FAQ 08 Water consumption

Fully synthetic grass must be watered as soon as the thermometer reads 22°C, because the surface accumulates excess heat which causes premature fatigue for the player. At the same time, damp synthetic grass reduces dust, is more pleasant to play, gives off less of the bad odors of rubber and is less abrasive to the player's skin in the event of slips.

In case of excessive heat, use the pitch after 6pm because watering synthetic grass, as is known, lowers the temperature for only 20 minutes and at the same time offers a "sauna effect" during the water evaporation phase.

Natural grass, on the other hand, keeps the surface fresh, offering a better habitat for athletes and spectators without having to resort to watering every day. However, during the period of excessive heat (32°C), it is necessary to water every day but paradoxically, instead of watering more, it is necessary to provide just enough to keep the natural grass alive, i.e. maintain no more than 16% humidity in the plant substrate. In this way the lawn is able to better defend itself from the summer heat and resume vegetation when the heat passes. In warmer climates, the selection of heat-resistant herbs such as some varieties of Poa pratensis or Cynodon dactylon and Paspalum vaginatum offer greater resistance to the summer heat.

Using an automatic irrigation system with 24 sprinklers, the consumption of an irrigation cycle on natural grass for 7000 m2 is approximately 24 m3, but evaporation in the field covered with natural grass is much lower than on bare ground or on a synthetic grass field.

On the other hand, synthetic grass also requires irrigation to lower the temperature and make the surface ideal for playing. In fact, it is worth highlighting that the water saving of entirely synthetic grass is rather irrelevant if not greater because, if we were to satisfy the players' requests, we need to irrigate even more compared to the natural grass field.

In POWERgrass the presence of a non-woven geotextile in the artificial support offers the possibility of retaining more water in the underlying substrate therefore it is possible to irrigate less frequently which further facilitates the development of the root system in depth with consequent water savings compared to a natural grass field.