Irrigation

Unfortunately after all the care and attention lavished on your lawn, come late Spring, Summer or even early Autumn, there can be a drought or dry spell. This results in the lawn drying out and turning a yellow/brown colour. When this happens, the lawn will need to be watered.

Most lawn grasses do not actually die in drought conditions. It is amazing how a lawn, brown because of lack of water, can soon turn a beautiful green again when the rain falls. A couple of lawn weeds, yarrow and clover, will survive during drought conditions and become well established in your lawn when the rain returns.

Before you water, check with the water supplier that there isn't a hosepipe or sprinkler ban in force. Some water suppliers also charge extra for the use of hosepipes and sprinklers. More and more homes are now on water meters. This helps to conserve our precious commodity - water. It also deters us from over-using hosepipes as they can use large amounts of water, especially if left on and forgotten.

Many different sprinklers are available, covering large or small areas:

One of the most popular types is the oscillating sprinkler. It sprays from side to side, has a fine spray, and the area it covers, which is oblong, can be adjusted.

More suitable for larger areas is a pulse jet sprinkler. It sprays in a circle in one direction at a time. Its distance of spray can be adjusted.

The rotary sprinkler sprinkles the lawn in a circle. The fineness and distance of the spray can be adjusted on some models - some have two arms; others have three.

Static sprinklers have a spike at the base which is pushed into the ground. Water distribution is good and is delivered in a circular pattern.

A sprinkler hose is flat and divided up into three or four pipes joined together and has many small holes along its length, which gives a fine spray. This is very handy on lawns as it is simply laid on the lawn and moved when the grass has received enough water.

NOTE:
Note that the better the water pressure the better the delivery of the spray will be.