LOCALSKY
Mode

Set up LocalSky

About five minutes. Leave any time; your progress is saved on this device until you apply it at the end.

Step 5 of 10Zones (optional)

Tell us about your yard

A zone is one watering district: a chunk of yard tied to one valve. LocalSky asks for grass species, soil texture, area, sprinkler type and measured precipitation rate, then computes ETc from local weather, tracks soil depletion with the FAO-56 single-bucket model, and only fires when depletion crosses the species-specific MAD threshold.

Your zones

No zones yet. Add your first watering zone to get a real schedule; you can add more or edit them anytime under /settings/zones.

Grass species catalog

Each species has its own seasonal Kc curve, root depth, and management allowable depletion. Pick the closest match; per-zone overrides for root depth and MAD are available under /settings/zones.

Warm-season turf

Hot summers, mild winters: subtropical and Mediterranean climates.

Bahia

Bahia

Kc 0.70-0.85 · root 6-8" (15-20 cm) · MAD 50%

Low-input warm-season turfgrass. Tolerates poor sandy soils.

Bermuda

Bermuda

Kc 0.70-0.95 · root 4-8" (10-20 cm) · MAD 50%

Aggressive warm-season turfgrass (Couch in AU/NZ). High wear tolerance, full sun.

Centipede

Centipede

Kc 0.60-0.85 · root 3-5" (8-13 cm) · MAD 50%

Acidic-soil warm-season turfgrass. Low fertilizer requirement.

Kikuyu

Kikuyu

Kc 0.55-1.00 · root 10-14" (25-36 cm) · MAD 50%

Vigorous warm-season runner; a staple in AU / NZ / ZA.

St. Augustine

St. Augustine

Kc 0.80-1.00 · root 4-6" (10-15 cm) · MAD 50%

Dominant warm-season turfgrass of the US Southeast; sold as Buffalo grass in Australia/NZ. Coarse-textured, good shade tolerance.

Zoysia

Zoysia

Kc 0.70-0.90 · root 4-6" (10-15 cm) · MAD 50%

Fine-textured warm-season turfgrass. Slow to establish, drought tolerant.

Cool-season turf

Cool-temperate climates: cold winters, moderate summers.

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kentucky Bluegrass

Kc 0.75-0.95 · root 4-8" (10-20 cm) · MAD 50%

Cool-season turfgrass. Best fit for cool-temperate climates (northern US and Canada, northern Europe, NZ South Island).

Perennial Ryegrass

Perennial Ryegrass

Kc 0.75-0.95 · root 4-6" (10-15 cm) · MAD 50%

Cool-season turfgrass. Fast-establishing; often overseeded into warm-season for winter color.

Tall Fescue

Tall Fescue

Kc 0.70-0.95 · root 6-12" (15-30 cm) · MAD 50%

Cool-season turfgrass. Deep-rooted, drought-tolerant relative to other cool-season.

Non-turf zones

Beds, gardens, and low-water plantings in any climate.

Ornamental Shrubs

Ornamental Shrubs

Kc 0.40-0.60 · root 8-12" (20-30 cm) · MAD 40%

Mixed shrub bed. Drip or low-precip rotor preferred; less frequent, deeper waterings.

Vegetable Garden

Vegetable Garden

Kc 0.65-1.15 · root 12-24" (30-60 cm) · MAD 50%

Mixed vegetable bed. High demand at fruiting; consider seasonal Kc override.

Drip / Xeriscape

Drip / Xeriscape

Kc 0.30-0.30 · root n/a · MAD 30%

Native + xeriscape plantings. Minimal supplemental irrigation; long soak cycles.

Other (custom Kc)

Other (custom Kc)

Kc 0.40-0.80 · root varies · MAD 50%

Generic placeholder. Override per zone with measured values.

What goes into a good zone definition

  • Soil texture - USDA texture class (the internationally standard soil-texture taxonomy) drives field capacity, wilting point, available water per metre, and infiltration. Sand, Loamy Sand, Sandy Loam, Loam, Silt Loam, Clay Loam, Clay.
  • Precipitation rate - measured via catch-cup (preferred) or estimated from sprinkler type. Drives runtime-to-depth math.
  • Controller station - which numbered valve on your controller this zone is. For OpenSprinkler: 1-based station index. For HA: the entity_id of the switch.
  • Photo (optional) - drop an image URL under /settings/zones and the zone card renders it. Useful when you have more than a handful of zones.

What happens if I skip this

Zones can be added after the wizard via /settings/zones. The dashboard renders empty until at least one zone is configured.