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Watering your lawn correctly

Published: 02.02.2018

Watering is one of the most important lawn care items. Correct and timely irrigation will provide a beautiful view, stimulate plant growth and create a favorable climate. With a lack of moisture, the growth process slows down /katalo...-trava/, the lawn grass turns yellow and begins to wither. Watering the lawn is necessary in spring, summer and autumn.

How do you know if your lawn needs watering?

With a lack of moisture, the grass itself will demonstrate this to you. It is better to get ahead of drying by the first signs:

The grass began to curl up; The lawn began to trample, the grass rises for a long time after being pressed; In drought, the grass turns brown; The grass fades or turns yellow; Bald spots appear.

Wilting is most noticeable on old grass. The first to suffer from drought are bluegrass and white bent. Average requirement for soil moisture in meadow bluegrass, chaff. The fescue is the least whimsical.

With a lack of water, drought-resistant grasses remain alive. If their leaves and root system dry out, the plants go into dormancy. When the soil is moistened, it begins to grow again. Despite the fact that the grasses survived, their appearance in drought leaves much to be desired. A yellowed lawn is unlikely to please the eye.

When is the best time to water your lawn?

The most common question is when to water - in the morning or in the evening? Each case has its own characteristics and subtleties.

Watering is best done in the early morning. In cool, windless weather, the water evaporates less and the grass will have time to dry out before the onset of heat.

Daytime watering is also acceptable, but it should be borne in mind that in the scorching sun, wet grass can get burned: water droplets create a lens effect. Moisturizing the grass stand in the heat is called harmful watering, spots appear on the blades of grass. Therefore, cloudy days or the autumn period, when the sun is less hot, are better suited for daytime watering.

Evening watering in summer is recommended between 16.00 and 18.00. This is due to the fact that the grass must dry out. If the grass cover remains wet overnight, this can adversely affect its condition and lead to fungal diseases.

Watering the lawn. Features of watering the lawn and the use of various irrigation systems

There is no need to convince anyone of the need to water the lawns. Grass cannot live without water. An example of this in a dry year is yellowed or even dead lawns along highways, near multi-storey buildings and in some parks. To prevent this from happening and your lawn will delight you with luscious greenery throughout the season, it is necessary to establish an optimal irrigation regime.

What to water with? A small lawn in the absence of running water can be watered with a watering can. True, this work is quite laborious and not everyone can do it. If there is a reservoir on the site, then you can arrange watering of the lawn using a pump and a hose. The presence of a water supply system on the site will greatly simplify your task.

You can use a hose with a water spray nozzle to water your lawn, but a dedicated lawn sprinkler is the best choice. With their help, you can water the lawn more evenly and efficiently, while saving your time.

Currently, you can find many different ones on sale. These are stationary sprinklers with a hose (or pipes) dug into the ground and nozzles that rise above the soil surface during irrigation. These are swing tube sprinklers, pulsating sprinklers, spray hoses with a number of small holes along their entire length and even in the form of flowers or various shapes. The choice depends on your desire, financial capabilities, as well as on the configuration of the lawn. For large lawns, it is preferable to choose a stationary sprayer. For a small rectangular area, choose a swing tube sprinkler. For round or oval - with a pulsating jet, and for a long narrow one - hoses with holes.

Lawn. Care: watering the lawn

Grass, like all living things, cannot live without water. In our climatic zone, there is usually enough rainfall for the plants to have enough moisture. However, during dry periods, the grass cover needs additional watering.

A characteristic sign that a mature landscape lawn suffers from drought is dry soil at a depth of 8-10 cm.

The death of lawns is an exceptional case, they usually come to life after heavy rain. True, this can bring new problems. Weeds are generally very drought tolerant, and as soon as the grass weakens, they quickly begin to conquer territory.

In order to increase the drought tolerance of your garden lawn, first of all, carry out various activities to strengthen the grass root system. They will help the lawn to survive even when you are powerless to help it.

in the fall, be sure to pierce the turf with a pitchfork to avoid soil compaction;

fill the lawn with mulch;

do not cut the grass too short, but let it grow higher during dry periods;

do not remove cut grass from the lawn. This cover protects the soil from moisture loss;

feed the lawn with fertilizers in a timely manner. For the good development of the root system of grasses, the introduction of phosphorus fertilizers is very useful;

Rake the lawn thoroughly at the end of the next season.

Water the ornamental lawn regularly and abundantly during drought will restore the necessary water balance in the soil. However, try to avoid over-watering to avoid waterlogging. Remember that everything is fine in moderation, so overflows are just as dangerous as underwatering. If you do everything right, your lawn will keep its fresh and healthy appearance even in the sweltering heat.

Watering the lawn: how and with what water to water the grass after planting and cutting

Even a person far from landscape gardening, when setting up a site for the first time, knows that he will need to take care of him. Good, timely care, such as mowing and watering the lawn, ensures an even grass surface without damage. And if the beginner still attaches importance to mowing, then irrigation is often considered a simple matter, and therefore unworthy of study. Nevertheless, it is watering that solves many of the tasks that distinguish an ideal lawn from a piece of land covered with dead greenery.

The lawn itself tells the attentive owner when it is necessary to turn on the irrigation equipment. If the grass is stuck, and in some places it began to curl, it means that it urgently needs moisture. There are only two factors that affect how often you water your lawn - the depth of moisture penetration into the soil and the rate at which it evaporates. They, in turn, depend on the type of soil, weather, location and time of existence of the lawn.

Irrigate your lawn immediately after sowing or laying

For quick and even germination of greenery, you need to water the lawn after planting every day, and when drought occurs, this has to be done even twice a day. How much watering is sufficient can be checked in this way: a lump of earth, squeezed in a fist, should retain its shape, but not crumble and not release moisture. So that in the future the need for such a check disappeared, it is recommended to note the time that was spent on the first watering.

Special sprayer with liquid flow meter

An excess of liquid is just as harmful as a lack of it - fungus or moss can appear in the soil, and the seeds themselves can rot and die. In the same way, it is harmful to flood the planted area with a direct stream of water. In order to avoid erosion of the earth and the appearance of stagnant water in the depressions, it is imperative to use a hose nozzle with maximum dissipation capacity.

After laying, the rolled lawn must be watered immediately, literally within the first hour. It is especially important to withstand this condition on a hot day - under the rays of the sun, the grass can get severe burns, which will lead to a loss of its appearance and the need for a long recovery. At the same time, it is not enough to water the sod of the roll - it is necessary that the soil layer under it is significantly moistened. Therefore, the site should be irrigated generously, at the rate of 20-30 l / sq. m.

Roll coating is watered immediately after laying

HOW IT IS CORRECT TO WATER THE LAW. LAWN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. SOIL DRAINING.

The fame of English gardens, perhaps, would not have been so great, if not for the humid, typically island climate, favorable for the growth of grass. There lawns do not suffer from their terrible enemies - drought and heat. In the conditions of central Russia, and even more so to the south, there is a constant loss of moisture on the lawn as a result of transpiration of water by grass leaves, as well as its direct evaporation from the soil surface.
Regular irrigation is essential for any lawn
Evaporation increases with a thinned sod cover and, accordingly, decreases with dense and powerful grass, better shading the soil. Insufficient watering in dry weather often causes weeds to spread on the lawn. Sod cover on weakly limed acidic soils is more susceptible to drought than on alkaline soils. In dry weather, it is often necessary to irrigate the lawn created on marginal sandy soils, as well as with poor development of the root system of grasses. A young lawn just needs constant artificial moisture. But in principle, any lawn, so that the grass develops well and maintains a healthy, juicy green color throughout the season, must be watered regularly.

Watering without hassle

Imagine this picture: a summer evening after an unusually hot day. You relax on a sun lounger on the terrace sipping something cold. A mist of water rises over your lawn, and beyond the fence, a sweaty and exhausted neighbor unrolls a long garden hose to water his yellowed lawn. All this will become a reality if, even before laying the garden, you think about how to provide your grass with optimal living conditions.
Trust the firm?
You already have a plot, the construction of a house is coming to an end ... What's next? If you decide your garden needs an automatic watering system, it's time to get to work. There are two possibilities. First: having considered where and what devices you want to install, entrust the site to specialists and provide them with a solution to all practical issues. In this case, your role will be limited to the grand opening of the crane. You can also try to mount the system yourself. This is not as difficult as it seems, and in this case, the elements of the irrigation system are selected individually, based on the size of the garden and needs.

How to properly water your lawn

Lawn watering systems

It is pleasant to look at the beautiful well-groomed lawn, at the flower beds that adorn it in different places. Particularly pleasing is the sight of fresh lawn greenery in the summer heat, when everything around is baked from the heat. To achieve this, it is necessary to establish lawn watering systems.

After all, timely irrigation of grasses is the basis for lawn care. Then the plants will be provided with everything necessary for normal growth, and the favorable water regime will provide the flower beds with long and lush flowering.

What is the best time to water the lawn

So when is the best time to water your lawn? Many people prefer evening watering, believing that the soil has dried up in a day, and the plants are thirsty at this time. However, this is a misconception. By installing irrigation systems in the evening, and saturating the soil with moisture, you also leave the grass wet all night. This can lead to the development of mold and various fungal diseases. After all, you unwittingly create favorable conditions for them - the warmth of a summer night, excess moisture, drops of water. Such diseases spread very quickly and it will be difficult to get rid of them. You'd better not risk it. The only exception can be very hot days, when the daytime heat reaches 40 °, and the grass around just burns in the sun, and even at night the temperature does not drop below 30 °. Then the evening watering will be fully justified.

The lawn can be watered after 9 pm, moisture will be quickly absorbed in the soil, and hot grass will not leave water droplets on the surface. In this case, you simply will not let the grass burn out, and watering in the evening will be optimal.

Many people water the lawn during the day. Of course, this will not harm the lawn. However, during the day there is a strong evaporation of water, and in order to saturate the soil with moisture in the required amount, you will need a double volume of water, since half of it will immediately evaporate. It is neither rational nor economical.

But the most favorable watering for plants is morning watering. The morning time of the day, when nature is just waking up from sleep, is full of bliss, there is no wind, silence and coolness. Water evaporates least of all and mostly goes into the soil, and drops of water, as soon as the sun rises, will evaporate from the leaves of grass and flowers.

Automatic watering of the site, what you need to know first

If you live in your own house and you have a personal plot with a lawn and a vegetable garden or a greenhouse, then one day you begin to realize that you are already tired of running around with a hose and buckets around the plot. And you start to wonder why - we wash the dishes in dishwashers, we wash the linen - in the washing machines, cook - in the multicooker, and do we need to keep the plants in good condition manually? This article explains what you need to do in order to get rid of non-productive waste of time when working in a personal plot and how much it will cost you to automatically water the plot.

The need for automatic irrigation on the site

When discussing the placement of an automatic irrigation system on a site, one often hears the phrase: "expensive, we will water it ourselves." As a result, after a month or two, the owner stops watering his plot and it turns into a green - yellow - brown piece of burnt out steppe. Let's see if it's so expensive:

First, a properly assembled irrigation system will work for at least twenty years, modern materials allow it. Divide the cost by twenty; secondly, calculate the cost of your labor based on today's salary - two hours a day, five months a year for twenty years, this is the amount you will save; thirdly, when going on vacation in the summer for several weeks, you will not have to ask neighbors or relatives to water your greenhouse; fourthly, in many suburban settlements there are often interruptions in water supply, and it is not possible to water the entire plot with a weak pressure, since the neighbors also water at the same time. Automatic watering of the plot, set for the night or early morning, will water without problems or fill the storage tank with water at this time; fifthly, the lawn with manual irrigation will never achieve the same quality and uniform green color as with automatic irrigation.

Automatic watering of the lawn, automatic watering of the lawn in Moscow

The first sprinklers appeared about 80 years ago and were far from perfect. However, it was then that the autowatering system arose and began to rapidly develop, without which it is difficult to imagine modern life. Irrigation of football fields and watering of a personal plot, moistening flower beds in parks and automatic watering of a lawn in Moscow - the system helps to significantly save time, uses water sparingly, and moisturizes the soil evenly and with high quality. "First Studio Irrigation - Irrigation for Professionals" offers design and flawless installation of automatic irrigation systems of any complexity, providing innovative equipment from leading manufacturers to individuals and municipal organizations.

About company

Irrigation methods for lawns, greenhouses, parks and gardens are varied, the choice of equipment depends on many factors and it is better to take advantage of the experience of professionals. The company's specialists are always ready to:

Design an automatic irrigation system of any complexity (absolutely free); help to choose and buy equipment for automatic irrigation; deliver and carry out high-quality installation of equipment; reserve the ordered goods and keep them in the warehouse in case of impossibility of prompt export (free of charge).

The specialized company "Studio Irrigation" has many years of experience, during this time more than a thousand objects for entertainment centers, sports facilities, municipal grounds and private estates have been effectively implemented. A lawn irrigation system designed and installed by our specialists is successfully operating in many districts of Moscow.

How much water is needed for watering plants in the garden and in the garden

Watering, like the East, is a delicate matter. After all, plants in the garden can die not only from a lack of water, but also from its excess. Advise our readers how to maintain this delicate balance and not harm garden pets?

First of all, find in the literature the features of those crops that you want to grow on your garden plot. After all, different types of plants have their own requirements for the amount of moisture in the soil. The same amount of water may be optimal for some plants and excessive for others. Therefore, try to plant plants of similar ecological groups in separate areas so that each species receives approximately the same amount of moisture when watering. Also, do not place a flower garden with moisture-loving species under large fruit trees, since they often take all the moisture from the topsoil, creating a deficiency for tap-root herbaceous plants.

What plants need water like air?

This group includes cultures that live in containers. As for the vegetable garden, cucumbers and other pumpkin seeds are the most moisture-loving there, as well as leafy vegetable plants - tender salads and cabbage. If you do not have the opportunity to regularly water these plants, then it is better to refuse to grow them. Instead, you can plant essential oil crops, most of which (thyme, lavender, hyssop, sage, catnip) easily tolerate temporary drought.

And which of the inhabitants of the ornamental garden loves water?

Most of the woody and herbaceous plants grown in the garden are quite hygrophilous. This is especially true for introduced species from humid subtropical and East Asian regions (Colchis ivy, leaf grate bamboo, chubushniki, St. John's wort). Most of these plants, although they are able to tolerate a short-term moisture deficit, grow better and are more decorative with regular watering.

Automatic watering

Creation of automatic irrigation systems

It is not enough just to make improvements and - flower beds and lawns need constant maintenance. First of all, it consists in the timely watering of plants. You can, of course, do this in the traditional way, but why, if it has been used everywhere a long time ago automatic watering... The presence of such a system on the backyard is very convenient. All plant elements of landscape design receive water in the required amount - and at the same time, direct human participation in the process is practically not required.

The suburban area has been developed, there is a garden, and a vegetable garden, and flower beds, and places for recreation. Lawns look attractive when the lawn is watered correctly and at the right time. If you leave the green area without maintenance, the grass will turn yellow, wither and resemble the vegetation of an abandoned wasteland. Everyone saw the prohibition signs "Do not walk on the lawns!" Such a ban is necessary in areas that are deprived of the attention of the owner. Of course, it is not recommended to hold a military parade rehearsal on the grass every day, and walking barefoot through pleasant fresh greenery will not harm either person or vegetation.

How often should the lawn be watered?

Moistening is necessary for the lawn throughout the summer season. Work begins with sowing seeds, and ends a week before the onset of cold weather. It is impossible to indicate the exact time and amount of water - all areas have different moisture content and soil structure, weather conditions can change in the most unpredictable way. Much depends on the type of plants planted: if the white bent cannot stand even the slightest thirst, then the fescue will survive the drought, and after the rain, the grass will continue to grow. It is undesirable to use this feature: dry leaves will no longer turn into fresh greens, and rest on a yellowed half-dead lawn will not bring any joy.

If you think that the grass cover does not need artificial moisture, go after a severe drought to a clearing open to the sun's rays. Vegetation there burns out to such an extent that even livestock bypasses it. For novice summer residents who have no idea whether it is necessary to water the lawn and how to do it correctly, there are indicative recommendations. You can take them as a basis, then your observations will make adjustments to the general scheme.

For central Russia, the following irrigation regime can be adopted:

• in intense heat and drought - every day;
• in the heat on sandy soils - every 2-3 days;
• in cool cloudy weather in summer - weekly;
• in the fall - once every 10 days.

It is undesirable to either shorten or increase the time between watering. It is useless for 2 weekends in a row to forcefully pour water on the lawn, and then leave it "on dry rations" for 5 working days. The soil should have time to dry out before the next wetting. If you start to irrigate wet soil, the roots will not have an incentive to grow deeper, they will be located at the very surface. With experience, you yourself will feel when the lawn needs watering, and the grass will remind you of its need for water in the first years. As soon as you notice at least one sign of a lack of moisture, moisten your lawn and it will always look fresh.

The very first symptoms of drying out:

• the grass curls up;
• crushed greens do not straighten for a long time;
• areas where people walk begin to be trampled;
• the lawn has acquired a brown tint;
• the plants look lethargic.

There are times when plants need extra moisture.

• After mowing, carefully remove the cut pieces and water the lawn. Moisturizing will give it a fresh and clean look, help to quickly recover from damage.
• When feeding, dry nutrients are not absorbed by the roots. Watering will help the complete assimilation of all components.

To make the lawn look neat, and nothing hindered the young sprouts from developing, comb the grass with a rake 2 times per season.

Do not water the lawn with water at a temperature below + 10⁰C, this is harmful to the root system. Water from a well or spring must be drawn into a large container, where it will be heated in the sun.

How to water the lawn after planting seeds?

In the spring, the summer resident worked out the soil, sowed seeds and watered the future lawn. But if he does not show up on the site for the whole working week, all the work can be considered in vain. The grains are at a shallow depth, and the soil exposed to the sun and wind dries up instantly. Watering the lawn in the first decade after planting seeds should be daily. During this time, the grains will germinate, and the roots will be able to take water from a depth of several centimeters.

Not every working person manages to get out to the site every day. The earth will retain moisture longer if you cover it with plastic sheeting, a piece of roll roofing, or a nonwoven fabric. After emergence, the polyethylene and roofing material must be removed, and the air-permeable coating can be left on as long as it does not interfere with the growth of young grass.

Many information sources recommend covering the soil from drying out with a thick layer of mulch. This is a good option, but it is only suitable for plants that have already reached a height of 7-8 cm. If you fill the area with compost immediately after sowing, the sprouts will not appear - they will not have enough light.

An adult lawn should not be moistened too often, but generously. But for the young growth, such a scheme is destructive. Water every 1-2 days, and in hot weather in small portions daily. If too much water is poured out, a crust will form on the soil and no air will be able to reach the root system. When the grass shades the ground, and the roots go deeper into the soil and form the soil structure, you can switch to sparse and abundant watering.

How much water does it take to water a lawn well?

If you lightly moisten your lawn at short intervals, nothing good will come of it. The top layer of the soil will be constantly wet, while in the depths there will be dry soil. The root system will develop near the surface and will not be able to take nutrients from the depths. The underground part will become very vulnerable, and if during the hot period you cannot visit the site for several days, the grass will dry out.

Depending on the level of groundwater, soil moisture and weather conditions, you need to pour from 20 to 40 liters of water for each square meter. Multiply this volume by the area, and you will find out the approximate consumption on the territory of any lawn. The liquid should completely go into the soil, puddles and wetlands on the lawn are not needed. Some time after watering, check to what depth the moisture has penetrated. If the soil is saturated by 10 cm, then there was enough water.

The time for watering also needs to be chosen correctly. The best option is early morning. Before the onset of the heat of the day, moisture will be absorbed into the soil, and the grass will dry out. At this time, a person cannot always get out of town, so many summer residents are interested in the question: is it possible to water the lawn during the day? The recommendations for novice gardeners say that it is impossible. In hot sunny times, this advice should be heeded: the droplets focus the sun's rays, and burn marks appear on the greenery. But on cloudy days or cool autumn, you can moisten the lawn during the day. In the evening, it is advisable to finish the work before 6 pm, so that the greens will dry before the night coolness. Wet plants are often affected by fungal infections when the air temperature drops.

Mechanized watering of the site

A small lawn can be moistened with watering cans or with a hose manually, but if the lawn occupies more than a dozen acres, you will have to hire a gardener to care for it. Various devices that carry out mechanical and automatic watering of the lawn will help to facilitate the work. You can lay a drip irrigation system over the entire area. The soil will be well saturated with moisture, but the grass will become dusty and lose its fresh appearance. Washing is necessary not only for animals, but also for plants, with this method from time to time you will have to irrigate the plants from above.

It is good to use for lawn watering:

• perforated hoses with holes along the entire length;
• sprinklers;
• circular sprinklers operating on the fountain principle;
• rotating and swinging sprinklers;
• automatic irrigation systems.

Watering with a perforated hose isn't much easier than watering by hand. You will need to spread the perforated tubing around the lawn, moisten the area, and move them to another location. Small spray fountains are handy in small areas, but if the lawn is large, you will need too many of them. Automatic irrigation systems are the most convenient option. You do not need to appear in the country, they turn on and off without human intervention. One drawback is that they are quite expensive.

Sprinklers are well suited for country lawns. The rotating design directs the jet around the circumference. You can increase or decrease the diameter of the wetted area. For rectangular and square lawns, swinging models are convenient. It is advisable to plan lawns of the correct shape even when laying out the site. Various protrusions and winding stripes look original, but then you constantly have to run around with a watering can in nooks and crannies.

How to make a do-it-yourself lawn watering system?

You can purchase the necessary kit in the store, but you can also make it yourself. To do this, you will need to purchase a pumping station, even if a central water supply is installed on the site. In the morning and evening, all gardeners begin to water their beds, and the water pressure may be too weak.

You will also need:

• plastic pipes;
• filters so that the holes are not clogged with sediment from untreated water from the well;
• pressure regulators, allowing to provide different water pressure in individual areas;
• rotary or static sprinklers.

Before buying equipment, draw up an accurate plan of your site. Consider how to place the sprinklers to keep all lawns moist. Draw on the pipe plan and calculate the required amount. Several large lawns require a complex system that allows different pipe sections to be switched on one after the other. For this purpose, it is necessary to install shut-off valves on each branch, allowing you to open or shut off the water.

The system does not have to be buried below the freezing depth of the soil. If the pipes will be laid with a slight slope, and a device for draining water is installed at the lowest point of the branch, a trench can be dug 30 cm deep. Install sprinklers, connect the pipes to the pumping station. Now you only need to turn on the system and the lawn will be watered.

Good home craftsmen can make an automatic system equipped with controllers, solenoid valves, sensors, time switches. A thermal relay placed in a water tank will turn on the heater when the temperature drops, the moisture for irrigation will always be warm enough. With such automation, you are not afraid of sudden severe frosts, the water will not turn into ice and will not rupture the container. Special devices can monitor soil moisture, and in rainy weather, the irrigation system will not turn on at the appointed time.

In autumn, after draining the water, blow through the entire system with compressed air until moisture no longer escapes. This will save the pipes from bursting if liquid has accumulated in them.

The lawn is not a museum piece that you can only admire. You can walk on fresh grass, sunbathe on it. For plants to withstand these loads, they need proper care. A well-watered lawn will quickly return to its original form after you rest. If the greens are trampled, empty spaces appear on it, sort out your mistakes. Perhaps the soil has few nutrients, it is waterlogged, or, conversely, is too dry. Do not spare your efforts, and the lawn will thank you. The contact of the naked body with the grass is not only pleasant, but also beneficial for health, and bathing in the morning dew will replace expensive medical and cosmetic procedures.

In the article: how to organize the correct watering of the lawn; types of irrigation; irrigation methods and types of irrigation systems; choice of sprinklers and their cost; how to choose a lawn mower, types and prices; necessary garden tools, prices; how to mow the lawn; what kind of work and when it is necessary to carry out; how to deal with weeds; what fertilizers the lawn needs, how and when to introduce them; lawn care calendar.

Everything worked out - it was successful, the first shoots of grass are already making their way through the ground, making the project a reality. In a week or two, the young lawn will delight its owners with delicate emerald greens. And here some lawn owners make their first mistakes, sincerely assuming that the lawn grass does not require any special care - after all, no one cares for it in the meadows. So a lawn is not a meadow, its mixture is carefully planned and calculated, it is formed by cultivated plants that require increased attention.

Assuming the landscaping of the territory with a lawn, it is necessary to take care of the lawn care: solve the problem with watering, take care of the periodic mowing of the lawn grass, introduce mineral fertilizers, weed and pest control agents, and aerate the soil. Not only do all these activities need to be performed in a certain order and sequence, but they also require special equipment - caring for the lawn using only a bayonet shovel and a garden hose will be absolutely ineffective.

So, let's take a look at lawn care into the tasks that make it up

The need for watering the lawn

Moisture evaporates perfectly from the surface of the grass cover: in seven days from one m 2 - about 25 liters of water. And if the owner of the lawn wants to enjoy its ideal appearance, it is necessary to water it - in the dry weather of the spring-summer season. You can determine the lack of moisture by checking the moisture content of the soil at a depth of 100 mm. The lack of moisture can also be determined by the appearance of the lawn grass - it fades, acquires a grayish tint. Bluegrass is especially sensitive to low moisture content. At the same time, most weed plants tolerate drought well and, taking this opportunity, will not fail to capture a large area of ​​cultivated lawn.

In order to increase the resistance of the lawn grass to drought, it is necessary to take measures to deepen and strengthen the equine system of the cultivated lawn. To do this: in the dry season - pierce the compacted soil layer, and then mulch the lawn over its entire surface.

Watering the lawn must be carried out based on the type of soil and the current weather. Lawns on sandy soils need watering more often than on alumina or loam - they retain moisture worse. And, of course, in hot weather, watering the lawn is necessary more often than in dry and cool weather. Based on average values, in hot weather and on sandy soils, lawns will require watering about twice a week; in cool weather, one-time watering for 10 days is quite sufficient.

The basic rule of lawn watering: it is necessary to water it so that in the interval between humidifications the earth dries out - this is necessary to stimulate the root system of lawn grasses, since this way the roots will receive the air they require. With frequent watering (daily or every other day), lawns are overgrown with bryozoans and moss, the active development of the superficial root system of grasses begins, which worsens the quality of the grass carpet.

Irrigation types

That's right - I'm not mistaken! It would seem that it is difficult to water: you need water, some devices (at least - a garden hose and a spray bottle) and care to fully meet the needs of the plants. But no, lawn watering has several purposes:

• planting, as their name implies, are carried out during planting, their purpose is to create sufficient conditions for the rapid survival of green spaces. Water consumption for such irrigation is 2.5-3m3 per hundred square meters;
• vegetation (the main type of irrigation) is carried out in order to increase the moisture reserves under the sod layer. Their frequency is directly related to weather conditions; it is quite natural that such irrigations are carried out more often during drought. Water consumption depends on the type of plant, the depth of moisture and the type of soil. The approximate consumption is 0.5-1m3 per hundred square meters;
• feeding are performed when fertilizers are introduced, the water consumption will be 1-1.5 m3 per hundred square meters;
• refreshing ones are designed to protect plants from air drought, their effectiveness is higher if the soil layer contains sufficient moisture. Water consumption 0.5-1m3 per hundred square meters;
• water charging are performed mainly in autumn and occasionally in spring. Their purpose is to build up moisture reserves in both the upper and deep soil layers. The approximate rate of such irrigation is 8-12 m3 of water per hundred square meters. If the groundwater is located close enough to the surface of the earth, then less water will be required - no more than 6 m3 per hundred square meters;
• anti-freeze are performed in the spring one day before the predicted frost, water consumption is 2-2.5 m3 per hundred square meters.

A couple of decades ago, the only means of irrigating a lawn were a watering can and a garden hose. There were simply no other products available - today every lawn owner is faced with a wide range of sprinkler systems designed to make watering the lawn easier.

Why do we need sprinkler systems, i.e. devices that simulate rain? The fact is that watering cannot be done with a stream of water from a garden hose - damage to the turf of the lawn is inevitable (erosion). Therefore, sprinklers are used (otherwise - sprayers, sprinklers), breaking the water jet into splashes (drops).

The simplest sprinklers are non-adjustable circular sprinklers - their design includes a support platform or a small peg, thanks to which they are easy to install and carry from place to place. In operation, circular sprinklers resemble a small fountain and are quite suitable for small lawn areas. Their cost is low, if necessary, you can purchase and install several pieces at once, connecting them with hoses and bringing them to one source of water. Equipped with a timer, this simple irrigation system can irrigate without the need for lawn owners. Prices for non-adjustable circular sprinklers start at 70 rubles.

Caring for a large lawn will require a more powerful sprinkler system, which includes movable circular nozzles that irrigate the area available to them with a spin or pulse (pulsation) of water. Large areas are watered in plots alternately, sprinklers capable of throwing water over long distances are intended for them.

Rotating (at a price of 500 rubles) - the water jet, the diameter of the spray and the distance of irrigation are regulated. Fine tuning will eliminate the likelihood of irrigation in places that do not require watering (for example, a bench or a gazebo).

Impulse (at a price of 550 rubles) - uniform irrigation, the greatest irrigation distance (up to 500 m 2).

Swinging (oscillating) (priced from 750 rubles) - especially good for large areas that have the shape of a square or rectangle. They are arranged like this: a hollow tube with nozzles-holes, mounted on a frame. Uniform watering of the lawn area occurs due to the swing of the tube left and right. Oscillating sprinklers allow you to adjust the spray diameter, width and length of the irrigation zone (maximum area - up to 350 m 2).

Manual watering

If the area of ​​the lawn is not very large, and the owners have no desire to spend on an automatic irrigation system, and the lawn itself is, for example, near a house in which someone constantly lives, you should choose manual watering. No, we are not talking about watering buckets - you need a high-quality garden hose and a special spray nozzle in the form of a pistol. The very case when it will be possible to expand the functions of irrigation products, for example, it will be possible to wash the car or water the paths.

Domestic spray guns have a lower cost compared to European models (the price of Russian ones is from 80 rubles, imported ones - from 150 rubles), but they also have less opportunities - as a rule, only adjusting the size of the jet. Imported models are equipped with a switch (water flow interrupter), multiple water jet modes and a fixed trigger (spray guns). For watering the lawn, sprayers with a boom adjustable in length will be especially convenient - this is how the most gentle irrigation regime is achieved, without eroding the soil layer.

If we talk about the quality of garden hoses, then they should be multi-layered - a really good hose has up to 5 layers, the purpose of which: the upper layers protect from exposure to the sun (ultraviolet radiation), reinforced - for strength and internal (black) do not allow the simplest to develop algae. If we compare domestic (price - from 20 rubles per running meter) and imported hoses (price - from 50 rubles per running meter), then the former are often formed by only three layers and have more weight compared to the second.

Automatic irrigation systems for large lawn areas

If the total area of ​​the lawn exceeds 6 acres, then it is quite difficult to water it manually. You will need an irrigation system, most of which is hidden underground. It is almost impossible to build it yourself - you will need an accurate calculation of the elements, so it would be more correct to contact companies specializing in landscaping and landscaping. Such irrigation systems can be equipped with two types of sprinklers - aboveground (visible) and underground (recessed), the latter are put forward only for the duration of irrigation, upon completion - recessed into the underground system.

If we talk about aesthetic and functional amenities, then underground sprinklers are more convenient: when they are not in use, they are not visible and do not interfere with mowing the lawn.

An important note - the automatic irrigation system is best installed before planting (laying) lawn grass, i.e. on an empty land plot and after that carry out its landscaping.

Computer-controlled automatic irrigation

This system will be highly appreciated by fans of modern technology. If yours is surrounded by patches of lawn or other landscape vegetation, then this system is what you need.

Computer automatic irrigation is formed by the following elements: an underground irrigation system, sprinklers, a container with a water supply (the volume depends on the irrigated areas, a container of 2000 liters or more is especially convenient), a pump (pumps) of sufficient power, soil moisture sensors (tensiometers) and a control computer equipped with a special program.

The autowatering system is installed strictly according to the technical plan, in which the irrigation needs of all types of plants planted (planted) on a given site are calculated. The system can be configured so that watering is carried out over the entire specified area or in fragments - after all, not all types of plants require frequent watering. Automatic irrigation works strictly according to a given program, which "turns it on" and "turns it off", guided by the data included in it (time, intensity, specified soil moisture, etc.). In addition to the elements of computer automatic irrigation described above, it will not be superfluous to equip such a system with a rain sensor - if it rains, then at the signal of such a sensor, the computer will temporarily stop the irrigation program.

For some, the installation of a computerized irrigation system may seem unnecessarily expensive (of course, it is not cheap). However, in such a matter as caring for an expensive lawn of considerable size, any human miscalculation can lead to a lack of soil moisture and drying out of the sod.

In addition to the aesthetic purpose, lawn mowing has practical purposes, depriving weeds of a chance to exist - mowing them is contraindicated and after several such operations, most of the weeds will be destroyed. Regular trimming will create a dense turf, high surface bushiness and stimulate the development of rhizomes. But - there is one rule: you can cut the lawn grass no more than one third of its height in one cut (on average, the growth of grass before cutting should be 12-15 cm). Otherwise, the plants will suffer excessive damage, which they may not tolerate - do not forget that the grass is alive!

After planting the lawn grass, the first mowing is carried out when the length of the blades has reached 100 mm - you need to cut no more than 10 mm from the top. Be sure to make sure the lawn mower knives are well sharpened!

If the planting was carried out in the fall, then the first time it is possible to mow the lawn is only in the spring. In this case, the following conditions must be observed, which are mandatory for every lawn mowing: the soil layer and grass must be dry at the time of mowing! After the first mow, the mower blades can be lowered lower and lower with each subsequent mow.

Regular (usually every 5-14 days) mowing of the lawn is carried out before the onset of autumn cold weather.

Lawn mowers

For mowing the lawn, of course, you can use the old method - a scythe. True, it will be difficult to achieve a perfectly flat grass carpet, experience is required. It is more convenient to use a lawn mower - a garden tool that is now an indispensable attribute of lawn care. Lawn mowers are of several types: electric (price - from 3,800 rubles (with a drive, not self-propelled), self-propelled - from 14,500 rubles), gasoline (price - from 8,000 rubles (without a drive, not self-propelled), drive - from 11,300 rubles), mechanical (price - from 3,500 rubles (without drive)) and battery (price - from 13,000 rubles (with drive, not self-propelled).

For small lawn areas, mechanical lawn mowers are suitable: they are easy to operate, they do not require any special maintenance and they do not need gasoline or electricity - a person acts as a driving force. Mowing the lawn with such lawn mowers should be carried out quite often, since they cannot cope with long grass pile. However, it is these mowers that are used for mowing the parterre lawn - their cylindrical mechanism is best suited for this.

Electric lawn mowers are especially fond of owners of landscaped gardens, lawn areas of which do not exceed 8 acres. If the area of ​​the site is larger, then you will need a battery lawn mower, or the installation of several stationary electrical outlets in the garden.

The petrol lawn mower is designed for really large areas, unlike other types, it requires frequent maintenance and is also very noisy. In terms of power, gasoline lawn mowers are superior to all other types. Some models are capable of neatly mowing slopes and tackling tall grass with ease - ideal for meadow and Moorish lawns.

When choosing a lawn mower, it is important to pay attention not only to its type (electric, gasoline, etc.), but also to the following points: power, mowing width and cutting height, speed and weight, body type and principle of movement (self-propelled or non-self-propelled) ... The type of knives installed on the mower matters - if you have a parterre lawn, choose a mower with a cylindrical knife (nice stripes and a neat cut will be guaranteed).

You should also pay attention to the number of wheels (if trees are planted in places on the lawn area, it is better to choose a three-wheeled lawn mower), for lawn areas over 5 acres, it is better to choose a lawn mower with a wide grip (at least 500 mm).

For really large lawns (over 10 acres), you will need special lawn mowers - riders (price - from 70,000 rubles (with drive)) and a mini-tractor (price - from 64,000 rubles (with drive)). This technique is equipped with a spacious grass catcher, so the mowing operator does not have to tediously follow such a lawn mower - he will drive it. Compared to mini-tractors, riders have more capabilities: they can be used to mow the lawn, clean leaves, moss and debris, and in winter, remove snow. They will also facilitate the procedure for introducing lawn fertilizers.

Trimmers - electric or gasoline braids

These devices are a circular knife on a long handle, rotated by a motor (electric or gasoline) located either at the top or at the bottom of the bar-handle.

Their purpose is to mow lawns in places where the lawnmower cannot climb. Electric trimmers have great advantages (price - from 1,000 rubles) - they are more compact and lighter than gasoline ones (price - from 1,400 rubles).

Other tools required for lawn care

In addition to equipment for mowing the lawn, you will need a rake, preferably fan-shaped, with springy teeth (price - from 50 rubles). They will need to collect foliage and grass felts, dry grass and cut stems after mowing with a lawn mower, if it is not equipped with a grass catcher.

You will need an aerator - a simple device with hollow teeth (aerators are in the form of sandals (foot) - the price is from 250 rubles, mechanical - the price is from 1,600 rubles and electric - the price is from 5,800 rubles). This device is designed to introduce air into the soil layers necessary for plant roots and remove excess moisture into the deep layers of the soil. The soil of the lawn over time cakes and compresses, mosses inhabit it, so it is necessary to periodically pierce it with an aerator. Mechanical aerators are like a toothed roller, while electric aerators are more like lawn mowers. The latter type of aerators cause less damage to the grass cover, so they can be aerated several times during the warm season.

For processing the edges of a grass carpet, a special knife is useful (this is what it is called - a knife for processing the edges, it can easily be replaced by a trimmer if you have already bought it), to eliminate weed roots - a lawn knife (root digger) (price - from 80 rubles). With the help of a sprayer, it is easier to deal with weeds and pests, as well as to introduce mineral fertilizers in liquid form. A mechanical seeder (price - from 350 rubles) is useful both for overseeding planting material and for the introduction of mineral fertilizers in the form of granules. And with the help of a garden vacuum cleaner (price - from 3,500 rubles), you can quickly remove fallen leaves and debris from the surface of the lawn.

Lawn fertilization and weed control

The first rule here is that any lawn needs fertilizer. How often to apply fertilizer - the answer to this question is directly related to how often the lawn is mowed. Cutting off the top of the lawn grass removes an important part of the accumulated life mass it has extracted from the soil. The owner of the lawn needs to make up for this loss by introducing after each mowing a mixture of fertilizers consisting of 2 g of potassium, 2 g of nitrogen and 3 g of phosphorus per m2 of the lawn. As a rule, such fertilizer mixtures are sold in retail outlets under the label "spring fertilizers", they must be introduced according to the instructions on the package from the beginning of the warm season to August. These fertilizers are designed to stimulate the development of the root system and the green part of the lawn. From the beginning of September, it is necessary to introduce "autumn fertilizers" into the soil of the lawn, which do not include nitrogen - it is designed to stimulate the active growth of lawn grass, and in the fall there is no need for this, because the lawn needs to be prepared for the cold season.

After mowing, all the cut grass must be removed - it cannot serve as fertilizer, because obtaining compost from it requires special conditions and time. In autumn, after the last mowing, it is best to leave the cut grass on the lawn, evenly distributing it over the surface of the grass carpet - in winter it will serve as a protective layer for the sod.

It is best to remove weeds from lawn areas by hand, however, this method is only suitable for single weed plants. If the weeds are seriously attacking your lawn, then use selective herbicides to eliminate the problem.

Lawn maintenance is a serious matter - this is the only way you can enjoy a magnificent grass carpet year after year. To make it easier to plan your tasks, here's a monthly lawn maintenance calendar.

Month	What and why to do
January	The main threat to the lawn this month will be low temperatures, so after the first autumn frosts, the lawn should be at rest. Until a stable snow cover appears on the lawn area, you cannot walk - if you neglect this rule, then in the spring the negligent owner will observe brown bald patches of the injured grass on it. The lawn grass is highly cultured, which means it is less protected than wild plants. In addition, this month the lawn is threatened by icing - the appearance of a crust of ice that blocks air exchange. It is necessary to break the crust of ice when it appears, using a rake or other improvised tool.
February	As a rule, during this period, the lawn is reliably covered under a cover of snow and nothing threatens it. It's time to prepare the mower for the upcoming spring work: disassemble, clean and lubricate, sharpen the knives or replace them with new ones, check the insulation of the power cable and extension cord, change the oil of the gasoline mower and check the spark plugs to work. Check and prepare other inventory. If at the right time it turns out to be faulty, time will be lost, which, when caring for an expensive lawn, is unacceptable. Check the thickness of the snow cover: if it is 200-250 mm, everything is in order, the sod is reliably protected from freezing and provided with sufficient moisture reserves at the beginning of spring. With a smaller thickness, you need to take care of snow retention - install plywood (plastic, wooden, etc.) shields on the lawn at an angle of 90o to the prevailing wind direction. Snow removed from the paths during clearing can be used - it must be evenly distributed over the surface of the lawn. Do not give in to the persuasion of children and do not arrange a skating rink on the lawn in a country house - lawn grasses can freeze at the root, as the surface layer of the soil will freeze. Do not forget about the possibility of ice crust formation - be sure to destroy it.
March	Melting snow can lead to excessive waterlogging of certain areas of the lawn - this leads to insufficient drainage of the lawn. Any puddles should be removed using a conventional forks or aeration forks (hollow teeth). Minimize movement on the surface of the lawn, as this can lead to surface defects in the form of ruts, potholes or pits (such phenomena are especially inherent in young lawns).
April	Does the air temperature no longer fall into the negative zone of the thermometer? It's time to introduce "spring fertilizers" - they will ensure a quick recovery of the sod after the winter cold, accelerate the growth of the lawn. Scarify (comb) the lawn, provided the topsoil is dry. Using a rake or a regular rake, walk the length and breadth of the lawn, removing the formed felt (dry matted stems). In addition to cleaning the surface, this measure will improve air exchange in the turf and protect it from diseases. Inspect the surface of the lawn and overseed in areas of infrequent grass shoots with a mixture identical to the main lawn. To do this, spread the seeds evenly in the required areas, compact these places with a roller or a wide board (a sheet of plywood), then water the entire lawn in the evening. If for some reason you could not introduce fertilizers when the snow melts, do it now, after the completion of scarification and overseeding.
May	Time for the first haircut of the season - do it by cutting no more than 1/3 of the grass. It is impossible to cut shorter, because the lawn is not yet strong enough. Carefully remove all cut grass from the surface of the lawn (it is better to use a lawn mower with a grass catcher), otherwise it will rot. If you find foci of disease on the lawn, which have not been helped by scarification and feeding, take drastic measures against them. It is necessary to set the lawn mower knives to the maximum cut and completely mow the area affected by the disease, then dig up this section of the bayonet blades to completely immerse the bayonet with the overturn of the earth layers, carefully loosen the dug soil with a rake. After 10 days, sow the area with a mixture similar to the main lawn.
June	If all the spring events were carried out in full and on time, then the lawn carpet looks just great now. Grooming at this time is traditional - cutting and watering. It is necessary to monitor the sharpness of the lawn mower knives - cutting with a blunt knife will cause the tops of the grass to die off, which will become ugly brown. When mowing, to maintain the density of the grass and protect against weeds, you should keep at least 40 mm of the stem of the grass. With active growth of grass, mowing is carried out more often (every 3-5 days), at a time no more than a third of the grass stem is cut off. Every mowing should be accompanied by watering, the lawn should be watered and between mows - in dry weather. Watering is carried out either early in the morning or in the evening, for minimal evaporation of moisture. Avoid puddles. Periodically introduce a complex of "spring fertilizers", especially if the grass of the lawn changes color from dark to light green.
July	The hottest period affecting the growth and development of lawn grass. Adequate watering is necessary, and it is not necessary to carry out it daily - this will adversely affect the root system, inhibiting its development to the sides and in depth. The interval between watering is determined by the first manifestations of a lack of moisture - the grass begins to fade and wither slightly. Watering is best done in the evening hours, abundantly, but not with an open stream - only broken into drops. In the hot and dry season, fertilizer should be introduced immediately before evening watering. Compaction of the topsoil is inevitable. To maintain sufficient air exchange, aeration and mulching will be required. The frequency of these works depends on how quickly the soil will be compacted again, and the processing of the entire area is not required - it is enough to aerate only the compacted places.
August	Owners of Mauritanian lawns need to track the flowering periods of the plants that form it and determine the time of mowing (the moment when most annuals have already faded, and perennials have not yet begun to bloom). When mowing such lawns, the lawn mower blades must be installed so that the length of the plant stems after mowing is at least 80 mm. After mowing, the Moorish lawn needs to be watered, and at the end of August, fertilizer must be applied to stimulate growth and flowering. The best methods of weed control will be fairly frequent mowing and watering - the density of the turf and grass carpet from this improves, suppressing weeds. If this method is insufficient, apply selective herbicides.
September	Autumn coolness and rains come. Mowing and watering should be continued. When thinning areas of the lawn appear, carry out overseeding activities similar to the spring ones (described above, in the May works).
October	It's time to prepare the lawn for the winter cold. Introduce top dressing with "autumn fertilizers", which increase the frost resistance of lawns and resistance to diseases. To do this: at the end of the next mow, spread the fertilizer evenly by hand or with a mechanical seeder. In autumn, fertilizers containing nitrogen must not be used! Fully aerate areas of the lawn in dry weather - this measure is necessary to drain rain moisture into the deeper layers of the soil. If you do not perform aeration, the first frosts will form an ice crust on the lawn, detrimental to the root system of lawn grasses.
November	Time for the last lawn mow this year. It should be carried out either at the end of October or at the beginning of November so that the lawn grass can recover and gain 20-30 mm in height, reaching a height of 60-80 mm. Longer grass lengths will freeze, shorter ones will not provide the plants with sufficient oxygen, since the leaf area will be too small. It is necessary to frequently clean the surface of the lawn from fallen leaves, dry grass and branches, bird residues - i.e. the felt formed by all of this. Otherwise, this layer will interfere with ventilation and irrigation, will contribute to the development of rotting and diseases, underestimating the resistance of plants to frost.
December	So, all the necessary measures for wintering lawn vegetation have been taken. As soon as frosts settle, the lawn will go into a state of winter dormancy. Until a layer of snow of 200-250 mm is formed, completely exclude children's games and walking animals on its territory, do not disturb the snow cover. Monitor the formation of an ice crust, causing the accumulation of carbon dioxide under it and, as a result, oxygen starvation of plants. It is necessary to destroy it in a timely manner using a rake. At the beginning of winter, clean and lubricate the working elements of the lawn equipment, prepare it for winter storage.

Abdyuzhanov Rustam, specially for RMNT.ru

The overwhelming majority of people, one day decide that the dacha will not look so beautiful and spectacular if there is no beautiful lawn in the yard. But not everyone knows how to properly care for the vegetation in the yard. In this article, you can find answers to some of the questions asked by the owners of green areas. Namely, how often should the grass be watered, with what frequency and intensity?

general information

The topic of watering probably raises more questions than any other area of ​​gardening - even more than the choice of quality fertilizer, although the right fertilization is also very important.

Not everyone is concerned about how to water the lawn grass correctly. Many owners believe that everything is simple: watering little is bad; you water often and a lot - on the contrary. But when it comes to irrigation, bigger isn't always better.

Watering the lawn

Many little things play an important role in this problem. For effective lawn irrigation, there are many conditions and factors that ultimately decide whether the lawn will be green and shiny or pale and yellow. Here are some of the factors to keep in mind:

• Supply head;
• Retention capacity of the soil;
• The depth at which the grass is planted;
• Evaporation rate of water;
• Watering duration;
• Grass type: warm season or temperature resistant grass;
• Grass resistance to drought.

Note! The type of soil in your yard will affect how quickly moisture penetrates and seeps into the soil.

In clay-type soil (soil that is very dense, leaves little room for air), water slowly permeates and percolates through the dense soil. The middle surface of the sprinkler can deliver fluid faster than the soil can absorb it. This creates runoffs and puddles where the lawn is lower in level.

On the other hand, when water is poured onto sandy soil, it quickly seeps through the soil and does not have time to irrigate the lawn.

But it is equally important to determine the required delivery head to ensure proper water penetration into the soil.

Additional Information! To find out what is the composition of the soil, you just need to dig a hole in the yard a hundred centimeters deep. This will help determine the water supply schedule, time and duration of watering, so as not to waste extra resources, not to create puddles in the yard, and at the same time, to prevent the grass from dying from lack of moisture.

Soil holding capacity

Each type of soil, from sandy to clayey, has its own ability to retain moisture.

Based on what is written above, the question arises how often to water the lawn grass when planting on sand and clay?

For example: If the grass is planted on sandy soil measuring 30 square meters (10 × 3), planting depth, which is about thirty to thirty-five centimeters, then you would need about three hundred liters of water.

Whereas, if the lawn was all the same size, but with clay soil, it would take about seven hundred and fifty liters, which is two and a half times more. From this example, you can see that sandy or “lighter” soil should have a more frequent watering schedule than clay soil. Therefore, the planting of grass must be done on fertile soil.

Planting grass should be done on fertile soil

Planting depth of grass

In order to find out the depth of planting the grass, experienced summer residents simply pull out a handful of grass from the lawn. The length of the grass roots is measured. Most likely, the length of the roots will vary from seven to fifteen centimeters. From length

But every lawn owner should know that these are just the surface roots of the grass. Real roots seep into the soil for almost 700 meters. Depending on the type of grass and soil, the roots are sometimes deeper, and sometimes, on the contrary, closer to the surface.

Based on the example above, which says that thirty square meters requires almost three hundred liters of water, we can come to the conclusion that for full irrigation of the grass, twice as much water is needed.

In addition, other plants on or near the lawn are also fighting for their survival, they consume a significant proportion of resources, therefore, another ten liters should be added to the total amount.

On average, about 10-20 liters of liquid per week is spent on irrigation of territories adjacent to the lawn.

Important! As the temperature rises, moisture evaporates more intensively, therefore, at high temperatures, it is necessary to water the lawn for longer, since plants, like people, can suffer from dehydration, in order to improve their metabolism and ensure a healthy existence, plants need to provide the grass with the necessary amount of moisture.

How often, and most importantly, when and for how long should the lawn be watered?

The answer to the question: "How often to water the lawn?" - simple. You don't have to be a wise person to come up with this answer, but the real answer is when you think the lawn is starting to dry out!

When the soil dries up, the grass gradually begins to wither, change color and its beauty.

It is already known that the roots of the grass are very deep, therefore there must be at least one long watering during the week, so that the moisture reaches far into the soil. Long watering means two to three hours of intensive watering, which allows the water to slowly sink deep into the soil.

Disadvantages of light daily watering:

• A huge amount of waste of resources;
• The lawn develops a shallow root system;
• The lawn gets used to moisture and, as a result, dries quickly;
• Compaction of the soil;
• Salt accumulation

How often should the lawn be watered?

The following topic should be highlighted in a separate chapter. What is the best watering regime? When to water in the morning or evening?

Watering the lawn in hot weather is prohibited. The question arises whether it is possible to water the lawn in the heat during the day? Proper care of the grass involves watering it from the very early morning, until the sun has reached its zenith and the temperature is not yet so high.

The irrigation rate is twenty-five millimeters of precipitation (this is approximately twenty-five liters) per square meter of lawn per week, taking into account natural precipitation. It is also worth knowing how exactly these twenty-five liters should be poured onto this one square meter. Naturally, when installing an automatic irrigation system, all this can be adjusted using pressure, nozzle flow.

Important! Watering the lawn should be done according to a regime that should be taken very seriously. This is one of the main ingredients for successful lawn care. For the sake of experiment, you can water your lawn in the evening or in the evening to make sure that this is absolutely impossible! Especially in summer, because in the abundant sunshine, on a hot sunny day, everything will evaporate.

First, you need to figure out how often you need to water the lawn - every day / every other day or with another frequency. Former collective farmers, based on their experience, believe that watering the lawn after sowing should be done two to three weeks after it has grown. Why is it so? The answer is this - because by that time the roots of the grass have already gone into the ground, the lawn begins to grow, it becomes already quite stress-resistant. Ideally, there is a rule of thumb that such a lawn should be watered about once a week.

It is necessary to water abundantly, intensively, and if the watering season is autumn, and the weather is not rainy for a week, you need to pour out those same twenty-five liters per square meter, practically until a shallow swamp is formed. Why is it good? Because this water, poured out once in large quantities, goes down and the roots of the grass tend to the same place. The lawn gets used to this irrigation regime, it does not develop a superficial root system, as it can occur if the lawn is watered every day and a little.

Or when the lawn is watered every day and abundantly, it will not lead to anything pleasant either. The grass begins to thin out, ceases to give seed, the soil begins to dry out, oxygen ceases to flow there, which is very bad. This is one of the most common irregularities when watering your lawn.

The lawn should be watered only in the morning.

So why is it still advisable to water the lawn in the morning? And the thing is that before the appearance of direct sunlight, while the air is cold, the likelihood of grass burns decreases, firstly, and secondly, the lawn leaves wet in a day and, in principle, has time to dry out most of it, and the lawn does not leaves wet in the night. And if the lawn leaves wet at night, then this is fraught with the development of various fungal diseases, therefore it is better to water the lawn in the morning.

So, to summarize, then:

• First, the lawn should be watered only in the morning;
• Secondly, the frequency of watering is about once a week, taking into account the precipitation;
• Watering rate - twenty-five liters per square meter;
• To avoid fungal diseases, the lawn should never be left wet overnight.

To effectively water your lawn, knowing the lawn from A to Z is a must, when a reliable hand is watching the yard, the probability of trouble is always lower. Pay attention to how the lawn reacts to the watering schedule and fertilization schedule, as well as to the mowing, so that signals and signs can be detected to make adjustments to the watering schedule.

It should be determined what kind of soil is below: clay or sandy. Check what the volumetric costs are and how long it takes to completely water your entire lawn area.

Foreword

Automatic watering of the lawn is not a luxury, but a means necessary for a plot of any size to always maintain the desired level of moisture in the soil where the plants are planted, and free up a lot of time for land owners to do other work. Any person with minimal tool handling skills can design and assemble such a system on their own.

Drawing up a lawn watering scheme

In order for the self-assembled automatic irrigation system to fully cope with the tasks assigned to it, completely cover the areas irrigated by it and function without interruptions, it must be properly designed. In the process of developing a circuit and a water supply system, it is required to take into account a considerable number of various factors and trifles, in particular, the technical capabilities of one or another necessary equipment. Therefore, it is better to design and assemble automatic irrigation with a specialist, or at least consult with him at all stages of the work. Any unaccounted for nuances can subsequently turn into a detrimental effect on living plants in the form of a lack or excess of supplied moisture or low efficiency of the system and even inoperability of it as a whole or of individual elements.

We begin designing the system by drawing up a detailed plan of the site with our own hands. It is better to make it on graph paper and on a scale of, for example, 1:10 (1 cm in the drawing is equal to 1 m of the garden). On the plan, it is necessary to indicate the location, shape and size of not only lawns, flower beds and beds, but also paths, houses, outbuildings and other objects. After all, it will be necessary to lay pipes, place other equipment of the irrigation system, and therefore it is necessary to find the optimal place for them on the drawing, on which their composition and quantity will depend.

It is then recommended that you familiarize yourself with the range of sprinklers (water sprayers) available in your local sales network and their specifications. Most often, for watering lawns, static (fan) and rotary (with a rotating working part) sprinklers are used. The first type is the simplest, most affordable and cheapest. The static sprinkler sprinkles water like a small fountain. The irrigation radius is only 5 m, and the covered sector can be from 90 o to 360 o. Rotary, depending on the model, spray water within a radius of 5–25 m, and the irrigation sector is the same as for stationary ones or adjustable from 0 ° to 360 °. There are other types of sprinklers, for example, oscillating ones - especially for watering rectangular lawns.

Based on the size, we select the necessary sprinklers in sufficient quantity and arrange them while on the plan. They should completely cover the irrigated areas and at the same time, as little as possible, overlap each other's working sectors. It is also undesirable for them to water the paths, structures and other objects for nothing. It is better to place sprinklers at the corner points of the lawns. It should also be borne in mind that only devices with the same capacity (flow) should be connected to 1 water supply line. We connect the same type of sprinklers on the site plan within the boundaries of each individual lawn into a single network.

If all these conditions are met, then irrigation will be uniform and without excessive flooding of individual areas of vegetation, even if irrigators with different productivity are installed on the same lawn. It's just that the more powerful ones will need to be turned off earlier. True, in the case of fully automated irrigation, for this you will have to install additional soil moisture sensors on the lawn so that there is 1 for each sprinkler performance.

If the size of the lawn is significantly smaller than the spray radius of the sprinkler, for example, it is very narrow, then it is recommended. You can also use micro-sprinklers that irrigate very small areas. True, judging by the reviews, they often get clogged.

The choice of the place of water intake on the site

We mark the place of water intake on the site plan. This can be a branch from the water supply system, if the supply will come from it. But this source of life-giving moisture can only be used if it has sufficient pressure and, preferably, throughout the entire time of the day. The fact is that the working range of most sprinklers is 2–4 atm., And some need 6 atm. If the pressure is less than the selected sprinklers need, then they will not work. There are, of course, models designed for 1 atm., But they are less effective, and even such a pressure in the supplied water pipes is far from at all sites. Often, the pressure drops as the amount of moisture intake increases.

If the water supply cannot be used, it will be necessary to install a pumping station or a container with 2 pumps: 1 for pumping into the tank, and the other for supplying from it to the irrigation system.

The latter option is even preferable to the previous 2. The water in the container will first be heated, and then it will flow for irrigation. The station's reservoir or container can be replenished from a water supply system, a well or a well. Their injection pumps must be sized for the selected fluid transfer method. The station must necessarily be with a hydraulic accumulator, and not a storage tank. The place of its installation or tanks with pumps will be the water intake point on the site plan. He is chosen according to the following criteria:

• the area occupied by the equipment necessary for the operation of the station or tank with pumps should be sufficient for easy installation and subsequent maintenance of the latter;
• the possibility of easy and simple supply of the necessary communications - pipes, electrical wiring and control cables.

The dimensions of the required equipment depend on the parameters of the latter, which are determined below by the proposed method.

Development of a scheme for an automatic irrigation system

The choice of the volume of the tank and the power of the pumps for it, as well as the station, is made based on the required water flow. The total for all sprinklers in 1 minute is calculated by adding their capacities. If it is supposed to do simultaneous irrigation from all sprinklers, then these data are enough to select the required pumping station. We choose a unit with a capacity that is 10-15% higher than the design flow.

To select a less powerful station, it is necessary to calculate the total flow rate of the same type of sprinklers for each lawn and / or for all intended water supply lines to which they will be connected. Based on the highest performance of one of the pipelines with sprinklers or several that will be connected at the same time, and it is necessary to choose a unit.

You can make a more accurate selection of the station if you use the method for determining the parameters of the equipment of the variant with a tank and pumps. First, we calculate how long the most powerful irrigators will work in order to water our lawn areas until the desired saturation of soil moisture. To do this, first, the flow rate per minute by the 1st sprinkler is divided by the area that it irrigates. We get how much water falls on 1 m 2 of land per minute. Then, by this value, we divide the rate of water consumption when watering lawns (10–20 l / m 2). This will be the duration of the sprinkler operation. For example, the flow rate of the sprinkler is 20 l / min, and the irrigated area is 200 m 2. Let's calculate the time of its operation for an irrigation rate of 10 l / m 2.

20/200 = 0.1 l - volume of water distributed over 1 m 2 per minute.

10 / 0.1 = 100 minutes - sprinkler operation time. We translate into hours:

100/60 = 1.67 hours, 60 * 0.67 = 40 minutes.

Working time 1 hour 40 minutes.

Then we calculate the duration of irrigation for other types of sprinklers. After that, we determine the required volume of the tank and the power of the pumps. Their parameters must meet the following criteria:

1. The pump at the supply (outlet from the tank) must satisfy the pressure and exceed the flow requirements of the simultaneously running irrigation lines.
2. The volume of the tank must be such that the tank filled to the upper mark does not have time to empty to the lower level, permissible for the operation of the supply pump, before irrigation ends on the most productive simultaneously connected irrigation lines. This condition is considered for the case when the injection pump is turned on and replenishes the capacity, or when the replenishment of the tank will not work.
3. If it is planned that the injection pump replenishes the tank during irrigation, then its capacity should be sufficient so that the tank does not empty before the end of irrigation.

Based on the selected parameters of the tank and pumps, we correct the sprinkler connection scheme: if necessary, we reduce the number of pipelines connected to one supply line and / or the number of pipelines with sprinklers simultaneously supplied from the tank. We draw all this on the site plan. Sprinkler water lines are best connected to one or more main pipelines, but can be routed directly to the water intake. It depends on the location of the lawns and the possibility of piping pipes to them in one place or another of the site without damaging plantings, paths and other objects with your own hands. It is better to choose the places where the lines are connected to the mains, where the fittings controlling the water supply will be installed outside the reach of the sprinklers. Otherwise, manual control will have to be carried out under artificial rain.

Do-it-yourself installation of an autowatering system on the site

According to the project drawn up by our own hands, we mark the site: with the help of pegs and a cord, we mark the places of installation of sprinklers and laying of pipelines. We install the equipment necessary for water supply. We lay out the main pipes with a diameter of 32–40 mm and for distribution lines 25–32 mm, cut with a small margin to the required length, next to the place of subsequent installation. Both must be plastic from HDPE; for a small area, everything can be 25 mm in diameter. Installing sprinklers. We dig trenches under the pipes, in which we then level the bottom. We lay and connect the pipes with our own hands with the appropriate fittings: elbows, tees and adapters. At the outlet from the supply pump, we mount a water filter.

Where there will be manual control of the water supply (at the entrances to the main pipelines and branches of the sprinkler lines), we install valves or valves, and in places with an automatic one - electromagnetic programmable valves. If there is a lawn with drip irrigation, at the beginning of the branch branch for it we mount a pressure regulator with our own hands.

The valves will automatically start watering according to the program entered into them with your own hands using a programmer or controller (computer) installed in the room and operating from a 220 V network.In the latter version, they can also be controlled in an emergency situation directly from the computer, but to them control 2-core cables must be connected. The valves can be programmed for 4–6 irrigations lasting from 1 minute to 40 hours. To prevent the program from being erased during a power outage, they have a 9 V battery, which is enough for the entire season. For complete automation of irrigation, sensors are installed:

• soil moisture - on lawns;
• rain - out of reach of sprinkler water spray.

The former turn off watering when the soil is saturated with moisture to a predetermined level, and the latter - if it starts to rain. The sensors can be connected directly to the valves or to the computer and then only 1 rain sensor is required.