Lawn irrigation done right

Long periods of heat or drought, during which not a single drop of rain falls, are becoming increasingly common. Of course, this also stresses our lawn, the grasses wither or even shrivel away. The lawn can be completely destroyed within two weeks if not watered regularly. And let's be honest: in your own garden, it looks very unsightly when tufts of withered and dying grass turn the lawn into a carpet of weeds and yellow grass. It also increases the risk of weeds spreading from the lawn. There are many plants that are well adapted to drought and are just waiting to occupy the space that the withered grass leaves.

Lawn sprinkler?

If you are tired of watering the lawn yourself with the hose in midsummer, you should consider buying a lawn sprinkler. Swivel sprinklers are well suited for larger, rectangular areas. This distributes the water evenly and today you can adjust the devices very well to the dimensions of your own garden and the amount of water required.

For irregular lawns, there are mobile or permanently installed circular or segment sprinklers.

The optimal time

Unfortunately, many amateur gardeners only think about watering when the lawn has already shown signs of damage and yellow spots. Then it is usually too late. Broken leaves and stalks can no longer be saved. It is best to water earlier if you notice, for example, that the leaves start to sag limply or the colour of the lawn gets a slight grey tinge.

Never water in the heat of the day, but better either in the morning or in the evening.

How much water is needed

A big mistake, which is unfortunately often made, is with regular irrigation, often too little water is used. If not enough water gets into the soil, the root levels of the lawn are not completely moistened. As a result, the roots tend to develop in the upper layers of the soil, making the lawn even more susceptible to dryness. Finally, the moisture in the upper layers evaporates first.

It would be optimal if the water penetrated into the soil about 15 centimetres while watering. Depending on the type of soil, you need between 10 and 20 litres of water per square meter. Sandy soils are in the lower area, loamy to clayey soils tend to be in the upper area.

In dry periods, lawns on sandy soils should be watered twice a week, those on loamy soils once a week.

How do you know if the lawn has been watered enough?

There are various simple methods here. You can cut out a thick turf with a spade and then simply measure with a ruler or folding rule how far the moisture has penetrated into the earth. As mentioned, 15 centimetres is optimal. (Don't forget to put the sod back in ;-)) Alternatively, you can set up a rain gauge or buy a flow meter. With the latter, you only have to determine the area that is sprinkled by the sprinkler and then extrapolate the required amount of water per square meter to the total area. As soon as the required amount is displayed, you can turn off the water.

Automatic irrigation

If you want to do as little as possible to irrigate your lawn yourself, you can also get a fully automatic irrigation system. These can already be controlled from a smartphone today, but they also cost accordingly.

In any case, we hope that your lawn will survive the next dry spells well and that you can enjoy a rich green even in autumn.