Waterwise guide to lawns
| More information about 'Being Waterwise' outside your home | |
|---|---|
 | Watering Day Exemptions |
| | Waterwise Specialists |
| | Maintaining Waterwise gardens and lawns |
Methods of planting
Planning an irrigation system
Establishing a new lawn
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In the Perth area approximately 60 percent of all scheme water used goes on watering the lawn and garden. While grassed areas provide many practical benefits in a garden landscape, good design, thorough preparation, careful consideration of what type of grass is planted and good management will result in significant reductions in water use.
If you are establishing a new lawn or garden you may apply for an exemption for it to become fully established if you meet the criteria.
Choice of variety
Warm season grasses such as common or Bermuda Couch and various cultivars or hybrids of couch sold as 'Santa Ana', 'Windsor Green', 'Greenlees Park', 'Wintergreen' and 'CT-2' have the lowest water demand. They also have a high drought tolerance.
Other warm season grasses such as 'Buffalo', 'Kikuyu' and 'Saltene' have an intermediate water use rate and a reasonably good drought resistance.
Cool climate grasses such as 'Ryegrass', 'Kentucky Blue' and 'Bent Grass' have high water use rates and only a fair to poor drought resistance.
 | Varieties of Waterwise lawn - find out the important characteristics of the most common lawn grasses |
Methods of planting
There are three ways to establish a lawn:
- Turf rolls provide the most water-efficient means of establishing a lawn in Summer, with an instant cover from the start. It is possible to establish during Summer on one watering a day providing that the soil underneath has been well prepared.
- Seed should only be sown in Autumn and Spring.
- Runners can also be planted all year round though it is best to plant them in the cooler months of Autumn and Spring.
Planning an irrigation system
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Find out how to plan your irrigation system |
Establishing a new lawn
Organic matter mixed through with the top 15 cm of a sandy soil will dramatically improve both water and nutrient holding capacity. Do this before a lawn is established. The extra organic matter enables longer periods between watering which encourages a deeper root system and a more efficient growth pattern. After installation, the lawn needs frequent application of small amounts of water. If you are establishing a new lawn you may apply for an exemption for it to become fully established if you meet the criteria. Go to the 'Watering exemptions' page under 'Water Efficiency Measures' for more information.
Since the application rates of different systems vary enormously, we recommend using a set of catchcups to work out how long to run your sprinklers for to provide a given depth of water. You can buy catch cups from Qualipac Plus in Malaga by calling (08) 9376 9050. They come complete with simple instructions on how to use them.
To find the watering roster for your area see the 'What are my watering days' page under 'Water Efficiency Measures'.
