With water restrictions now affecting many homes in most regions of the world, our lawn care practices must change if we are to continue to own and maintain green lawns throughout the year. The effects of water restrictions or drought are most noticeable in the Summer when lawns require the most water to combat evaporation and heat. This stress on lawns can be greatly reduced with careful planning to adapt the sod to grow and thrive with much less water than we were accustomed to applying in the past.
There are 3 key factors to achieving the aim of having a low water and drought resistant lawn, and these are:
# The correct lawn type.
# Training the roots to grow deeply into the soil.
# Keeping lawns maintained at a higher height.
Choosing A Grass Type For Low Water Requirements
Different grass types have different water requirements. Some require a lot of water, while others can continue to thrive with much less water. To create a drought tolerant lawn, we must first choose the right lawn variety.
The best Cool Season grasses for drought tolerance belong to the Fescue family, while the best Warm Season grasses are Zoysia, Bahia and Centipede.
The Importance Of Soils For Low Water Lawns
Soil is the life system of all plants, including lawns, and low water lawns will always be under higher stress than lawns which have a plentiful supply of water. For this reason, our soil becomes more vital than ever, so careful attention must be paid to the health of the soil.
Clay soils should be broken up with a clay-breaking Gypsum additive and if possible – a sandy loam mixed in with it. Sandy soils should have some good organic matter mixed in to boost the level of nutrition and water retention available to the lawn. This could include organic manure based fertilizer and other organic soils available at a soil supply outlet. Alternatively, if the soil is extremely poor, then consideration should be given to removing the top few inches of soil and replacing it with new quality topsoil.
Planting A Low Water Lawn
Mid Fall is the best time to lay new sod, the heat of Summer has finished, and the lawn will have adequate time to establish under low heat stress and with less requirement for water. The new sod should be fully established with good roots before Winter arrives.
Correct Watering and Training Lawns To Grow Deeper Roots
A deep root system allows the roots of the lawn to live below the evaporation level of the topsoil, this means the lawn will always have a consistent availability of water, even on the hottest days.
To train the lawn to grow deep roots, we have to essentially deprive the sod of as much water as possible. As the immediate availability of water is reduced at the top of the soil, the lawn will naturally set down roots deeper into the soil to look for water.
Because the lawn was planted in Fall, it will be Spring before we need to begin a watering regimen, and the lawn will already have an established root system by this time.
First, turn off all automatic irrigation systems. We must now monitor the lawn every day, if the lawn is looking green and healthy, then there is no need to water. Gradually we will notice the lawn is looking less than perfect, we still do not want to water just yet, but we do need to keep keenly monitoring it.
Once the leaf of the lawn is becoming wilted, and is still wilted at the end of the day, it is time to give the sod a very large drink of water. Manually switch on the irrigation system and water for double or triple the normal watering time which was previously used. This allows the water to sink deep into the soil below the evaporation level.
Each time we water this way, we are maintaining a water supply below the evaporation level of the topsoil. More water may be used at each watering, but we are watering far less often, and using far less water overall. This watering method must be followed from now on.
Lawn Mowing A Low Water Lawn
The final step to creating drought tolerant sod involves lawn mowing practices. Despite what many people believe that mowing is only to remove excess lawn growth, it is in fact a vital part of all lawn care practices and is slightly different for low water lawns.
Low water lawns should be mowed higher than they otherwise used to be, an extra half to one inch of height is usually most suitable. This allows the sod to shade the soil and roots more effectively during hotter weather, and keeps more soil moisture available to the lawn.
Lawn should be mowed more regularly also, this not only has the benefit of giving us a beautiful lawn, but also promotes the lawn to become thicker and healthier, and provides even more shade to the soil and root system.
Fertilizing and Wetting Agents
Because the sod will be under higher stress, we must keep the lawn in the best health possible in order to maintain it as a low water lawn. Fertilizers provide lawns with the minerals and nutrients they need for food, survival and strength. Begin a fertilizing regimen which involves application every 8 weeks, and only ever apply fertilizers just before the lawn is due to be watered. Fertilizers which are left sitting on the lawn surface can severely damage lawns, unless watered into the sod as soon as possible after application.
Wetting Agents are similar in makeup to detergents. When applied to lawns and soils, the Wetting Agents will break down the greasy coating on grains of soil which makes some soils water repellent, they also greatly aid in the even distribution of water throughout the soil profile and allow the soil to hold onto water for longer periods of time. Wetting Agents should be applied between 2-4 times per year.
Summary Of Creating A Low Water Lawn
These key points will aid in the creation of a low water lawn:
* Choose the right lawn variety.
* Improve soil quality.
* Water deeply and infrequently – and only when required.
* Mow lawns higher, and more frequently.
* Apply Wetting Agents and Fertilizers regularly.
