Turf Irrigation for the Home1

Water is essential for turf growth. It is required for germina-tion, photosynthesis, and as a part of the turf. Most of the water absorbed by turf is transpired through the leaves into the atmosphere. This water moves nutrients from the soil into the plant, but equally important, it eliminates heat buildup from solar radiation. The water applied by an irrigation system will evaporate from the soil and be transpired from plant surfaces. Evaporation and transpiration (evapotranspiration) depend mostly on the climate around the plant; thus, the amount of water used by turf changes with the seasons (see Figure 1). Because of this, for a well-managed turf, irrigation frequency should change with the time of year. The Soil Reservoir Only water that is in contact with the roots can be absorbe