Every Drop Counts
In the North West of England the local water supplier United Utilities has implemented a hose pipe ban for domestic users, the first time for fourteen years!
So for the rest of the Summer Gardeners will find themselves reliant on natural rainfall and the contents of water butts to ensure the lawns stay alive. For many it will mean parched yellow straw like grass covering their once verdant expanse.
Already our customers are asking the question is there any way they can help their turf in these extreme conditions?
WELL, YES THERE IS!
Of course there is no substitute for water, and rainfall will be essential, but here are a few things for consideration in alleviating Summer Stress on turf:-
Should I feed my turf?
- Yes you can, but plants can only take up nutrient if they are in solution. So if there is a very prolonged dry period there is little opportunity for granular and mini granular fertilizers to be solubilised and made available for the grass. Using a liquid feed at this time of year is ideal.
- Because the nutrients are already in solution and can quickly be adsorbed by the plants, professional greenkeepers and groundsmen have used this method of maintaining their turf playing surfaces for years knowing that the feed is where it needs to be quickly and readily.
- Also there is no danger of removing valuable feed that hasn’t broken down due to lack of moisture when mowing and removing clippings.
- Another benefit of using liquid fertilizers are that the applications are gentle and the chances of scorching the grass are minimalised. Ideally, apply during overcast conditions
Can I improve water efficiency for my lawn?
- With long periods of dry weather it is important that any rainfall that does occur is utilised to the maximum.
- Soils can become hydrophobic, this is where water is repelled before it even gets into the root zone. You know this is happening when watering your lawn the water stays on the surface and won’t go through the turf layer. It can either run off to another part where it isn’t needed as much, or worse, just evaporate in to the air.
- Wetting agents are designed to break the surface tension of the water molecule which in turn allows it to soak into the soil. A good wetting agent will then have a penetrant agent to help it go deeper into the soil, and a re-wetter which means it stays there for when the next time it rains giving more chances for the water to infiltrate down to where the roots need a good drink.
My lawn now looks tired and stressed?
- Stress relief, and you perhaps thought only humans could suffer from stress. Well so can plants, and the most obvious symptom we often recognise is when a plant starts to wilt.
- In the first two questions we have looked at how careful nutrient input and maximising water availability we can help the plant to avoid stress. However, just like taking nutritional supplements when you are run down, there are products which will benefit turf when conditions are stressful.
- Traditionally products like seaweed have been used, these supply growth promoting hormones such as betains which the plant can utilize to improve its root system. But also, Amino Acids are being used more frequently these days.
- Amino Acids are the building blocks of proteins which make the structures of living things, plant tissue etc. Plants, including grass do this naturally, but at great expense in terms of energy required, and in Summer stress conditions it may not be possible to produce all the Amino Acids required. In these cases regular applications of free amino acids will provide the necessary building blocks for the turf to continue growing.
Rigby Taylor supply a wide range of products to help professional and amateurs alike to ensure that they have the tools to get the best out of their turf, for more product information, just select the following links to:-