Irrigation

Seeds need water, air and appropriate temperature to germinate and establish. Don’t allow the seed or seedling to dry out. Correct watering fi rstly leads to optimized germination and at a later stage to a very attractive and stable lawn. Be aware of the composition of the seed mixture after establishment of the turf. All species require water for excellent growth but some need even more to sustain growth, e.g. Lolium perenne has higher water requirements than Festuca arundinacea.

We recommend using a source of water close to the turf field, with high quality water that does not harm the plant’s performance. Do not use any sewage water and if you want to use water from other sources we advise having it analyzed first. The frequency of watering depends largely on the amount of rain and the evaporation of moisture from the grass. The best time for watering is in the evening, when evaporation is minimal.

Guidelines for turf grass irrigation
Below you fi nd a table which should be merely seen as a guideline for irrigation your turf grass. You can use it as a tool for deciding whether irrigation is necessary and if yes, how much water should be given. The guidelines start from a rainfall level of 0 mm.

	ETc estimated mm		guidelines for irrigation: top quality
Month	ETc/day	Etc/month	# applications / month			quantity / application (mm)
		(month = 30 days)	Lp/Pp	Frc/Frt	Fa	Lp	Frc/Frt	Fa
March	0	0	0	0
April	0	0	0	0
May	1.5	45	0	0
June	2	60	1	2		10	10
July	2	60	1	2		10	10
August	1.5	45	1	2		10	10
September	1.5	45	0	0
ET c = evapotranspiration x * crop coeffi ciency						(source: Landlab 2009)
Example of how to use the table: If you deal with Lp/Pp meeting a hot period in June and you wish to know how much mm to irrigate, then follow this guideline: in June you actually have to irrigate 1 time Lp/Pp needs 10 mm per irrigation application Total irrigation quantity will be 10 mm which is less than 20% of ET of 60 mm for June in the Nordic climate zone.