It’s becoming more common for lawn lovers to have grass areas much closer to their pools edge but will pool water kill my grass?
This can be more visually appealing and more comfortable than stepping onto hot concrete after getting out of the pool.
The questions we usually get a lot though are, which turf variety should I choose? Will the pool water kill my lawn? The answer to this in most situations is no, it will not cause any harm to your lawn, regardless of the turf variety. Wet feet, the odd splash, none of this should cause much bother to your grass. The levels of chlorine and pool chemicals should never be in high enough concentrations that they burn or cause pH problems for your lawn. Grass is really good at identifying the nutrients that it requires and avoiding the ones it does not require. Having said this, you should still avoid pouring large amounts of chlorinated pool water on your grass.
Chlorinated pool water can be harmful to plants and the environment. If you need to empty your pool for cleaning or repairs, you will need to reduce the concentration of chlorine to a low level around 0.1 parts per million, before you start to empty it out into the surrounding lawn and environment.
For information on the effects of salt water on your lawn check out this article here.
If you have to add chlorine to your pool manually and accidentally spill some on the lawn, it is important that you immediately dilute it by giving the area a really good water.
On the flip side, grass may get into your pool from your feet or be blown in by the wind from time to time. This can affect the pH of your pool and throw things out of balance if left uncleaned. Most of this should be caught by your skimmer basket for removal, anything else may need manual removal or with the help of a creepy crawly. Just make sure you are cleaning your pool regularly and test your pool water on a regular basis to ensure it is within the optimal range.
With these simple things in mind, there really isn’t too much else to worry about, your pool and grass can exist side by side and you can enjoy the benefits.
