30 SportsTurf | September 2014 www.sportsturfonline.com
Irrigation & Drainage | By Clint Waltz and Kenny Pauley
Water is essential to human life, the health of ecosys-
tems, and economic development. However, summer
drought is common for much of the US when significant
rainfall amounts may be 30 or more days apart. These
periods of limited rainfall increase demand on pubic water
supply systems. During the summer months, municipal
water use increases between 30% and 50% generally for
outdoor recreational purposes (e.g. swimming pools),
utility purposes (e.g. car washing and pressure washing)
and, for lawns and landscapes. No doubt, water con-
servation is a concept which must be adopted as water
resources become more limited.
Turfgrasses are the primary vegetative covers on air-
ports, athletic fields, cemeteries, churches, commercial
buildings, golf courses, home lawns, schools, parks, and
DevelopIng &
ImplemenTIng BmpS
for sports field water conservation
W
ater conservation is not all about irrigation. It is primarily about the plant and
doing the correct agronomic practices that allow the plant to survive periodic dry
periods. Research has shown that a properly planned landscape that has been carefully
installed and properly managed will be healthier, less prone to insects and diseases, and will require
less irrigation
.
two quick and simple practices
to improve turfgrass water use:
1. Raise the mowing height. There is an optimal
height range for each turfgrass species, during periods
of drought raise the mowing height to upper end of the
range. This helps increase the rooting depth and ability
of the grass to extract water from greater depths.
2. Decrease the nitrogen rate. Each turfgrass species
has an optimal nitrogen fertility range; during periods of
drought reduce the amount of nitrogen to the lower end
of the range. This avoids overstimulating the grass dur-
ing periods when water resources are limited.
