Timely and efficient watering is the most important thing in the care of rolled lawns. At first glance it may not seem very complicated – the grass is grass enough to grow on its own. However, with such a primitive approach is unlikely to count on a decent result, and a lot of money spent on the purchase and installation of the lawn can be irretrievably lost.
Maintaining optimum soil moisture levels is essential for all plants, but especially lawn grasses, since any error in the organization of watering will immediately affect the health of the grass and the appearance of the lawn. Drought as well as overwatering disturbs the microclimate in the upper soil layers, so every gardener needs to know how to water the lawn properly, and what methods of irrigation are most effective.
Watering the lawn in the first days after planting
The first thing to do immediately after laying the rolled lawn is to thoroughly and abundantly irrigate it, so that the grass more easily endured the stress of transplanting and more quickly adapted to the new place. Even when the rolls are transported quickly and gently, the grassroots have time to dry out. The earlier the plants get moisture, the better, so when laying lawns over a large area, water the grass before the work is finished.
As for the regime and rate of watering, you can stick to generally accepted recommendations, taking into account the weather conditions and the state of the soil. If the weather is dry, water the freshly laid lawn twice a day in the morning and evening, using approximately 25-40 liters of water per square meter a day. On about the 5th-7th day, after gently bending a corner of the lawn, you can see the “fringe” of fine white roots, which appeared due to the abundance of moisture.
From the eighth day onwards you reduce the frequency of watering to 3-4 times a week, and after another 7 days it will be enough to water the lawn once every 2-3 days. This will create the ideal conditions for the grass to take root quickly and support the plants in their most difficult period.
Watering Seasonal Watering Regime
If you want your lawn to retain its emerald color and healthy appearance, you should water it regularly and evenly without long pauses, especially in summer. How often you do this depends not only on the weather but also on the soil conditions and the composition of the grass in the lawn mixture. For example, fescue can easily tolerate heat and drought up to 10 days in a row, while bluegrass, on the contrary, without water, quickly turns yellow and will not be able to recover for a long time.
For regions with moderate climates, the following irrigation regime can be recommended:
- In spring, after the soil dries out from melt water – 2-3 times a week in the absence of rain.
- In summer in heat and drought – daily, preferably in the early morning hours.
- On cloudy and cold summer days – once a week.
- In autumn in good weather – once a decade.
The need for urgent watering can be “prompted” by the grass itself. With a lack of moisture, it wilts, recovers poorly after priming, and becomes brown or yellowish in color. Of course, the appearance of such symptoms is better to prevent, and with experience, you learn to determine how often you need to water the lawn and how much water to use.
Lawn watering methods
The simplest, this method of irrigation – is with the help of an ordinary hand-held hose connected to the water supply or to a pump that takes water from a tank. However, if the lawn area is large, this method will require too much time, and the soil may moisten unevenly.
Watering Seasonal Watering Regime
If you want your lawn to retain its emerald color and healthy appearance, you should water it regularly and evenly without long pauses, especially in summer. How often you do this depends not only on the weather but also on the soil conditions and the composition of the grass in the lawn mixture. For example, fescue can easily tolerate heat and drought up to 10 days in a row, while bluegrass, on the contrary, without water, quickly turns yellow and will not be able to recover for a long time.
For regions with moderate climates, the following irrigation regime can be recommended:
- In spring, after the soil dries out from melt water – 2-3 times a week in the absence of rain.
- In summer in heat and drought – daily, preferably in the early morning hours.
- On cloudy and cold summer days – once a week.
- In autumn in good weather – once a decade.
The need for urgent watering can be “prompted” by the grass itself. With a lack of moisture, it wilts, recovers poorly after priming, and becomes brown or yellowish in color. Of course, the appearance of such symptoms is better to prevent, and with experience you learn to determine how often you need to water the lawn and how much water to use.
Lawn watering methods
The simplest, this method of irrigation – is with the help of an ordinary hand-held hose connected to the water supply or to a pump that takes water from a tank. However, if the lawn area is large, this method will require too much time, and the soil may moisten unevenly.
A much more efficient method of watering is drip irrigation, where water flows through small holes in hoses laid around the site, and gravity flow from the tank into the soil almost continuously. You can install such a system yourself or buy it in a store.
Gardening experts recommend using automatic irrigation systems that will completely eliminate the need to monitor soil moisture levels.
Modern irrigation systems are special equipment consisting of a water pump, control panel, valves, pipes of different diameters, and sprinklers of fan or rotary type.
The device of such a system should be provided at the stage of lawn design, because the entire complex of pipes should be located directly under the grass, and the distance between sprinklers is calculated based on the pump capacity and the area of the irrigated area.
The control panel can be programmed for any irrigation mode, and if you integrate into the complex special sensors that track the level of humidity, the watering will be fully automatic, taking into account the weather conditions. When a certain level of dryness of the soil is reached, the sensor informs the computer of the need for watering, and sprinklers are hidden in the ground rise and begin to spray water, evenly moistening the area.
This method of watering is the most effective because it provides plants with moisture regardless of the weather and does not require your personal control.
The only disadvantages of this method are the high cost of the equipment and the work of designing and installing the system.
