Landscape Irrigation Pros Week
Virtual Classes | February 23-27, 2026 

Elevating skills. Celebrating excellence.

We’ve transformed the former Technician Week into Landscape Irrigation Pros Week, an expanded week of virtual learning featuring brand-new educational offerings across multiple skill levels. Classes will be held live via Zoom over five days, giving you the opportunity to learn from industry experts in a convenient, interactive format.

Register now

Who’s it for?

• Entry-level landscape irrigation professionals seeking to build confidence, gain hands-on skills and explore the certified irrigation technician (CIT) designation
• Certified landscape irrigation professionals looking to meet their CEU requirements toward maintaining an IA certification
• Landscape contractors interested in expanding their service offerings into irrigation

What’s new?

We’ve doubled our course offerings for Landscape Irrigation Pros Week to feature eight dynamic classes. Choose from one-hour (1 CEU) or a half-day (4 CEUs) sessions with updated curriculum to align with current trends, technologies and best practices. Courses are organized into two tracks: Industry Basics (beginner) and Industry Pro (intermediate/advanced).

Why attend?

• Hands-on learning: Dive into eight essential courses packed with real-world tips and techniques.
• Expert instructors: Learn from seasoned pros who know the industry inside and out.
• Certification preparation: Gain confidence, knowledge and resources to help prepare you for the CIT certification exam.
• Continuing education: Walk away with valuable CEUs to advance your professional development. 

*IA Certification exams are based on our written exam resources; successful completion of an exam requires rigorous self-study. IA classes may supplement, but are not a substitute for individual preparation. For detailed topic outlines of each exam, consult the Certification Candidate Handbook.

Inside the System: A Deep Dive into the Anatomy of Irrigation

Industry Basics | Landscape & Golf | 1 CEU

Monday, Feb. 23 | 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Scott D. Knowles, CGIA, CIC, CID, CLIA, Retired | Wolf Creek Company, Inc.

Know what makes it work! Get a complete breakdown of the essential components in an irrigation system—how they function, how they fit together and why they matter.

Member Price: $80 | Nonmember Price: $100 | Register now

Hydraulic Troubleshooting

Industry Pro | Landscape | 4 CEUs

Monday, Feb. 23 | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Christine Hawkins, CID, CLIA | Hunter Industries, Inc.

Review the essentials of hydraulics for properly working landscape irrigation systems. This half-day class covers troubleshooting, design, system upgrades, and more.

Member Price: $190 | Nonmember Price: $240 (includes digital manual) | Register now

Water Like a Pro: Irrigation Scheduling Strategies for Maximum Efficiency

Industry Basics | Landscape & Golf | 1 CEU

Tuesday, Feb. 24 | 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Scott D. Knowles, CGIA, CIC, CID, CLIA, Retired | Wolf Creek Company, Inc.

Smarter scheduling, healthier landscapes! Discover how to optimize watering schedules to conserve water, improve plant health, and boost your bottom line.

Member Price: $80 | Nonmember Price: $100 | Register now

Electrical Troubleshooting: Diagnosing Field Wiring Problems

Industry Pro | Landscape & Golf | 4 CEUs

Tuesday, Feb. 24 | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Rick Malkin, CIC, CIT, CLIA, CID | Rain Bird Corporation

Save time and money with this practical course in electrical troubleshooting. This half-day class covers diagnosing field wiring problems and proper use of volt-ohm meters. Learn to systematically assess and resolve confusing electrical problems.

Member Price: $190 | Nonmember Price: $240 (includes digital workbook) | Register now

Electrical Troubleshooting Essentials

Industry Basics | Landscape & Golf | 1 CEU

Wednesday, Feb. 25 | 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Rick Malkin, CIC, CIT, CLIA, CID | Rain Bird Corporation

Say goodbye to guesswork! Get hands-on strategies for diagnosing and fixing electrical issues in irrigation systems like a pro. If you're not quite ready for Electrical Troubleshooting: Diagnosing Field Wiring Problems, this class is the perfect starting point. Ease into the fundamentals of electrical troubleshooting, building confidence and skills step by step.

Member Price: $80 | Nonmember Price: $100 | Register now

Landscape Irrigation Technician

Industry Pro | Landscape & Golf | 8 CEUs

(Part 1 of 2) Wednesday, Feb. 25 | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Eastern
(Part 2 of 2) Thursday, Feb. 26 | 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: John Raffiani, CIC, CIT | Raffiani’s Automatic Sprinkler Service

This two-part class covers hydraulics and irrigation system installation and maintenance, including an overview of system components and how they operate. Learn gluing and repairing PVC pipe, installing nozzles and adjusting heads, setting and repairing electric valves, and field and controller wiring techniques. Recommended review for the Certified Irrigation Technician exam.

Member Price: $270 | Nonmember Price: $350 (includes digital manual) | Register now

Landscape Controller Advanced Functions

Industry Pro | Landscape & Golf | 1 CEU

Thursday, Feb. 26 | 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Christine Hawkins, CID, CLIA | Hunter Industries, Inc.

Modern controllers offer a variety of features to help operators achieve productive irrigation results. This course examines how to best utilize controller functions for more advanced water-efficient scheduling.

Member Price: $80 | Nonmember Price: $100 | Register now

Applying Pump Curves

Industry Pro | Landscape & Golf | 1 CEU

Friday, Feb. 27 | 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. Eastern

Instructor: Scott D. Knowles, CGIA, CIC, CID, CLIA, Retired | Wolf Creek Company, Inc.

Pump curves are useful for selecting a pump and diagnostics. Beyond simple selection based on flow and desired pressure, this course examines additional information typically found on pump curves for traditional and variable frequency drive pumps.

Member Price: $80 | Nonmember Price: $100 | Register now

Meet our instructors

Rick Malkin, CLIA, CID, CIC, CIT, PMP, has worked as an irrigation contractor, designer, consultant, IA instructor and manufacturer employee. He started working part-time for his father’s landscape and irrigation business in Southern California in 1970. He later started his own landscape and irrigation contracting business in California later moving to Memphis Tennessee installing residential and commercial projects. Rick is currently the central control product manager for the Landscape Division of the Rain Bird Corporation.  

Christine Hawkins, CID, CLIA, has a passion for teaching within the landscape industry — particularly on best practices in horticulture, water management and landscape irrigation. With many years of experience, she is still eager to learn about challenges and solutions from fellow professionals. After earning a degree in environmental horticultural science from Cal Poly, Hawkins focused on a variety of facets of the green industry. She is currently the specification manager for northern California for Hunter Industries. She collaborates with landscape architects, design professionals, irrigation consultants and municipalities on efficient irrigation systems.

Scott Knowles, CGIA, CIC, CID, CLIA, is the owner and president of Wolf Creek Company Inc., a distribution group that has been serving the green industry since 1961. Knowles received a degree in agriculture engineering from The Ohio State University and studied irrigation technologies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He has been an instructor for the Irrigation Association for 30 years and is an EPA WaterSense Partner. He has also served as a board member of the Irrigation Association of Ohio for the past three years.

John Raffiani, CIC, CIT, is the owner and president of Raffiani’s Automatic Sprinkler Service in North Jersey and has been with the company since its beginning in 1966. He learned about piping, pumps, field irrigation, horticulture and soil texture at a very young age. When his grandfather began to sell parcels of his land in 1965 for housing developments, Raffiani (along with other family members) started to install lawn sprinklers and landscaping utilizing the leftover piping, sprays heads and shrubs from his grandfather’s business. Five decades and 16,900+ installations later, the company is still going strong.