Irrigation, reticulation & watering of turf & lawn

Irrigation, reticulation or using a sprinkler, they are all forms of watering of your lawn or turf.  Irrigation and reticulation are installed watering systems which normally work off a timer or controller.  Lawn sprinkler which are movable, are also ways of watering your garden and lawn.  Although it can be expensive, irrigation is the best way to maintain even and continuous growth of your lawn.  Water is piped under the ground to individual spriklers, usually pop-ups.  The sprinklers are arranged in such a way as to provide maximum coverage of watering.  Irrigation systems require a controller and water is aquired from the house supply or from a bore (underground water supplied by a pump).   Fantastic result can be gained from using an irrigation system.  Even under limited use irrigation will increase the quality of a lawn. 

Movable sprinkler systems are also quite useful and can increase growth substantially.  They come in a number of forms from the standard, stand alone sprinkler which is connected to the hose.  To more complicated moving spriklers (Eg sprinkler tractors).   Movable sprinklers are quite cheap, however have the drawback of having to be moved around the lawn to get complete coverage.  They actually use more water in the long run as total coverage is difficult to complete.   Moving sprinklers like sprinkler tractors use less water again, however are only suited to large lawns and some wastage occurs due to overspray on paving and roads.  In either case the use of a timer on the hose is suggested.  You can set your timer to the required time and leave it to turn itself off. 

Which of the above systems is best, well it depends on your climate if you have a long dry summer is worth installing a irrigation system.   If however you find that your lawn gets a good drop of rain now and then, then a lawn sprinkler or lawn tractor would be more suitable. 

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How to save water on your grass lawn & turf

The trick to saving water on your lawn comes down to two main factors, 1. Your soil type 2. Your lawn type.   Your soil is at the heart of growing a good lawn.  It needs to have the right amount of drainage and the right amount of water retention to keep the lawn growing.  If you have a sandy loam then you have the perfect soil for growing a good lawn.  A small amount of organic matter in your soil will also help substantially at holding moisture. 

To demostrate the pros and cons of lawn soil types and saving water we will look at a few examples.  1. Clay soils -  heavy soils and clay soils tend to hold water well once they are wet, usually too much.  They also have a tendancy for water to run off, either when the soil has become too wet, or if it is not wet enough.  This is ineffective as the the amount of water in the soil is limited by the amount of water available in the clay pores.  A sandy loam however acts like a sponge,  it has lots of large pores between the soil particles which allow for the take up and storeage of water.   2.  Compacted soil, no-matter what they are made of, once again have a tendancy to repell water and water is not stored because the pores between the soil particles are reduced. 3. Sandy soils- due to the excessive drainage, water runs right through sandy soils and water is not held in place to allow long term growth of lawns.  Sandy lawns require constant watering to maintain good growth and in the long run waste water.

So to create a soil for lawns that save water, you have to look at changing your soil structure to get the maximum water holding and appropriate drainage as possible.

The other factor in growing a water saving lawn, is to look at your lawn variety.   In a sliding scale from high to low, the following lawns have different water requirements.  Seed grasses like Fescue and Rye, usually use the most water (this depends on the climate also).  Kikuyu is next, however it can regenerate if not watered.  Soft buffalo varieties use less water then Kikuyu.  And the most water saving are the hybrid Couch varieties like Winter Green.  Generally speaking (does not include seed varieties) the finer the leaf the more water saving the lawn is.   Also, all the hardier lawn varieties are running lawns, with deep root systems.   So, choose the variety which is best suited to your climate and you will save water in the long run.     

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Which lawn mower to use on your grass turf & lawn

Using the right lawn mower is important when it comes to mowing your lawn.  For Kikuyu lawns it is best to use a Rotary lawn mower.  However, for fine leaf varieties of Kikuyu then using a reel or cylinder mower is okay.  If you are growing a hybrid Couch lawn like Winter Green then it is best to use a cylinder mower.  If you are growng a Tall Fescue or seed lawn you could use either a Rotary or a Cylinder mower.  Cylinder mowers are different to rotary mowers,  they have a tendancy to cut the lawn in a more fine fashion and leave the lawn looking very neat.     

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How to improve soil in grass lawns

One of the most difficult aspects of improving lawn fertility and water holding, is how do you get organic matter into the soil ?   Organic matter is important for your lawn soil.  It helps drought tolerance and improves soil activity.  The trick is to keep some of the lawn clippings on the lawn.  Many people have a tendancy to mow their lawns and remove all the clippings.  Over time this has the effect of actually removing soil organic matter.  As a result you have to fertilise more often to keep the lawn looking good.   So if you mow your lawn regularly take the catcher off (this works particularly weel for Cylinder mowers) and let the clippings drop onto the lawn.  The clippings will dry out and drop down between the leaves into the soil.   Do this every second time you mow the lawn and in the long run you will notice you will be saving fertiliser and water, on your lawn.

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