Raised Bed Irrigation Calculator
section 1
Accurate Watering Specifications
require knowledge of the type
of soil being watered.
Using POTTING or GARDEN MIX
in your Raised Bed?
SKIP to "
OPTIONAL
" SECTION - 2
To learn HOW TO test soil
click here:
Use the "Jar Test Analyser"
click here:
section 2
OPTIONAL data input
Plant Type Selection (moderate default)
Unknown Plant type
Heavy Water User (Most Fruit trees).
Moderate Water User (needs regular watering).
Drought Tolerant Plant (low water use).
Succulent Plant (Very Drought tolerant).
If not specified, the Calculator will assume MODERATE WATER
The cost of water determines an important
part of overall plant expense.
Calculator also analyses water cost for your plant.
Select a listed City or National Avg
National Average cost per 1000 gallons ($1.50)
Los Angeles CA avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($2.97)
San Diego CA avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($6.00)
Austin TX avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($3.25)
Phoenix AZ avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($4.75)
Santa Fe NM avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($7.50)
Las Vegas NV avg. cost per 1000 gallons ($2.50)
Watering expense is estimated for dry climates
(typically less than 15" rainfall annually)
section 3
REQUIRED
REQUIRED
WIDTH and DEPTH of Soil
1 foot wide x 12 inches deep
2 feet wide x 12 inches deep
3 feet wide x 12 inches deep
4 feet wide x 12 inches deep
5 feet wide x 12 inches deep
1 foot wide x 18 inches deep
2 feet wide x 18 inches deep
3 feet wide x 18 inches deep
4 feet wide x 18 inches deep
5 feet wide x 18 inches deep
LENGTH of Raised Bed
3 feet long
4 feet long
5 feet long
6 feet long
7 feet long
8 feet long
9 feet long
10 feet long
MORE than 10 feet long
Enter or Estimate your soil type here:
REQUIRED Soil Type Estimate
Potting Mix.
Raised Bed Garden Mix.
Unknown soil type - want to do Jar Test
Very Sandy Soil: Drains < 2 mins.
Loamy Sand Soil: Drains in 5 mins.
Sandy Loam Soil: Drains in 12 mins.
Medium Loam soil: Drains in 23 mins.
Silty Loam soil: Drains in 44 mins.
Silt soil: Drains in 50 mins.
Sandy Clay Loam soil: Drains in 70 mins.
Clay Loam soil: Drains in 130 mins.
Silty Clay Loam soil: Drains in 200 mins.
Sandy Clay soil: Drains in 4 hrs.
Silty Clay soil: Drains in 5 hrs.
Clay soil: Drains in 10+ hrs.
section 4
Current Irrigation Schedule
Choose a preferred number of start times, or
if the plant has been hand watered til now
Select: Number of start times in one day this zone
Previously hand watered, calculate total minutes
One (1) start time per watering day
Two (2) start times per watering day
Three (3)start times on watering day
Current or desired Run Time
Minutes
for this zone. Leave blank if unknown
Time between 1st & last start
Hours
for this zone. Leave blank if unknown
section 5
To perform calculations:
Click this button
Reset RESULTS data to start over
Double check all all INPUT selections
[Pg 1]
RESULTS
section 6
Soil information:
Clay %
Silt %
Sand %
Type of soil is:
Soil water absorbency rating is:
Watering calculations based on
Your
input data:
Double Check your input answers for accuracy
Volume of soil to be watered in this:
Watering specifications below are based on irrigating:
[Pg 2]
RESULTS
section 7
Scheduling
mins
Use:
Run
min to get
gal
With proper irrigation, the soil before watering
will be moist enough to prevent plant wilt.
Due to this moisture - individual waterings need
to provide:
gallons
To saturate soil when totally dry
gals.
Calculations for drip due to it's capacity for
superior moisture distribution.
This Plant & Soil Type will typically require
annual irrigation cycles.
Based on this; in a warm dry climate
The annual water cost estimate:
Annual rainfall greater than 12" will reduce this