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Dry Spot - Doughnut Pattern: Causes and Effective Solutions

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Ignacio del Rey
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Table of contents: Dry Spot - Doughnut Pattern: Causes and Effective Solutions

Determining the main reason for a dry spell is not always an easy task, but the rings around sprinklers (donuts) is a pattern that usually has a concrete solution.

There are all kinds of dried fruits, among others these are very common:

  • Points where the soil changes texture abruptly.
    A good example of this is a green that meets a natural terrain antegreen without being properly insulated, the green can dry out around the edges due to capillary action.
  • Accumulation of thatch.
    The felt that lawns form over time consists of a water-repellent material that does not allow water to wet the entire profile. This problem can only be solved by scarifying and hollow pricking.
Infiltration in "finger flow pattern" Image by Cornell University
  • Excessively dry ground.
    When the soil dries out too much, it can be really difficult to rewet it because, as the soil is not very well moistened, it can be very difficult to rewet it. thatch functions as a hydrophobic layer and a finger-flow pattern may appear in the profile. Only water flows at the points where a spike or more easily wettable areas have been entered. The use of moisturisers is a highly recommended way to solve these dryness problems.
Ignorance during the choice of nozzles in a small irrigation retrofit at a particular time can cause many problems.
Each sprinkler has 3 nozzles for short, medium and long range which must be combined according to the manufacturer.

But when dryness is uniform around a sprinkler nozzles may be behind the problem. Each sprinkler nozzle is designed to have a specific range. During a minor renovation, the distance between sprinklers may have been changed, or the irrigation technician may have changed the long-range nozzle to have more reach. overlap. But in the course of the work, it was possible to forget to change the medium or short range nozzle. This kind of mistake creates a very characteristic pattern, the doughnut pattern,

Poor choice of nozzles causes areas to remain unwatered.

Due to the water pressure and other factors, sprinklers sink over time and in the order of one centimetre per year. They must therefore be checked frequently, raised and levelled. Their unevenness, as well as the choice of nozzle, results in poor water distribution. The part facing the sky will send water further away than it should and the part facing the ground will send it much closer.

Perfect levelling of a sprinkler.
The spray angle should be between 15º and 35º.

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