Maintenance Operations

Introduction

Irrigation is the application of water to the turf surface, but may also include subsurface application in some high specification pitch constructions.

Why Irrigate?

Irrigation may be required when rainfall is insufficient to compensate for evapo-transpiration losses, otherwise this would reduce the ability of the grass plant to function properly.

Some reasons for carrying out irrigation include:

• to reduce the effects of drought and hot weather;
• to maintain adequate plant health and prevent the plant dying;
• to allow nutrients to be taken up by the plant from a soil solution;
• to ensure a suitable sward density is maintained;
• to maintain adequate wear tolerance;
• to reduce the potential for Dry Patch development;
• to maintain playability; and
• to maintain and improve the overall standards of the facility.

Watering should take place before the turf shows any sign of stress: An adequate amount needs to be applied on each occasion.

If irrigation is only given to a shallow depth, then this will encourage surface rooting of the grass and also reduce its potential to withstand dry conditions and wear.Indications of

Inadequate Water Availability

A number of signs can be used to indicate that inadequate water is available to the grass plant: