Irrigation Scheduling - Explainer Videos and Factsheets
Irrigation scheduling
Every season throws something different at you, so getting irrigation right means staying tuned in to what your paddocks need and adjusting as you go.
Getting your timing right, monitoring what your soil and plants need, and fine-tuning your application rates all work together to protect your yields, conserve water and lift productivity across the season.
The video covers when to start and stop irrigating, how to work out infiltration rates for different soil types, and how to choose the most effective application amounts. It shows why it pays to understand the moisture levels in your own paddocks, and how to measure them using the soil-texturing method or a moisture probe, then make sense of the data.
It also explains the key concepts behind sound irrigation decisions, including Evapotranspiration (ETo), Readily Available Water (RAW) and crop factors. Apply these to your own soils, crops and climate and you can improve water efficiency, reduce stress on your plants, and keep growth strong and consistent from spring through summer.
Linking data to decision making
The best water management decisions come from bringing two types of data together: spatial and monitoring.
Spatial data gives you the big picture of your farm. Topographic maps, electromagnetic soil surveys (EM maps) and land capability maps show your soil types, how water moves across your paddocks, and which areas are prone to waterlogging or drying out.
Monitoring data tracks what's happening over time. Rainfall records, weather station data and soil moisture probe readings show how your soil and crops are responding, so you can see the real impact of your irrigation and other decisions.
Put them together and you can match the right crop to each part of your farm, design an irrigation system that works, and adjust as the season unfolds.
The video shows practical ways to collect and make sense of both. It also points you to some great free tools for Tasmanian producers, including LISTmap, Farming Forecaster and NRM, so you can turn better data into more informed, confident and profitable decisions.
Using soil moisture data
Soil moisture probes let you see what's happening below the surface, so you can water with confidence instead of guesswork.
Soil moisture probes give you a clear picture of how water moves through your soil and how much is actually available to your plants. Installed vertically with a sensor every 10 cm, down to 80 cm, they track moisture over time and show it as graphs of the total water in your soil and how it's spread through each layer. It's an effective way to see how your irrigation and rainfall are influencing plant growth.
The video shows you how to read that data to track daily plant water use and spot infiltration issues, such as compaction, cracking soils, or water slipping past the root zone. Once you can see these patterns, you can plan and adjust your irrigation so water is applied efficiently and effectively, supporting healthy growth and reducing plant stress.
Soil water holding capacity and infiltration
Getting the most from your water starts with understanding how much of it your soil can actually hold.
Your soil's texture and structure have a big say in how much water it can hold and how easily that water soaks in. Finer soils like clay hold more water than sandy soils, but they also hold onto it more tightly, so it's harder for plants to draw on.
The video walks through the key concepts, including Readily Available Water (RAW), Plant Available Water (PAW) and wilting point, and what they mean for plant growth. It shows you how to assess your soil types, then how to calculate your soil's water holding capacity in millimetres, a figure you can then use as an irrigation scheduling tool.
Once you understand these principles, you can match your irrigation volumes and timing to what your soil can actually hold, improving water use efficiency and supporting healthy growth.