Watering a New Lawn in Perth

• Apply for the new-lawn exemption
• Weeks 1–2: little and often
• Weeks 3–4: longer and less often
• Week 5 onwards

Apply for the new-lawn exemption

Perth and Mandurah scheme water users can normally only run sprinklers on two rostered days a week, and not between 9am and 6pm. A new lawn needs more than that.

Water Corporation's watering exemption covers new lawns, including seed. It starts on the day the lawn is installed, so apply on spray day. From October to March it lasts up to 42 days, and from April to September up to 35 days. The extra water is billed as normal.

Garden bore users can apply too. In most of Bunbury, water comes from Aqwest, which isn't covered, so check with your supplier.

Weeks 1–2: little and often

Water two to three times a day for a few minutes each time. The goal is to keep the green mulch layer damp all day.

If you see water pooling or running off, cut back. On hot, windy days, add an extra session.

Weeks 3–4: longer and less often

Once the grass is up and about 2–3cm tall, water once or twice a day for longer.

This pushes roots deeper into the sand instead of staying near the surface, which matters in a Perth summer.

Week 5 onwards

Drop to every second or third day, with a deep soak each time, and move back to your normal roster when the exemption ends. Hand watering with a hose is allowed even during the winter sprinkler switch-off, which runs from 1 June to 31 August.

If water beads on the surface or runs off, the sand has become water-repellent. A wetting agent fixes that.