“The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” -John Wooden I think about this quote a lot
Want to make a million dollars from farming? Start with two million. There is a little truth in every joke and this one is no
Ben Franklin wrote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” An addendum to this saying should include “the
Having a smarter water management plan for your Homeowners Association will raise home prices for every owner in the HOA. Boards are responsible for a
Healthy soil is the key to more productive fields, gardens and landscapes. Soil health is also a key contributor to proper water management. Soil delivers
Often I hear people dismiss the concept of water conservation because no agency or department does a great job of enforcing water conservation rules. For
The California Model Water Efficiency Landscape Ordinance promotes water efficient landscapes in new developments and retrofitted landscapes. The Department of Water Resources in California developed
The contractors doing the best job in water management today are contractors who successfully explain why customers should save water instead of spending time telling customers how to save
If my Dad were alive today I would not call him cheap, I would call him green or sustainable or maybe a conservationist. I was
We have all heard the term, “Inspect what you expect.” Measurement of performance is one of the quickest ways to inspire change and we are
Have you ever wondered who is answering your customer service calls at Jain Irrigation? This is “Meet The Team” – a series that’ll get you
New Year’s resolutions are fun to make but hard to maintain. They tend to come from a place inside us telling us what we should
A year ago we were watching the movie, “The Big Short” a movie about four investors who made huge profits from the financial apocalypse of the
In case you missed the mania at the Irrigation Association Show in Las Vegas, Nevada last week here’s what you missed. When you’re around irrigation
Looking for something to talk about this year at your office Christmas party, try this. What is more sustainable, a real Christmas tree or an
Indoor farming is growing at a rapid pace and the opportunities in and around the industry are the biggest we have seen in most of
Thank you to all our customers, partners, vendors, team members, friends and family of the Jain team. Without all of you we would not be
![Fremont, CA[1]](https://jainsusa-website.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/24214525/Fremont-CA1-1.jpg "Fremont, CA[1]")
The Washington Post reported this week a giant reservoir that supplies a California county’s drinking water is nearly empty. Lake Cachuma, a giant reservoir built to hold
A soil test should be one of the first steps you take in your landscape plan. Many of us never take this important first step,
Unfortunately the signals you receive from your plants for under watering are similar to the signals you receive when you overwater plants. Under watering and
Worm castings contain five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus, and 11 times more potassium than ordinary soil. Worm castings or vermicast are both
Trees play an important role in water management and that’s just one reason I love trees. As the New York Times points out, “Trees are nature’s water
To improve water conservation install a rain sensor, it turns off your irrigation when it rains. Use a weather-based controller. The use of smart controllers can reduce water usage
Watering Trees in Turf Creates Water Management Opportunity Turf is typically watered with spray heads and they are not designed to provide a deep watering.
If you are living in a major metropolitan area, and receive water from a water company, chances are either chlorine or chloramine is added to
It is encouraging to know many people are familiar with the term micro irrigation but I also know there are various interpretations mostly centered on
By now we’re all pretty well programmed to conserve electricity. Turn off the lights, unplug appliances, don’t leave the refrigerator door open, etc. But most
The spread of the Zika virus has caused a stampede of gardeners running to the nursery looking for plants that repel mosquitoes with the hope of lowering the risk of being infected with Zika.
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” ― Albert Einstein Here are five of my favorite simple ways
The “new normal” of water management across the United States suggests we need to consider the regions we live in are either heading into a drought or coming out of a drought.
Different plants placed in the same landscape may have different water requirements. This is easy to understand when comparing a cactus to a fern. But
How long to water your vegetables or landscape using point source emitters requires a different calculation than we used last week for emitterline. You still need to
How much water does my landscape need continues to be a common question from landscapers and homeowners? The garden and landscape industry contributes to the
By far the fastest way to motivate someone to purchase or invest in a sustainability program is show them how much money they will save
For Smart Irrigation Month here are a few amazing facts about water that help remind us of the importance of saving water everyday. There is
Smart Irrigation Month is an Irrigation Association initiative to increase awareness for water conservation and increase the use of water saving products, practices and services.
Interest in water storage is spiking for a couple of high profile groups. The first, is the group of people who are preparing for the
Rainwater is soft water and the preferred type of water for your plants, however; do not confuse softened water with rainwater. Softened water is often
Tree Rings: The campus of UC Irvine has over 25,000 trees, which makes for beautiful parks, shady places to study, and ample areas to retreat
Warren Gorowitz is a leader in the landscape industry. He is a forward thinker when it comes to new technology, sustainable practices and social media.
John Gachina left a legacy to his employees, the landscape industry, water management and his family. I continue to be amazed at all the nice
All water is recycled water. For many of you that is a sobering thought. However, there is a high probability most of the water you
World population is growing and more people are migrating to urban areas in search of employment. Climate change and increasing living standards are additional drivers for increased
We are reaching the end of the rainy season in Southern California and runoff from rain can be a major pollution issue for ocean water.
Pistachio trees are one of the most valuable crops grown in California’s Central Valley. With so much value, it is not hard to find a
Giving thanks to people around you who make a difference in water conservation helps your community and you. I’m talking about everyone from irrigation technicians to people
The count down for opening day for baseball has passed and naturally my mind wanders back to the smell of fresh cut green grass which
Today, 71% of the earth is covered by oceans and weekly I get the same question, why don’t we just use ocean water to solve
Anytime a local contractor (in this case Benchmark Landscape) wants help convincing a customer that high efficiency irrigation is the way to go I am
Water Charity Trip: The population of the Dominican Republic is estimated to be 10.8 million. With 41% living below the poverty line. That is 4,428,000
As Editor and Associate Publisher of Lawn & Landscape Magazine, Chuck Bowen has been quietly leading the landscape industry for years. I learned long ago to find
Wasting water is an issue for the country and there is an invisible gun pointed at the landscape industry’s head right now. In life when
Last week the world lost one of the great environmental leaders Shri Bhavarlal Hiralal Jain, the founder of Jain Irrigation Systems Limited. He passed away
Types of water, living in the United States we expect access to clean drinking water each time we turn on the faucet. For most of
Lance Sweeney is our first guest on our How I Work series. This series explores how leading figures from (our industry) landscape architecture, irrigation, landscape contractors, manufacturing
Every kid in the universe knows what’s it’s like to want to grow up and change the world. That innate desire to make a difference
Vines grown in California are generally depicted in beautiful scenes at a large winery in Napa, California or along the Central Coast with temperate climates
“All the water that will ever be is, right now.” National Geographic, October 1993″ We go through life trusting technology will solve all our problems. Most
By Steve Causseaux | A native to the Pacific Northwest United States, Steve has spent the past 10 years working in water management for irrigation,
Working in Florida as an irrigation contractor I have seen rain create a lot of misconceptions in watering schedules for landscapes. Fortunately technology has produced
Tree care questions: The most valuable assets on most landscapes are trees and tree care should be at the top of your maintenance list. Andy
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is now accepting applications for the $16 million available to growers in California for the State Water Efficiency
Dear Mr. Claus: I hope this letter finds you, Mrs. Claus, the elves and Reindeer doing real well. I trust you are all preparing for
In January of 2012 I identified 8 investments with growth potential directly related to the price and scarcity of water. We have been following them
“On Thanksgiving Day, all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same moment – halftime.” – Anonymous Thanksgiving is really a time to
According to the Water for Food Institute, by 2050 the world population is going to increase by 40% doubling the demand for food and feed.
It’s difficult to motivate people to be passionate about water management. However if your sprinklers come on when it is raining you wont believe how
The power of smart controllers comes from using the “smart” features as a tool to manage water. I remember the first time I looked at
Charles Fishman tells us bottled water has become the indispensable prop in our lives and our culture. Bottled water is everywhere. At company meetings, our
I recently visited Middleton Place, a Plantation along the Ashley River, in Charleston, South Carolina. While I explored the oldest landscaped gardens in America, I
Lawn Gone Is artificial turf a good replacement for your existing lawn? Especially in Southern California where lawns are being ripped out at a historic
A Sorghum plant is an annual grass that can either be grown for grain production or as livestock forage. Sorghum originated in Africa and came
Being part of the irrigation and landscape industry it’s hard for me to gain perspective sometimes on how far the water conservation message has spread.
If you want to elicit a strong emotional response from a water manager in California today just mention how El Nino is going to solve
Can you imagine the frustration of spending thousands of dollars a year on something that is an unavoidable expense? How exciting would it be to
There is a lot of hype around color talk these days. I hear phrases like “Going Green”, “Thinking Green” or “Lawns becoming California Gold”. Colors
This past July, Jain Irrigation was invited by the National Onion Association to showcase a 130-acre drip irrigation onion field grown with Chapin Drip Tape
A drought! Are you serious? I don’t think so . . . or maybe it’s more I don’t want to believe so . . .
World population statistics are often used to motivate people to conserve. We have learned about world population exceeding 9 billion by 2050 and many people
I thought getting people interested in the 4 Liter Challenge would be easy, but based on my first two responses to an email I sent
If you don’t have the time to do it right the first time when will you have time to do it over? We have all
Getting people to care about saving water is our real challenge. You can find many easy to follow, practical suggestions on this blog or on
Setting clear goals and measurable performance for water conservation at HOAs is the first step toward maximizing efficient watering. The best place to establish water
Drip irrigation fittings: Now that drip irrigation is becoming increasingly more popular, innovation is ramping up to produce more sophisticated and better-performing connection types. Every
In an effort to increase sales, companies are promoting more products as green, sustainable or recycled but recycled doesn’t necessarily mean sustainable. This article by
People who talk about the weather are often labeled boring people. When people don’t know what to talk about, they talk about the weather. Is
Click Here to listen to the Lawn & Landscape: “Follow the Current” Podcast Water expert Richard Restuccia gives us a first-hand account of the impact
With so many irrigation systems managed from a distance these days “soil type” has become just another variable picked from a drop down menu in
Water bills are confusing and challenging for consumers to understand and due to much needed, but more intricate water price structures they get more complicated
I’m confronted all the time by skepticism about drip and point source irrigation and usually after a brief discussion on how advances in technology, design,
1/4 Inch Distribution Tubing For Drip IrrigationThe most creative landscapes and irrigation designers I know are drawn to drip and micro-irrigation because of the flexibility
The replacement price of a mature tree can exceed $20,000, so you need to do everything you can to protect trees during a turf conversion.
Jain and MIT Win Desal Prize When I learned a team of scientist’s from MIT and Jain Irrigation Systems Limited were getting together to use
Edible plants are a good answer for the shouts and cries for change in front yard landscapes. Every day the shouts grow louder to grow
Blueberries have earned the status of superfood and growing blueberries is becoming more popular every year. During the last 10 years both production and consumption
People all over the United States are quickly waking up to the fact the California drought impacts the entire nation. Governor Jerry Brown last week
Watering Trees in Turf Creates a Water Management Opportunity Properly watering trees in turf will make the difference between the success or failure of one of
It’s almost summer which means people all over America are looking forward to eating and growing strawberries. Strawberries will be enjoyed in every state
Now more than ever there is a need to save water in landscapes. Making some simple inexpensive changes to improve the way you water your
On average, Americans eat 30 pounds of lettuce every year so getting the highest yields of lettuce while maximizing water savings is becoming increasingly more
Register for our upcoming live trainings. Get all your questions answered live!
There are three basic irrigation fittings available, and your selection of the three makes a significant difference in water savings.
Selecting the correct fitting for your particular irrigation project does not seem that difficult until you do a google search. So many fittings and so little time. This drives you crazy because picking the wrong fitting results in callbacks, water waste, and slowdowns on the job. You don’t need any of that, and we are here to help again this week.
