Springtime is irrigation season in California. That means it’s time to flush your irrigation lines, clean your filters, and make sure you’re ready to properly water your crops once the growing season officially arrives.
Sam Baldivia, irrigation sales manager for FGS, loves equipping his customers with the skills needed to prepare their own systems for another year of efficient irrigation. “Make sure your filters are checked for any plugging issues caused by buildups of calcium, bicarbonate, and algae,” he recommends. “With screen filters, you can pressure wash the screens. With media filters, you can change the sand or gravel, and even inject chemicals to help clean and kill algae.”
In addition to flushing the main lines, he also recommends that customers clean their hoses by opening up the hose on each end and flushing it until the water runs clear. “Flushing your irrigation lines and cleaning your filters are a key point in having a great, healthy start to the spring season,” he adds.
The advice doesn’t stop there. Baldivia also recommends that customers pre-irrigate. “It’s time to wake up whatever you’re growing,” he says. “You can wake up your soil with fertilizers and chemicals, and wake up your plants with the nutrients they need, too. Put down some pre-emergent herbicides to keep the weeds away. The Fruit Growers supply centers have all the fertilizers and herbicides that customers will need to wake everything up and get the season started.”
We have five supply centers spread throughout the region. To find a location near you, go here.