Lawn Doctor Turf Shop are giving away free water catch cups to help you drought proof your lawn. Just come in store and get your free catch cups and advice on how to use them.

Catch Cups are vital to being able to measure the water output from your reticulation. They will make it easy to measure and determine how long you need to run your retic for. And know the right amount of water to keep a healthy green lawn all summer.

Why use catch cups?

The catch cups help you see how well your reticulation system is working. You can then accurately measure how much water your sprinklers are giving your lawn. You will want between 20 to 30mls per week, so divide this between your allocated watering days. A general rule is under 30 degrees – 20mls. When it is consistently over 30 degrees, up your watering to achieve 30mls per week.

How do I use them?

Put catch cups out all over the lawn. Place some in good areas of lawn and some in areas where the lawn is not doing so well.  Then run your retic system as you normally would. This will let you know how your retic is functioning. If you have different amounts of water in different cups, it could mean the following;

  • You have a blocked sprinkler head (sand can do this).
  • A broken pipe
  • A sprinkler is knocked and is misaligned and spraying the water in the wrong direction.

You may also find that you do not have at least 10mls in your cups at all. This means that you need to run your stations for longer until you get the minimum 10mls. This can take varying amounts of time depending on different factors including sprinkler types and the amount of pressure you have.

Still have a dry patch?

If it turns out that you have the same amount of water in each catch cup (and at least 10mls), but you still have an area with dry patch, it strongly suggests that the soil in this area is hydrophobic and is repelling the water. This is very common in Perth’s sandy soil. In fact, the more your sand has dried out – the more it repels the water. The answer is to apply a liquid soil wetting agent such as Aqua Force and Bi Agra or a granular wetting agent such as Soil Soak.

Make sure you use a commercial grade wetting agent such as one of those mentioned as there is a big difference in the quality of wetting agents on the market and the amount of time they work for. Some domestic grade wetting agents only work for the day they are applied!



Bi-Agra wetting agent is a new innovation in the fight against hydrophobic soils. A moisture retaining aid as well it is great for lawns and gardens.