Irrigation and Water Management Flashcards
6 cards from real CH practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Irrigation and Water Management flashcards as text
Mulching around plants reduces irrigation needs primarily by:
Answer: Reducing soil surface evaporation
A 2–4 inch mulch layer insulates the soil surface from solar radiation, dramatically reducing evaporation and keeping soil moisture available longer between irrigations.
Graywater systems for landscape irrigation in the US typically use water from which household sources?
Answer: Laundry rinse water, bathroom sinks, and showers
Graywater is lightly used household water from laundry, sinks, and showers (not toilets or kitchen sinks in most US codes) that can be reused for subsurface landscape irrigation.
Which soil texture typically requires the most frequent irrigation due to its low water-holding capacity?
Answer: Sandy
Sandy soils have large pore spaces that drain rapidly, holding little plant-available water between irrigations and requiring more frequent but smaller applications.
Proper head-to-head coverage in a sprinkler design means:
Answer: Each head's throw radius reaches the adjacent head
Head-to-head coverage ensures each sprinkler's spray reaches the next head, providing uniform overlap and preventing dry spots between heads.
Tensiometers measure soil moisture by indicating:
Answer: Tension (suction force) with which the soil holds water
Tensiometers measure matric potential — the suction force with which soil particles hold water — which indicates how hard plant roots must work to extract moisture.
Rain sensors on irrigation systems are required by law in some US states because they:
Answer: Automatically override irrigation during and after sufficient rainfall
Rain sensors interrupt irrigation cycles during or after adequate rainfall events, preventing wasteful over-irrigation and reducing stormwater runoff, which some states mandate.