Lawn Type
Newly laid lawns will still need frequent watering till the roots have established. Water saving lawns such as Sir Grange, Tif Tuf Hybrid Bermuda and Sir Walter DNA Buffalo, will need less watering than the common Couch, Kikuyu and Tall Fescue. Leaf colour changes, leaf shape changes are some of the signs to look for that may indicate your lawn is starting to run out of water.
Season
During summer your lawn experiences greater levels of evaporation due to heat and will require watering more often than in winter. Care must be taken during the winter months to ensure the soils don’t become too wet, as this can cause disease other detrimental issues with your lawn
Soil Type
The moisture holding capability of your soil plays an important role in keeping your lawn supplied with moisture. Sandy soils will hold less moisture than a rich loam soil and must be watered accordingly. In some situations, a newly built home may have an area where the brickies sand was stockpiled during construction. If this hasn’t been removed before installing your lawn, this area will dry out faster than the remaining areas due to water being leached away from the roots. Soils that don’t hold moisture can be enhanced by incorporating Lawn Launcher, which is a slow release fertiliser combined with water magnets, into the soil before laying the lawn.
Daytime temperatures
Newly laid lawns during the summer months must be watered during the heat of the day. Contrary to the belief that watering during the day can burn the turf, you must water when the evaporation rate s greatest, to ensure the leaf doesn’t dry out. New turf cannot draw moisture from the soil till the roots have established and therefore relies on water being drawn through the leaves to keep it alive and healthy.
Wind
Windy days increase the evaporation rate and care must be taken with newly laid turf to ensure it doesn’t dry out. Once your lawn is established, it is beneficial to water when there is little wind as you will achieve more even coverage if using an irrigation system.
Sun and Shade
This is an important factor when watering your lawn. Areas that receive morning sun will not dry out as fast as areas that receive middy to afternoon sun. if your established lawn is showing stress from lack of water, it will be in the areas that experience no shade and mostly the hotter afternoon sunlight. This may mean you need to water these areas more often than the shady areas.
