Lawn irrigation schedule

Lawn irrigation schedule. Irrigating lawns is one of the most basic lawn maintenance procedures, and probably the most frequently repeated. Many people think that a lack of water will damage the lawn, while an excess of water can only do the plants good. Is that right?

More often does not mean better

Investing in an irrigation system creates the temptation to use it as often as possible. Every hot day becomes an excuse to turn on the sprinklers for hours on end to keep the ground moist at all times. To judge whether this is the right thing to do, one only has to look at wild grass, which dries out in the dry season, but not immediately. It needs a few hot, rainless days for the first signs of water deficit to appear. This is because the soil does not dry out instantly; it is a gradual process. Even if the surface of the soil is severely dried out, a supply of water remains in the depths. It is running out, but not as quickly as we might think. The rate of desiccation depends on the composition of the soil, the structure of the terrain and the state of the groundwater.

Habits of grasses

Even grasses described as drought-sensitive do quite well, provided they have had a chance to develop a deep enough root system. A plant will not devote energy to expanding its roots if it does not need them. Frequent watering keeps the soil almost constantly moist. Under such conditions, underdeveloped, shallow roots are sufficient. When water runs out, the grass will not develop roots overnight, but will wither away, unable to draw water from greater depths.

This can be remedied by watering lawns less frequently but more intensively. After such watering, the water level gradually decreases and the grass roots, following the water, grow deeper. A lawn that is rooted in this way will be more drought-resistant and will make better use of water from natural rainfall. Watering less frequently also saves water and electricity.

The plant watering schedule should mimic natural atmospheric phenomena. In our climate, rains are usually abundant but occur many days apart. Lawns should be watered in the same way: intensively, but not every day. Even on hot days, it is sufficient if the irrigation system is switched on twice a week. The absorption capacity of the soil can be estimated by observing water absorption during watering. The time that passes between turning on the sprinklers and the appearance of puddles is usually the optimum irrigation time. Administering more water can lead to overwatering the lawn

MB Irrigation also supplies excellent components for building irrigation systems manufactured by Hydrawise. The use of Hydrawise controllers is the optimal solution. These devices regulate the water supply and irrigation rate to match the physiological needs of the plants. This guarantees excellent growth and appearance of the grasses, as well as increasing their resistance to the prevailing high summer temperatures.

Hydrawise controllers are highly effective. They use algorithms based on scientific research. Decisions to switch irrigation on and off are based on meteorological information, measurements of current soil moisture and an accurate short-term weather forecast. This avoids unnecessary watering of the lawn before heavy rainfall is expected