[high leverage]

Does anyone have a Irrigreen system in operation currently? I recently watched a local gardening program on PBS that had a segment on this system. I am in the process of planning a muti-head/ mute-zone system but the Irrigreen system looks like it would greatly simplify the process.

http://irrigreen.com

 

[William]

I just watched the video. Sounds great! I only wish someone would come up with a inground moisture device that would automatically turn them on when needed and only run when needed.

 

[J_nick]

MrMeaner posted about this a while back. It seems neat but I would like to see some first hand experience with them. There is a reason modern systems are set to head to head coverage. Sprinklers don't water the ground directly beneath them so they rely on the head next to it. Watching the video water doesn't hit the ground till about a foot away from the sprinkler. You'd have a nice 2' diameter dead spot right in the middle of your lawn.

 

[g-man]

^ also, it is not clear how even the coverage is. They dont discuss in their website the how even it is, mostly that it is easier to install.

Edit: I found this in the FAQ.
"The Genius Sprinkler "thinks" in inches of water not gallons. Each rotation of the head distributes .055 inches of water uniformly everywhere in the zone. This is due to the combination our patent-pending 14 port nozzle and patent-pending algorithms that control the speed of the rotation; faster on short throws (5 ft.) and slower on longer throws (30 ft.), and automatically for all distances in between, maintaining a uniform precipitation rate. The Server computes the run time for each zone, and you set the run time for each zone on the clock or mobile app to get the precipitation you want; six rotations at .055" equals .33 inches, and so on."

So each head is a main (pressured water), therefore a leak would be interesting.

 

[high leverage]

MrMeaner posted about this a while back. It seems neat but I would like to see some first hand experience with them. There is a reason modern systems are set to head to head coverage. Sprinklers don't water the ground directly beneath them so they rely on the head next to it. Watching the video water doesn't hit the ground till about a foot away from the sprinkler. You'd have a nice 2' diameter dead spot right in the middle of your lawn.

The lawn shown in the segment had no such dead spot. If I remember correctly it was the OKC Botanical Garden that uses the system. Segment can be seen on PBS/ OETA Oklahoma Gardening

 

[Colonel K0rn]

For what it's worth, I called the company directly to get some more information about installation of the system prior to the renovation of my front yard. I never got a callback.

 

[high leverage]

Link to the Oklahoma Garden episode. Irrigreen is at the 10:35 mark.

 

[gatormac2112]

It looked like it was missing the edges and totally skipped a corner just so it wouldn't spray the concrete.

 

[IdahoH20]

I installed an IrriGreen system at my house in May of this year 2017. The system has 5 Genius sprinklers, 3 in the front yard and 2 in the back yard. The IrriGreen controller also runs an existing MP Rotator zone and a spray zone. I have over 20 years of experience in irrigation wholesale and I can tell you that this system is a game changer. I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have about my system. I have no dry spots in my yard so the IrriGreen heads have very good coverage. They do put a lot of water out, .055" per revolution. As for the edges, I found that as long as you have the water throwing 12"-18" from an edge you will not have a dry spot. I watched the video of the Oklahoma Botanical Garden and I agree that head looked like it was no where close to hitting the edges. Maybe their climate is forgiving enough not to see it? In Idaho where I live we get on average under 10" of rainfall. We live in a very dry high dessert climate, that in the summer we will lose .30" per day to ET (EvapoTransperation). I was able to save over 70,000 gallons of water this irrigation season with the IrriGreen system over last year with a very efficient system running a Rachio controller. Great product if you have clean water and the right site.

 

[high leverage]

I installed an IrriGreen system at my house in May of this year 2017. The system has 5 Genius sprinklers, 3 in the front yard and 2 in the back yard. The IrriGreen controller also runs an existing MP Rotator zone and a spray zone. I have over 20 years of experience in irrigation wholesale and I can tell you that this system is a game changer. I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have about my system. I have no dry spots in my yard so the IrriGreen heads have very good coverage. They do put a lot of water out, .055" per revolution. As for the edges, I found that as long as you have the water throwing 12"-18" from an edge you will not have a dry spot. I watched the video of the Oklahoma Botanical Garden and I agree that head looked like it was no where close to hitting the edges. Maybe their climate is forgiving enough not to see it? In Idaho where I live we get on average under 10" of rainfall. We live in a very dry high dessert climate, that in the summer we will lose .30" per day to ET (EvapoTransperation). I was able to save over 70,000 gallons of water this irrigation season with the IrriGreen system over last year with a very efficient system running a Rachio controller. Great product if you have clean water and the right site.

What was the total cost for your setup?

 

[IdahoH20]

I have right around $2,000.00 invested in equipment. That includes 300' of 1-1/4" poly mainline, flow meter, Server, Controller, 5 Genius sprinklers, wire, DBRY-6 connectors, clamps, fittings, etc. Install was done by me so no labor costs. I estimated that it would cost me $1,600.00 in equipment to install a traditional system with pressure regulated MP Rotators and a smart clock like a Rachio or a Hydrowise. Labor to install a traditional system on my place would have been brutal with all of the existing mature trees I have. This is the primary reason I wanted to try the IrriGreen system. I'm very glad I went this route!

 

[Jarodroberts]

I just watched the video. Sounds great! I only wish someone would come up with a inground moisture device that would automatically turn them on when needed and only run when needed.

The Irrigreen Genius System does work with soil and/or rain sensors! In fact, better than existing weather tracking 'smart controllers', the Irrigreen system could actually be more accurate in your very own micro-climate with a soil sensor in each zone.
I haven't gone that far, but have used the Toro Soil Sensor and also have a system in with a Rain Bird rain sensor that the customer installed herself.

 

[Jarodroberts]

It looked like it was missing the edges and totally skipped a corner just so it wouldn't spray the concrete.

I have installed over 15 Irrigreen system and would say that the tracking of the lawn edges is very precise, especially for a sprinkler head that can irrigate an area nearly 2000sqft with one head. You can set many points when programming the shape of watering. You will want to set more points around corners and curves, while along a straight line you only need to set the two corners. I've found that along a long straight edge, I will often put another 'anchor' midway to help the tracking of the edge if needed. You do need to keep in mind how level or plumb the sprinkler is installed (as this will have an impact on your uniform distribution from the head to the edge.
All in all, this system is the future of sprinklers!

 

[Jarodroberts]

MrMeaner posted about this a while back. It seems neat but I would like to see some first hand experience with them. There is a reason modern systems are set to head to head coverage. Sprinklers don't water the ground directly beneath them so they rely on the head next to it. Watching the video water doesn't hit the ground till about a foot away from the sprinkler. You'd have a nice 2' diameter dead spot right in the middle of your lawn.

The lawn shown in the segment had no such dead spot. If I remember correctly it was the OKC Botanical Garden that uses the system. Segment can be seen on PBS/ OETA Oklahoma Gardening

That's correct...and has been my experience too. I have never experienced a dry spot near the Irrigreen head. The nozzle emits water about 4 inches from the head constantly while the zone is on...So, capillary action in the soil allows for even distribution of the water and drives that water into the soil itself. This is exactly how Irrigreen saves on water...it really does do a great job of getting all the water into the SOIL that you are trying to water.

 

[LawnChaney]

Does anyone know what the replacement cost of an Irrigreen Genius 2 head is? I'm told by friends with other in-ground irrigation systems that they typically have to replace a head every 1-2 years. So real cost of ownership should include this factor.

 

[Gibby]

@IdahoH20 could you give an update on your system? I working on getting a quote for my yard now.

 

[doctorman]

would really appreciate an update on this if anyone has it

 

[hsvtoolfool]

Old thread warning!

I love the theory and this may be the future of irrigation. But I personally won't install such a "radical" system without long-term reliability tests. The obvious trade-off for a "smart" head is that they are much more expensive and delicate. What is each head's cost? What is the expected service life? Will the company be in business 5 years from now?

As for the "Irrigreen" company itself, my "Snake Oil" spidey-sense is tingling. Maybe it's just me, but I strongly dislike sketchy marketing that relies on hyperbole. I'm getting a strong late-night "ShamWow" infomercial vibe from their YouTube videos.

First, showing a poorly designed and/or poorly maintained conventional irrigation system as a comparison is ridiculous. You might as well show a fat old guy wearing shorts and black dress socks watering his lawn with an antique metal can.

Second, why present false data for conventional sprinkler coverage? Have they never heard of an Irrigation Audit? I can physically measure the coverage every across every square foot of my lawn. I know for a fact that coverage is not 195% in the middle where all my heads overlap. I'm pretty sure RainBird and Hunter are not totally incompetent.

Third, the testimony in this thread is from folks that have between 1 to 3 posts. This thread is 2+ years old. They obviously joined the forum just to promote this product. Yuck.

Now having said all that, I can be won over. Let's go back to Lou Anella at Oklahoma State University in a couple years and if he still likes Irrigreen. Show me several more public gardens which adopted the system. Show me independent review videos by professional landscapers using this system for 5 years. What is the reliability? What problems did they have?

 

[Gibby]

@hsvtoolfool good catch on the number of posts of some of the folks. Bummer I really really like the idea, b/c if I don't go with this. I have about 1000' feet of irrigation lines to fix since the pool and concrete are just about done.

 

[creediddy2021]

Does anyone have recent installs of the Irrigreen? How much did it cost?