installed the original we can still replace it, with no charge for parts but a nominal labor fee of $65.00.

Pictured below is the Rain Bird ESP Modular with the cabinet open.
The display window is on the upper left. An expansion module is shown at the lower right.

Fiber optic lighting for water features

2008-08-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

I've found a source for some long-lived, energy efficient, safe lighting for small water features. This is an add-on fiber optics lighting system for new or existing low voltage systems made by a company called IlluminFX.

This system works for both free-standing or wall fountains and small waterfalls, even those that flow into swimming pools - not allowed with normal lighting fixtures.The beauty of fiber optics is that there is no electrical component in contact with water, abating any safety concerns for people or fish.

In addition, the MR-16 LED source "light engine" is rated for a very long life of 50,000 hrs. Even at 5 hours per night, 365 days per year, that amounts to more than 20 years before changing the bulb!

(Note: Although they don't seem to show their low voltage version on their website you can view photos of their line voltage metal halide and halogen systems. The effects are similar, but larger scale.)

LED lighting: towards a brighter, greener future!

2008-01-28T18:49:00.000-08:00

How would you like a way to effectively light your landscape, save on energy bills, and not have to change a lamp (bulb) for over 15 years? Sound far-fetched? To some, maybe. But not to those who have seen firsthand what these new lighting tools can do.

Quality LED-based landscape lighting fixtures are gaining acceptance among designers, installers and homeowners. We are starting to offer them now.

The challenge for landscape lighting manufacturers has been how to produce the right warm white quality of light, while also dissipating excess heat and keeping out the weather. We've discovered a Southern California manufacturer called DG Lights, whose fixtures are built solid as bricks with great heat sink capacity.

The first and second photos show the Calzado from DG Lights, first at at night and then during the day.

The third photo (above) shows two DG Lights brand Phoenix LED spot lights mounted part way up the trunk of a Washingtonia fan palm.

The last photo (below) shows two DG Lights Pasos mounted on a stucco wall adjacent to a deck.

Joy and Sadness

2008-01-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened in the past six months.

First, my oldest son got married on June 30, amid the redwoods at Sean's mom's home in the hills above Los Gatos.

Lindsay works in planning and land use policy and Sean works as a risk analyst for a company that helps local governments and non profits to self-insure.

You can see more pictures from the rehearsal dinner (including some bocce ball fun) and the wedding here.

(Photo courtesy of Rene Smoller)

Second, on a sadder note, a friend passed away after a hard fought bout with cancer.

Bill Locklin, known by most as the "father of low voltage outdoor lighting" and founder of Nightscaping passed on December 17.

Bill was a friend, a mentor and to many, both in business and in life. His "hobby out of control" grew into a major industry reaching worldwide... and his influence and inspiration live on.

A licensed electrical contractor to the end, Bill was good at listening to us who installed his products in the field, soliciting our advice, and improving products and materials for us to work with.

You can read comments from Bill's many friends and associates here.

We miss you Bill.

(Photo courtesy of Kevin Islander)

Rotary Nozzles

2007-06-15T11:54:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Rain Bird

Rotary sprinklers are not a new idea. They are sort of a cross between spray heads, which broadcast water in a full or part circle pattern all at once, and rotors, which rotate over a full or part circle with a single stream of water.

Toro's 300/ 340 series Stream Rotors are a gear-driven version of this idea. They've been around since the 1980s. The newer take on this concept, from both MP Rotator (as of April 2007 part of Hunter Industries) and Rain Bird, features nozzles that thread onto a standard sprayhead body, and far fewer moving parts.

This seems to be another head-to-head (get it, head-to-head?) competition between these two irrigation manufacturing leaders. Both brands claim matched precipitation regardless of distance, water pressure (between 20 and 55 PSI) or pattern selected, as long as spacing is head- to-head. Both appear to be good solutions where water pressure is on the low side, or where excess water run-off is an issue due to slopes.

A few words of caution regarding these nozzles: (1) all sprinklers on the same line should be the same brand and model, and (2) watering times need to be extended to up to 2.5 times what conventional sprayheads require. The longer watering time is due to a lower precipitation rate, which is also how they avoid runoff.

One unintended consequence of rotary nozzle designs is that lots of people seem to like watching their sprinklers in action. Something about the rotating streams of water is soothing. They also might be fun for kids to play in. One customer admitted to me that he likes to run through the zones with his hand held remote control and keep the kids guessing which sprinklers will come on next. Good water conservation guidelines recommend watering before 9:00 AM and after 7:00 PM, but these sprinklers you might be tempted to make and exception now and then, like sitting on a patio with a cold drink on your hand and watching the "dancing waters" on a late summer afternoon.

Photo courtesy of MP Rotator

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2007-03-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I can think of three issues you can see with these lights I recently replaced, and a few you can't.

1. The placement of most of the fixtures directly in the lawn at the edges of the walk..

2. Fixtures with a really cheap finish that's fading and flaking in approx. 6 years aftter install. (A brand called Paradise.. though it looks like hell to me...)

3. Fixtures with so much glass and visible lamps... "Carriage lamp on a stick" I think they call that..

What you can't see in the picture:

4. 16 gauge wire throughout.

5. Pierce type connections

6. Pathlights spaced about every 6 to 9 feet along the walkways.. (and no other lighting except line voltage on the garage wall and front porch)

7. Ugly transformer with faded paint hanging askew on the wall with a badly installed in-use cover not hidden by plants and very visible from the front walk/ entry

To add insult to injury, according to one website this fixture, the Paradise Garden Lighting GL22768 Savannah model was "Noted as “Best Buy“ in the Consumer’s Report July 2004!"

However, in fairness, it must also be noted that considering the fixtures survived about 7 years, they outlived their warranty.

Yosemite In Winter

2007-02-27T23:16:00.000-08:00

Once in a while it's nice to take time off from work. I tend to have more time to do that in the off-season. I had a great time with friends in Yosemite National Park this past Saturday.

El Capitan
The road into Yosemite Valley is blocked by a massive rock slide, but a one way detour was set up with a couple of bridges to get across the river and back. There are 15 minute delays in each direction, but fortunately we didn't see much traffic. Fortunately for us, but not necessarily for the businesses that rely on tourism to prop up the local economy. One reason is that the detour is set up with sharp right angled turns, and vehicles longer than 28 feet can't make the turns.

Lower Yosemite Falls
We got there between storms, so the roads were clear, but there was still enough snow to make things look interesting. Yosemite Falls were running. The lower trail is paved and wheelchair accessible, but Saturday there was a lot of packed ice and snow, especially on the little wooden bridges, and that made it slippery and slow going.

New sprinkler stuff

2007-02-20T16:01:00.000-08:00

Well, time flies again. It's mid February already, and there's more rain predicted for tonight. We're still behind a little as far as rainfall goes.

We've had some cooler than usual weather this winter that's typical in a drier year when we have less in the way of cloud cover. Still a slim chance of snow... at least on the higher foothills and mountains that border the valley.

I've discovered a new brand of sprinkler controller and valves put out by a guy who has been in the industry a while. You can buy Irrigation Direct products as a homeowner, but the catch is that you have to buy typical contractor quantities or case lots (maybe get together in with your friends and neighbors to get a better price)

(Update August 08: I've installed nearly dozen of their controllers with very few problems.)

The DMC controllers are compatible with the Hunter SRR remotes that you can find on my website, www.sprinklersplus.com by clicking on the links to Controllers and Accessories. The 3 station expansion modules should work with some older Hunter Pro-C controllers too.

Irrigation Direct also puts out a decent 1" inline valve that adapts a proven "reverse flow" design.

Irrigation Direct sells only online. You won't find them at irrigation supply houses or Home Depot either. they "cut out the middleman" and pass on the savings. My experience with their customer service has been good.

Meanwhile, the Weathermatic Smartline is still going strong.

No free hat, but a helluva lot of nice features. The weather monitor seems accurate enough, and I like checking the temp. data (last 5 days), the accumulated water deficit, etc. I like this controller for it's advanced features. If you're a homeowner you might like it for its ability to adapt to your microclimate. The one I'm testing expands to 16 zones.

Good for most suburban landscapes and small to medium commercial and multiple residence sites too: shopping centers, medical office complexes, condos and apartments. There are larger 24 and 48 zone versions too. Check it out: http://www.smartline.com/

Just Another Turn 'Round The Sun...

2006-11-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

Well, believe it or not it's been 364 days since I started this blog, and this is only my 16th entry...

It's also been a really busy year for sprinkler work... Enough to last through the end of November and maybe beyond if I wanted...

However, this is the time of year when my attention is usually focused more on lighting... So, let me wrap up the irrigation season with a couple of recommendations.

First, it's the beginning of the annual rainy season and if you don't already have a rain sensor connected to your sprinkler system it's a good idea. You could just shut off your controller when the rains come, but rain sensors work especially well towards the beginning and end of our rainy season, when the weather is still variable... some days sunny and warm, others chilly and wet.

It can give you the peace of mind of knowing your yard is being watered if you're out of town during the spring or fall, but at the same time not overwatering.

Second, if you have a Hunter brand controller, we can retrofit with something that goes beyond a rain sensor and measures temperature and rainfall, and combines that with other factors (such as hours of daylight) to determine how much water to apply and when.

It's called the ET System, and although I haven't tried one yet, I'm hearing good things about it.

Third...Suppose you don't already have a Hunter controller, and have been thinking about replacing that outdated sprinkler timer? Well, we have a great solution for you!

It's called the Smartline and it's from a company called Weathermatic, who have been around since 1945. It's expandable by modules in two versions, from 4 to 48 watering zones

This one I've installed, experimented with and have been certified for.

Weathermatic products have been installed in over 70 countries and notable sites including the U.S. Capitol Building, Buckingham Palace, America’s largest home-Biltmore Estate, and the College Football Hall of Fame. They're known around here mostly for their long-lived, reliable sprinkler valves. I'm truly impressed with all the features they packed into this controller for a very reasonable price.

ET- based controllers such as the Hunter ET System and the Weathermatic Smartline have been proven to reduce water consumption by as much as thirty percent. They require a little bit of initial set-up and occasional monitoring, but the general idea is to have a controller that automatically adjusts to the weather so that you don't have to think about it.

I'll post more details as I have time on the controllers page at www.sprinklersplus.com

HEAT WAVE!

2006-06-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Yikes! It's been a while since I've had anything to say. Now were in the midst of a heat wave and I thought I'd pass along some possibly useful tips to anyone reading this.

I drank a gallon of water and three quarts of Gatorade both Thursday and Friday of last week. Today was a little cooler, but that high humidity can be even more uncomfortable... So what about your plants? Are they feeling the heat?

Remember to water before 10:00 AM, or after 7:00 PM. Less water gets lost to evaporation that way, and your plants are happier when they are hydrated before the heat of the day.

Don't overwater. Too much water in the heat can be just as damaging to a plant as too little.

A heat wave will help you identify weak spots in your sprinkler coverage. You (or your housesitter if you're away on vacation) can usually compensate by spot watering with a hose until you can give us a call.

Remember to increase either the number of water days or the watering cycle duration (run time) when we go over 90 degrees F. This simple with Hunter controllers. Both the ICC and the Pro-C have a simple bar graph in the display and arrow keys for increasing or decreasing the watering run times across the board.

Other controllers like the Irritrol Rain Dial Plus or Total Control and the Rain Bird ESP-M have similar features, but involve more steps. Consult your manual or give us a call.

More Tools Of The Trade

2006-04-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a late start this year, but we're finally getting calls about sprinkler problems. People are turning on their sprinkler systems and discovering problem areas.

When it comes to valves that won't open or shut off properly, controllers with blank displays or a message that reads "Short", we're the one to call.

When it comes to simpler tasks like repairing a broken pipe, replacing a sprinkler that the mower sheared off, trimming the grass around the heads or cleaning or replacing filters, you might feel like doing it yourself.

If so, I have a few recommendations for doing the job with the right tools and materials.

1.) Number one on my list is the Rain Bird Spray Head Pull Up Tool.
Use it to pull up pop-up sprinklers with or without a nozzle in place. (It will work with other brands of sprinklers too: Toro, Hunter and Hit for instance.)

Then use it to hold the pop-up piston in place for cleaning or changing nozzles and filters.

2.) Next up is the Kenyon Sprinkler Head Trimmer.

A simple push with your foot and a couple of twists, 90 degrees to the left and then to the right leaves you with a plug of grass you can pull up by hand.

Work your way around the yard with a bucket handy for the plugs you remove. You can turn on the heads to make them easier to locate, but don't try to trim around them when they're popped up or you'll get soaked.

See this tool at: http://www.kenyontools.com/sprinklerheadtrimmers.html

3.) Third on my list is the Quik-Fix by KBI. There are other similar products by other brands, but I like this one the best. Get it at Lane Irrigation. What it does is allow you to make PVC pipe repairs that insert fully into fittings, even in tight spots. Basically, it telescopes.

Careful measuring is important. (Remember the old carpenters' adage: measure twice, cut once.)

http://www.kbico.com/downloads/pdfs/QF-Specs.pdf

4.) Fourth item is pipe cutters. In the ''old days'' pipes were often cut with a hacksaw and then sanded, both to remove burrs and clean the end of the pipe. Ratcheted cutters leave a nice clean and even cut, and faster too. (No loose burrs to clog sprinkler filters.) I haven't found a better brand than Victor.

5.) Last item for today is commonly known as pipe glue, but is actually a solvent cement, melting pipes and fittings so they adhere together. Always use in a well ventilated area and follow the instructions.

I use primer to clean and soften the pipe before using the glue. Always have paper towels or rags on hand to wipe off excess glue right away and always wear latex gloves when using these strong chemicals.

I recommend IPS Weld-On P-70 Primer and WELD-ON 2721 BLUE or WELD-ON 2725 "WET 'R DRY" AQUA BLUE Solvent Cements. These are commonly available at any irrigation supply house (of course I recommend Lane or Ewing - see above for contact info.) BTW, I prefer these Low VOC versions - fewer volatile organic compounds to pollute the air.

Spring Forward

2006-04-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

Spring? Sure doesn't feel like it yet. I seem to remember temperatures in the 70's for a short couple of days a few weeks ago... and then way back in what?.. early February? late January? Unseasonable warmth for about a week... but jeez, it's been extraordinarily wet and cloudy.

I'm getting really tired of it.

There are a few people who have called about sprinkler work nonetheless. And some are planning far ahead, knowing that I'll be busy and wanting to reserve some time in May or June.

For the most part, the end of last year and so far this year (for me) has been all about outdoor lighting. I don't work on it in the pouring rain, but when the ground is wet I can still get in and get the job done.

Anyway, it's time to adjust clocks, which also means sprinkler and lighting timers for Daylight Savings Time.

In a normal year, I'd have a lot of sprinkler timers already running and so I'd have to return to those jobs to make time adjustments. This year however, I think I'll be doing it all at once.

Call if you need help with yours. And see if you can make up that hour of sleep we lose tonight.

The Visual Connection To Our Night Landscape

2006-03-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

This past week I took the time to attend a seminar given by Janet Lennox Moyer, author of The Landscape Lighting Book, the definitive textbook on outdoor lighting from both the aesthetic and practical points of view. It was in Sacramento, sponsored by the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District. The original topic was to be Commercial Landscape Lighting, but it morphed into something bigger and better:

The Visual Connection to Our Night Landscape

"Exterior lighting provides an extension of our livable environment at night. We should create this environment through an aesthetic composition that respects safety and security. Discussions will include lighting issues critical to the design and installation of successful, cohesive landscape lighting systems. Focusing on issues to think about when evaluating the other garden elements that make up the overall landscape, and visually connecting the landscape with interior spaces.

Change is a constant in all gardens. Understanding the seasonal variations, how plant materials mature over the years, and the tendency of gardeners and owners to continually rethink and revamp their gardens helps a designer plan the needed growth-flexibility into a lighting system. Day and night comparisons, the effect of lighting from one season to another, both subtle and radical garden changes over a number of years will be shown as well as practical application information.

A successful landscape lighting system begins with an installation that the customer raves over, but continued success depends on maintenance. Maintenance depends on accurate and current documents. Documentation provides a record of communication. It illustrates your initial vision to a client; demonstrates necessary installation information; and then records critical data for maintenance."

Look for Jan's book (the revised and expanded second edition was published May 2005) in the library, at your local bookstore or at Amazon.com.

She had a great slide show and is a dynamic speaker/ presenter. She covered all of the above and more.

Jan has some strong opinions and shares them.

She does not like aluminum fixture housings (see her informative chapter on corrosion.)
She likes brass and said she thinks we might see titanium fixtures before long. She does not like well lights.

She prefers downlighting/ moonlighting to pathlights. (You should see her slides where she has 8 climbers working on a job to 60 feet up, or the other ones with the articulated lift.)

She does not like colored lights on any plants, but likes to use colors in architectural lighting, water features and sculptures.

Jan likes low light levels from 0.25 to 2.0 FC

(NOTE: FC= Foot Candle, the light output measured on a 12" by 12" surface one foot from a standard (3/4"candle.) Another measure, a Lumen, is the light of a full moon, which is also 1/10th of a Foot Candle.

Jan limits uplight angles to a maximum 30 degrees from vertical. (She used to think 35 degrees but she has changed her mind about that).

When it comes to line voltage she does not like mercury vapor (too blue) and does like metal halide.

I learned a bit more than I knew about planning for adding and moving fixtures as plants grow, lighting different kinds of water features, using a combination of uplights and downlights in trees, etc.

We saw pictures of jobs including the Chicago Botanic Garden and a couple of stately Napa Valley wineries (Far Niente Winery and Turley Wine Cellars for the connoisseurs out there.)

If you ever get a chance to see and hear Jan, do.

Check out her website: http://www.janmoyerdesign.com/

More About Tools...

2006-03-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Oops.

It's actually been a full two months since I've added anything to this darned blog.
Well, today I have something to say, so I hope someone is actually reading this..

It's not about all the rain, sleet, hail and even snow that have slowed the start of spring around here... It's not about politics, war or peace....

It's not about my new favorite TV shows (My Name Is Earl, The Office, Lost and Big Love on HBO) or the great new CD I bought this weekend (Songlines by the Derek Trucks Band) ...

It's about a tool company I discovered by accident while looking for just the right tool at Home Depot the other day. They're called Hound Dog Tools and they make a couple some well designed tools that I'd like to recommend.. if the ground ever dries out enough for you to use them...

Interesting story behind the company too.

http://www.hound-dog.com/about.htm

The first is one I plan to use for installing low voltage lighting cable. They call it the Edge Hound, and it can be used to trim turf edges and/or install the kind of black plastic extruded plastic edging material that comes in rolls.

http://www.hound-dog.com/edge_hound.htm

The second is one they call the Bulb Hound. It works like a traditional bulb planter but kind of crossed with a post hole digger, and with a comfortable molded plastic handle and trigger release.

http://www.hound-dog.com/bulb_hound.htm

Hound Dog Tools make a few other items, some of which look more practical to me than others, but truthfully all I've tried so far are the two I just mentioned.

Check them out at OSH, Home Depot or Ace Hardware stores.

And here's hoping the rain stops long enough for all of us to do something in the garden.

Chiaroscuro...And the art of applying light

2006-01-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

I got back a few days ago from most of a week in Palm Springs. I was there at the invitation of Nightscaping®, and it was a welcome opportunity to share ideas with contractors, designers and other lighting professionals from across the U.S. and Canada.

Palm Springs is beautiful this time of year... comfortably warm and mostly dry, but with enough sparse vegetation on the steep rugged slopes that rise out of the desert to catch the glow of the morning sun. There was something magical and about watching the light shift across the rocky ridges and seeing shadowed canyons in between emerge into light.

One of things I've been thinking about since my trip were part of a presentation by a guy named Rod Tapp. Rod is a retired professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, Cal Poly Pomona. He talked about the dark spaces being as important as the lit ones, and it reminded me of a term I'd heard used to describe works by Italian Renaissance artists such as Caravaggio.

Chiaroscuro, (literally "lightdark" in Italian) describes a bold contrast of light and dark. It's an important concept in painting, and one that also quite naturally extends to the art of outdoor lighting.

So, one of my goals this year is to approach each new job as more of an artist as well as a technician. Left brain-right brain balance I guess.

BTW, new technical developments and prototypes from Nightscaping and GE were presented too, and I feel comfortable saying that sometime in the near future the lighting world is going to change dramatically, with brighter light sources needing less power and lasting much longer in the field.

I predict that high quality, energy conserving LED landscape lighting will be a huge hit before the end of the decade... And that Nightscaping® will continue to be a major player.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2005-12-29T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, first of all let me say to anyone who has actually been following this blog, I apologize for being away for a whole month.

A lot has happened since the end of November, but let me say first that any thoughts of a drought year have been washed away by the recent rains. I've enjoyed the rain, and I hope you have too.

BTW, if for some reason you still have your sprinklers turned on, it's past time to shut them down.

An important reminder though... The roads get slippery in this weather and people don't slow down enough.

Yesterday my 21 y.o. daughter Megan and I got hit from behind and pushed into another car in a chain reaction accident (behind another car that was stalled but not hit).... The car behind actually slid part way under ours... I think the impact might have been even harder if the bumpers had lined up. She was driving, we both saw it coming, she tensed up a little more and has a sore back... And the car is probably totalled. But otherwise we're fine. Be careful out there.

We can both attest to one thing: SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES.

Time for Dormant Pruning

2005-12-29T13:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's Winter now, the sprinkler season has ground to a halt, and my work consists of some landscape lighting (less digging than sprinklers... and can be done even when the ground is wet) lots of office filing catch-up, and planning and designing jobs for the next year.

It's also the time of year here for dormant pruning of roses, apples, pears, peaches, apricots, plums, grapes, pomegranates, tree peonies, crape myrtles, Japanese maples, wisteria and other deciduous trees, shrubs and vines. Dormant pruning should be done before February 15 or when plants begin to bud again, whichever comes sooner.

Felco has the reputation for making the best hand shears for dormant pruning. I recommend Common Ground in Palo Alto for Felco and another brand of pruners they like called ARS, as well as good general organic gardening advice.

Corona makes the best loppers available (IMHO) and some very good bypass pruners and pruning saws too. They can usually be found at OSH stores.

Corona loppers model AL-8150 (left) and Corona bypass pruners model BP- 6220 (right)

Here are some examples of what kind of pruning cuts to make on established apple trees and why:

A. Suckers or watersprouts are vigorous vegetative shoots which drain nutrients needed for fruit production. They often appear at the base of grafted trees, or in crotches and sites of previous pruning cuts.

B. Stubs or broken branches result from storms, heavy fruit loads, or improper pruning. Diseases and insects may enter the tree at these sites, so they should be headed back to healthy side branches or removed.

C. Downward-growing branches develop few fruit buds and eventually shade or rub more productive scaffold branches.

D. Rubbing branches create bark injury which also invite insects or disease. Head back or remove the less productive of the two.

E. Shaded interior branches develop less quality fruit and limit access for harvest.

F. Competing leaders result when suckers or branches near the top of the tree are allowed to grow taller than the uppermost bud of the trunk or central leader. Head these back or an unbalanced, structurally unsound tree will develop.

G. Narrow crotches occur when a branch develops more parallel than perpendicular to the trunk or limb from which it originates. As each grows, bark trapped between the two interferes with the growth of a strong joint.

H. Whorls occurs when several branches originate at the same point on the trunk or limb. Joints are weaker there, so select the best-located and remove the others.

If you need expert pruning of deciduous fruit trees, roses, Japanese maples, wisteria, etc. up to 15 feet tall, and don't want to tackle it yourself, give us a call and we'll get to it between rainstorms.

You can leave the lights on... Really

2005-11-28T16:15:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about lighting.
No, not the icicle lights, electric reindeer or 6 foot tall inflatable snow globes (all the rage this year around here) that come out as holiday decorations.

I'm talking about year-round outdoor lights. Landscape lighting if you prefer.

I tend to notice peoples' yards as I drive around, especially at night when the lights are on. I see so many tacky looking (badly executed?) lighting jobs out there... It's hard to know where to begin...

Solar lights-
Yes, I can understand the motivations, for some it's just about saving money and effort. For others, it's about saving energy and making a statement... like driving a hybrid car (probably applies more to the more expensive solar lights that are sold from catalogs.)

In either case when I drive by and see those dimly glowing bluish or yellowish LED solar pathlights it usually makes me exclaim out loud.... "What the heck were they thinking?!?"

Do-it-yourself low voltage kit lights-
It's the typical Big Box store light kit... the ones that so often get lined up to look like miniature runway lights... a little brighter usually than the solar lights, but how long will they hold up to the elements?

The fixtures are constructed of cheaply made plastic and thin metals with poorly applied paint finishes... and they use pierce point connectors that set up corrosion points all along the already undersized cable, assuring dim lights or failed service...

Can you say "planned obsolescence?" These kinds of systems are not designed for the long haul. You'll be lucky to get three to five years.

So, what are the alternatives?
Well, I've been designing and installing professional grade outdoor lighting systems since 1989. I actually have used materials supplied by a number of different companies over the years, but have chosen to affiliate myself with the industry's founder and leading innovator, Nightscaping.

As a Nightscaping Registered Contractor, I use mostly Nightscaping fixtures and Powercenters (transformers.)

My reasons for picking Nightscaping are simple: well designed reliable products, good contractor support, and the best-backed warranty I've ever run across in my 17 years as a landscape contractor. (How about a lifetime warranty on Nightscaping Powercenters, transferable to the next owner?) Nightscaping also offers a great selection of timers and other control devices.
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Some contractors call Nightscaping's way of doing business "mass customization". Not only can I order fixtures in a wide range of materials and finishes, including raw copper, solid brass and stainless steel, but I can order from a wide array of mounting options, glare shields, and other accessories, and even get the factory to powdercoat my fixtures with a custom color, making every job I install a unique work of lighting art.

What does quality lighting cost to install?
I won't lie and tell you it's cheap. I will tell you that it's a good value, especially when you consider all the benefits (safety, security and aesthetics) over the life of the system. Go to the www.sprinklersplus.com website and contact me there for a quote.

Then what does it cost to run?
Well, what are you paying for electricity? At $0.15 per Kilowatt/ hour that means a 250 Watt transformer could run for 4 hours for $0.15. The same 250 Watts could run one of those bright ugly industrial lights that people sometimes mount over the driveway... or four 60 Watt porch light bulbs... or it could power 10 to 20 very nicely designed incandescent or halogen lamp pathlights... or 10 or 12 uplights or downlights... depending on how you use them.

In other words, a well lighted front yard could cost you under $10 per month to run. In the grand scheme of things that's very little.

Sprinklers...ON or OFF right NOW?

2005-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

We're in a transitional season, from the dry to the wet, but a high pressure ridge has kept the rain away, high temperature records for November are being broken this week, and it looks like there's no precipitation in our immediate future.

"Shorts weather" in November?
Yep. And a t-shirt and sandals even. And don't forget the shades....how's a Thanksgiving picnic at the beach sound?

Does it mean we're at the beginning of a new drought?
I don't know yet. We'll have to wait and see. Droughts are a part of the natural cycle where we live.

So, should I be watering?
Even though it feels like September in the middle of the day, we have fewer hours of daylight, a lower sun angle, and cooler nighttime temperatures. In other words, plants' water needs are still lower than mid Summer or early Fall. The best thing to do is check the soil. You'll probably find that it's damp and cool.

Remember that when we water we are replacing water lost to evapotranspiration, called ET for short. ET is a measure of the combined effects of wind, temperature, humidity, day length and local factors such as the shade pattern of a tree or building on the landscape at different times of the year. Farmers have benefited from the collection of ET data for years.

Landscape ET calculations and the adjustments one makes to irrigation scheduling are not as simple because the formula includes something called the "crop coefficient", which basically refers to the water needs of a particular species of plant.

A lot of agriculture is monoculture, or one kind of crop over a large planted area. Most landscapes are a mix of lots of plants. It makes a big difference.

So, what kind of watering do you recommend?
Well, as I mentioned a few days ago, I still water once per week through the Winter, unless we have several days of rain in a row. I'd water less time for areas with a northern or eastern exposure, and more on the south and west sides. I'd also make sure that plants under eaves or other obstructions to rain falling, and plants in containers made of materials that dry faster (like terra cotta or wood) get sufficient amounts of water.

And as far as the difference between sprinklers vs. drip irrigation goes, I like them both, depending on the situation.

And maybe do a rain dance.

And check out this Rainbird page on water conservation tips, just in case this really is the start of a drought.

Why did the cable cross UNDER the sidewalk?

2005-11-16T21:30:00.000-08:00

To get to the other side of course.

Actually, I'm going to deal here with the how and not the why.
Someone posted a question recently. Anonymous asked:

Hey Gregg, How do you get a wire under a sidewalk?

Now, I'm thinking this might be kind of an inside joke, because an online discussion group in which I participate with fellow outdoor lighting designers and contractors has gone through at least three cycles of posts regarding this topic in the 5 years I've been participating.

So Kevin, Mike or John.. or maybe James... you'd better pay attention :-)

But assuming this is a serious question, posed by someone with a dire need to know, II'll share what I can.

First, why do you want to get the wire to one side of the sidewalk to the other? And is this a public sidewalk or a walk within the boundaries of your own or a paying customer's property?

Whether pipes or wires, you have two choices to get from one side to the other: boring or cutting. I don't advise cutting through public sidewalks, but boring under one is fine.

Be careful about utility locations. The best thing to do is to call Underground Service Alert at least 2 days ahead of time and let them take care of marking sewer, water, gas and electrical lines before any digging, boring or trenching.

When you're dealing with walks on private property you might have more options. Are there wooden boards or bricks set in the concrete at intervals as expansion joints? Are they old, loose or rotten, or could they otherwise stand to be removed and replaced? If so you've just saved yourself some work.

Getting a pipe or wire under a sidewalk is one of those things where various individuals come up with methods that suit them and then stick with them... and hold strong opinions about why their method is best.

I've seen or heard of everything from a sledge hammer and a capped piece of galvanized pipe, to electric or gas powered drilling machines, to pneumatic piston-like devices that punch through the soil. Frankly, for a sidewalk, I think simpler is better.

The simplest method is a combination of a piece of pipe, (a couple of feet longer than your bore), with a tapered nozzle at one end and female hose fitting at the other. I like a ball valve or gate valve on the hose fitting end of the pipe too. All that's involved is digging an approach trench longer than your pipe, and deep enough that your pipe is level while passing under the walk. Then attach a hose, turn on the water, and start poking the nozzle end of that pipe in the direction you want.

Did I mention you should have on clothes that you don't mind getting muddy? And waterproof footwear... and maybe knee pads and gloves too? And how about a towel for when that mud splashes back in your face when you're trying to position the nozzle with the valve opened up?

After you've done this once it's pretty simple. You get a feel for when to hold the pipe still and let a little water do the work, vs. how hard or fast you need to push. Of course soils will vary. Some are rocky, some are more sand, silt or clay. I've never run into one I couldn't bore through, but sometimes it takes a little more time and effort.

Rocks, roots and other unforeseen obstacles can be problematic. You may have to change course or start a new bore if you run into something too solid.

Once the pipe has passed through, tie a heavy string line to the nozzle end and pass it back through the bore you made. Then use that line to pull your pipe or cable back through the bore. It's easier than it sounds.

And if you get in over your head (let's hope you don't have to go that deep) then just give us a call.

BTW, the very best way to get a wire or pipe under a walk is to plan ahead and install a large diameter sleeve before the concrete is poured (3" PVC drain pipe works well) and let it extend 12" beyond the forms on each side. You can always shorten it later. The more sleeves the better. Cap them and mark them with flags or tape for future needs.

A sleeve allows some flexing of the pipe or cable inside, during an earthquake for instance, or from expansion or contraction due to temperature changes.

Bugged?

2005-11-15T18:59:00.000-08:00

What's bugging you? No, not like in bothering, but like what's crawling around your garden, and is it doing harm or good?

I used to be a licensed pest control operator as part of my landscape maintenance business, but I gave it up because I didn't like to spray. Around my own home I take a "live and let live" approach most of the time. Even when it comes to spiders.

Now, I don't know if it's something innate, or if we are conditioned by society somehow, but I've discovered recently that there are a lot more people who are afraid of spiders than I knew.

I have had a lot of close encounters with insects and arachnids. Recently I decided to consult an expert about spiders to try to identify a particular kind seem to inhabit dark, damp valve boxes. I suspected they might be dangerous, and I wanted to learn more about them.

After doing a Google search, I ran across the name of Stephen Lew. I contacted him (stevelew@nature.berkeley.edu) and although a busy guy, he was happy to answer some of my questions.

It turns out that the spider in question, though kind of scary looking, and slightly resembling a Black Widow (to the uninitiated eye) is relatively harmless. Steatoda grossa, also known as the False Black Widow or the Cupboard Spider (depending on where you live) is quite common.

This spider is brown to purplish brown when I've seen it, but it varies a little in appearance around the world. It's found in coastal areas of the U.S. and thought to have originated in the Mediterranean, and spread via cargo ships to most of the world.

It can bite, but prefers to be left alone. I've found that if I open a valve box and break up the webs with a stick or long screwdriver, and then wait 5 minutes that they'll go away for a while and aren't a problem.

As far as insect ID, the following sites are really great. You can send in your digital picture and get feedback from lots of folks, and some are trained experts...

http://bugguide.net

http://whatsthatbug.com/

Born to be wild...

2005-11-15T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm amazed sometimes at the amount of wildlife I encounter on a fairly regular basis. Because some of the areas where I work are still on the wild fringes of suburbia it's not uncommon to see deer, raccoons, skunks... or to hear stories from customers about bobcats and even mountain lions.

I see lots of birds, from hummingbirds doing their aerial mating dances and swoops, to jays landing on my parked truck to check it out and quail scurrying away and ducking for cover. I even saw a great blue heron not long ago near a slow moving and deep section of Coyote Creek that ran along the backyard of a job.

Then there are the more unusual encounters... a couple of weeks back while working on a lighting job in Los Altos I was up a ladder at the edge of a roof when I heard a racket in the nearby pine trees. A solitary agitated squirrel was scrambling around the trunk in a spiral and then out to the end of a branch and back again... Then I saw it.. the wings and head were unmistakable.. a redtail hawk perched on the end of the branch...

I'd never seen an interaction like this before. The squirrel charged at the surprised hawk with a ferocious intensity. Twice the squirrel charged, and the hawk, a little awkward in the confined space between branches, seemed out of its element. Unable to maneuver, all it could do was spread its wings. The squirrel, undaunted, charged a third time and drove the hawk away.

It's cool to run into these animals so close to so many people.

What passes for Winter

2005-11-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

Hello again from the Santa Clara Valley, commonly referred to these days as Silicon Valley.

We experience a mild Mediterranean climate here, and seasons..... well, some would say we have just two, the wet season and the dry season. The native plants are adapted to that cycle, some going nearly dormant in the summer months... but more about that in a future post.

It's not feeling all that wintry yet, but the leaves on the Chinese Pistache in the front yard have finished turning. They vary from fiery orange to deep red, and half have blown down already. Ginkgos I saw on a jobsite yesterday were not done turning yellow.

Here's a nice Fall foliage shot of Chinese Tallow or Sapium sebiferum. It does well here.

Funny how all the trees with impressive fall color seem to be transplants to California. In fact the only native tree I can think of around here with decent fall color is the Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophylla. No photo of that one either, but I'll try to post one soon. Some nice examples can be seen up Highway 9 above Saratoga until the rain knocks the leaves off, or take a hike through parts of Sanborn or Castle Rock parks.

So, the beginning of the local wet season means the end of our watering season, and as more rain appears, it's time to reduce or shut down sprinklers. I tend to run my sprinklers through the winter for a short time once per week, at least until I'm convinced that the wet season has really arrived, and especially in areas like under the eaves where plants don't get a "direct hit" from the rain.

Rain sensors can do a good job of cutting water waste. They are essentially electronic rain gauges that connect to your sprinkler timer and shut it down when after a rainstorm. There are even wireless models. I've found no difference in the reliability of rain sensors from Hunter or Rainbird. Both seem to work well.

Rain sensors are especially useful in the Fall and Spring, as temperatures begin to change and rainfall is still intermittent. Set the sprinklers expecting no rain, and if and when it rain falls, the sensor takes over and prevents watering until it dries out again.

BTW, check out the links to the right of this page. I added them yesterday. One each to my website, Nightscaping outdoor lighting, Rainbird and Hunter sprinklers, and the California Contractors State License Board.

I hope you find them useful.

Well I guess it's about time

2005-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:00

I've heard about blogging for a while, and though I get around to reading some now and again, it didn't really dawn on me until just a few days ago that it might be a good communication tool for my business. I thought about it.... maybe I could write tips and suggestions, or answer questions, post pictures, or share some observations relevant to the work I do.

So this is it. Today I begin what I imagine will be a sporadic account of my working life.... and perhaps, as I publicize this through my website and emails to friends, family, business clients and associates, it just might become an interactive tool where someone might find an answer or, at least pose an interesting question.

If you happen to just run across this blog randomly, you can find out more about the services I offer at www.sprinklersplus.com.