Keeping your lawn lush during water restrictions

Maintain a healthy, green lawn throughout WA’s summer by using the following tips..

No matter how green your thumb, a WA summer paired with inevitable water restrictions can challenge the most skilled gardeners, especially when it comes to our lawns. 

Don’t get us wrong, water conservation is vital and planning for drought is imperative to keep our water services ready for future demand. Although, it can also make ensuring that our patches of paradise remain green particularly difficult. 

Joondalup Turf Farm empathises, which is why we’ve devised a number of ways to work around the council-imposed water restrictions that still allow you to enjoy your vibrant summer grass all season long.   

Here are some of the ways to beat water restrictions throughout summer:

Collect rainwater
Throughout drought times and warmer months you may have significantly less water to water your garden and lawn with, which is why it may be beneficial to consider installing a water tank to collect rainwater. The combination of a water tank with a high quality water pump and watering system will allow you to direct more water to your much loved outdoor areas.  

Correctly position and check watering devices
Have you recently checked your sprinklers positioning and whether they have any leaks? If your sprinklers aren’t in the right position, the water may not be getting to the root and could be running off into your paths and driveway. It’s a simple one, but can make all the difference!

Know your sprinklers
It’s important to determine which kind of sprinklers you have on each station as different kinds of sprinklers have different watering rates. Being aware of what kind of sprinklers you have will ensure you set optimal run times on your irrigation system so your garden is nourished without being overwatered. The recommended amount of water a garden with sandy soil needs is 10mm. Below are suggestions based on how long it would generally take for each sprinkler type to distribute a standard 10mm drink of water to your garden: 

• Pop-up or fixed spray sprinklers 
  • Typical watering rate per hour: 35-45mm
  • Suggested run time for 10mm: 13-16 minutes 
• Rotary sprinklers
  • Typical watering rate per hour: 10-15mm
  • Suggested run time for 10mm: 40-60 minutes 
• Gear drive rotor sprinklers 
  • Typical watering rate per hour: 10-20mm
  • Suggested run time for 10mm: 30-40 minutes
• Dripline sprinklers 
  • Typical watering rate per hour: 15-20mm
  • Suggested run time for 10mm: 30-40 minutes 
• Micro spray sprinkler 
  • Typical watering rate per hour: 35-45mm
  • Suggested run time for 10mm: 13-16 minutes

Adjust your irrigation
As the seasons change, so should your adjustment of your irrigation controller in order to ensure that your garden gets the water it needs according to our climate, without wasting a drop. Many irrigation controllers have a seasonal adjustment setting that works by changing the set watering times by a percentage value. For Perth and the South West, it is recommended to set your seasonal adjustment at 100% for January and February only and gradually decrease the percentage as the weather cools. See the seasonal sprinkler adjustments for Perth and the South West as recorded by the Water Corporation below: 

• January-February – 100%
• March – 80%
• Apri – 60%
• May – Use manually, as necessary
• June-August – System turned off if you’re part of the winter sprinkler switch off 
• September – Use manually, as necessary
• October – 60% 
• November – 80%
• December – 90% 

Time watering and don’t overwater
The Water Corporation has said that when we stick to our watering days we can save around 4.5 billion litres of water a year in WA. This provides us with an initiative to not only water on our correct days but to take advantage of the best time to water your lawn, being early in the morning before 9am for roughly 15 minutes as it allows moisture to soak through the roots, and keeps your grass hydrated throughout the day. Ensure that you don’t overwater your grass as this can be just as damaging as underwatering

Measure your sprinkler output to get an idea of how much water is being applied to your lawn.

Know your soil
Being aware of your soil’s structure and how it holds water is another important factor in how you go about watering your lawn. For instance, clay soil holds water better than sandy soils and will require less watering. 

Cut lawns higher
The shorter your lawn the more likely it is open to disease and weed invasion. Remembering to keep your mower blades sharp is vital as blunt blades can damage the grass and increase the loss of moisture. Put your lawn mower up a notch when you mow during warmer months as this results in the encouragement of strong grass growth and reduces evaporation. 

During summer, it is suggested that you should generally mow your lawn every 7-21 days to a height of 10-20mm. Different varieties of turf have various ideal mowing heights and frequencies, so it is best to consult your turf supplier upon purchase as to what these are. 

Try hand watering
If your grassed area is small enough, consider watering it by hand as you are able to better direct water to all parts of the lawn and the chance of overwatering is completely eliminated. Another idea would be to only water parts of your lawn that are most in need of moisture (look the dryest) and leave the rest for another day. 

How can Joondalup Turf Farm help?
Our northern suburbs farm offers a range of the best lawn turf varieties, proven to be hard wearing and tough enough to withstand the harshest of Perth’s weather conditions. We also assist every customer in all aspects of buying lawn turf, including making the right selection for your outdoor space, installation, lawn repair, as well as the inclusion of a complimentary lawn care plan packed with information on how to maintain your new patch of paradise. 

Joondalup Turf Farm is a turf supplier that is open 7 days a week, we provide delivery lawn turf services throughout the Perth metropolitan area and facilitate effortless pickup when you simply call ahead. We can have your order ready for collection in just an hour.

If you would like to ask a question or place an order with our friendly team, feel free to send an online enquiry or call us at (08) 9404 7821. We’re always here to help!