Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: My lawn is looking very sick 14Feb 13, 2013 10:14 pm You can't use them because water is needed to carry them through to the roots. Unless a huge rainfall comes along and washes it through... and then away, you can get some serious burning. I know of a private school with it under their turf. A very well known fertiliser and garden product company is contracted to fertilise the oval. They know its irrigated with subsurface. They apply regardless and get paid. The lawn has been replaced because it died (burnt by fertiliser) Yet the school groundsman don't want to know about why its all happening and continue to poor money into it. I know two people who have giving them a nudge. Problem: Apathy by contractor, professionals not skilled at maintaining turf with integrated drippers and a lack of information about on going care of the turf by the irrigation installers. I deal with the *uck ups of subsurface irrigation installations all the time and they are always done by people that should know better. The owners just don't realise for years after the installation. Now the RPZ valve. A serious bit of kit and worth a healthy sum in its own right. Must be installed as per irrigation regulations. Why? because in time to come, people will not have the skills to care for turf irrigated by integrated drippers, nor understand why it needs to be treated differently. Installation of regular back flow valves is in no way an acceptable means of maintaining the integrity of the domestic water supply. The very important reason why is because when turf is irrigated by integrated drippers, it required a special filter (Netafim Techfilter) which has discs impregnated with a herbicide. That is something that in no way in hell do you want that finding its way through the pipes into your household water taps for you to drink traces of over long periods of time. Not only will it find its way into your water but also that of your neighbours and therefore compromise the integrity of the water supply by contaminating it with herbicide. The herbicide that is required is called Treflan or also known as Trifluralin Gardeners need to be aware of what all those little ingredients are in little tiny writting on the box or front of the products we use so flippently. http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/Triflura.htm Here's the installers guide outlining what needs to be installed by the contractor. It is this brand that is by far my preferred option. http://www.netafim.com.au/data/Uploads/ ... 202010.pdf (Page 22 in particular) Attached is the Irrigation Australia standards for irrigation installation. http://www.watercorporation.com.au/_fil ... ations.pdf All irrigation installers must work to the standards of those posted above. (In and out of WA) (In particular page 14 and 26) So overall, MP rotators are a far better option for far less hassle and money. Water Corp of WA are fully aware of subsurface being used under turf but prefer not to recommend becuase so few people will install properly to cut costs and therefore pose a risk to domestic water supplies. Only in garden beds where insecticides and fungicides are used far less and no herbicides are required to be introduced to the water supply. http://www.watercorporation.com.au/_fil ... iteria.pdf In short, get MP rotators. One of our members found some excellent prices for MPs on eBay recently. Very waterwise alternative. *I am not saying systems installed under turf should be regarded as an inferior system. They offer a superior delivery of moisture. These are only great systems when ALL the checks and measures are used so they continue to serve the client well for the foreseeable future. Hi - thanks for your reply. Yes I think 'Ill go for whitish with very speckly bits rather than pure white something like this. PS was actually 2008 I built the… 2 11696 the leaves that are now underground go yellow, the tips that poke through photosynthesise and have chlorophyll, same reason they grow rhubarb in the dark. 5 4870 Hi team, Im looking for a second hand sd4b monitor preferably white. 0 8923 |