Patent ID: 7574284
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: A01G,B05B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of determining the field capacity of an irrigated soil, comprising the steps of: providing an irrigation controller coupled to a sprinkler system arranged to distribute water over said soil; executing a calibration cycle on said irrigation controller; said calibration cycle directing said irrigation controller to repeatedly irrigate said soil for short periods of time at predetermined intervals; said calibration cycle directing said irrigation controller to measure the moisture level of said soil at each of said intervals; said calibration cycle comparing successive measurements to each other; and if said successive measurements indicate an increasing moisture level, said calibration cycle determining said field capacity as being the moisture level at which successive measurements differ from each other by less than a predetermined threshold; creating an irrigation schedule with the newly calibrated irrigation controller based, in part, on said determined field capacity.