Watering
Grass grows best in moist soil that contains a balance of water and air. Too little water causes drought stress and your lawn will go brown. Extended periods of drought will kill the grass and your lawn will require new seed to replace the losses. When soils become very dry they can develop a condition known as Dry Patch, where water is repelled by a waxy coat that forms around soil particles.
Follow our best practice for watering to ensure you get the best from your Great Lawn.
How Much Water?
Watering lawns takes more than just standing with a hose pipe for five minutes. The soil needs to be wetted, not flooded, to a depth of about 200mm.
How Often?
Deep watering carried out three or four days apart produces more roots than watering lightly every day.
Your Great Lawn Company Specialist can keep an eye on the water levels in your lawn by using a specialist turf tool called a soil sampler (see right).
Soil moisture levels can be observed with this tool at regular intervals. Once the moisture level starts to sink below 75mm beneath the surface you will need to water with enough to replenish the lost moisture, but not flood the soil.
What Equipment?
A simple garden hose and sprinkler head is the most common set-up for watering lawns.
Also available is a range of automatic systems, using hidden of pop-up sprinklers with pipe work and timers.
At The Great Lawn Company, we believe in preserving the environment as much as possible, which means practising water conservation where possible. Additionally, water meters and hose pipe bans may restrict the amount of water you are able to apply to achieve a healthy and vigorous lawn. Fortunately, The Great Lawn Company can provide treatments for keeping your soil moist whilst reducing water use; these include:
- Reseeding your lawn using drought resistant grasses
- Applying our natural wetting agent, which contains yucca plant extract and helps the soil to retain water
For more advice on saving water in both your home and garden please visit our Greener Living advice pages.
