�From:�	Graeme D Buchan (BUCHAN)
�To:�		sowacs@aqua.ccwr.ac.za
�Date:�	Monday, July 15, 1996  10:29 am
�Subject:�	Irrigation Scheduling for city trees

Greetings from New Zealand to fellow Sowacsers.

I seek your advice or assistance on scheduling irrigation for 
municipal trees.
Earlier this year I was engaged in a small consultancy job for the 
Parks section of our local City Council, who had been losingyounger 
tree plantings to summer drought, and wished to initiate anirrigation 
scheduling programme via soil moisture monitoring.
Initial investigation showed the following as leadingrequirements:
* a user-friendly method (useable by Parks staff);
* method suitable for monitoring soil moisture status in the small 
root `bowl' (c.30-45cm radius) of young trees;
* method resistant to human (dog etc.) interference in open parks;
* wide moisture range (FC to c.10 bar, tensiometer range toolimited).

My original proposal was based on gypsum blocks.  We investigateduse 
of good equipment which I had used elsewhere (blocks plus adigital 
readout meter) supplied formerly by:
* Electronics Unlimited, 3231  Riverside Blvd, Sacramento, CA95818, 
    USA.
This equipment also formed the basis of a scheduling scheme 
promulgated among US farmers by the organisation `INFORM', in 
partnership with the former SCS.

HOWEVER, having established a method, I now find that INFORM seemsno 
longer to be in business.
My questions:
*  Can anyone advise of an alternative supplier who can provideBOTH 
gypsum blocks AND an easy-to-use readout meter ?
(I can get gypsum blocks per se for connection to dataloggers, but 
this does not satisfy the need for a simple packaged system).
*  Any other suggestions for a suitable scheduling system ?
(We have also considered the TRASE TDR system).
I look forward to receiving responses to this `live' problem.
Thankyou,
Graeme Buchan, Reader in Environmental Physics,
Dept of Soil Science, Lincoln Univ., New Zealand

Dr Graeme D Buchan,  
Reader in Environmental Physics & Environmental Education,
Dept. of Soil Science, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, 
Canterbury, New Zealand