FAQ: CATCH CUPS, WATERING AND SOIL pH

One Catch Cup per 12m² is the coverage guide: 6 Catch Cups cover about 70m² in one round, 12 about 145m² and 18 about 215m². Fewer still work: the Sward app can offer another round and shows you where to move them. Measure your lawn to find your pack.

A Catch Cup Test measures how much water your sprinklers put on each part of your lawn. You place Catch Cups across one zone, run it for 10 minutes, then read what each Catch Cup caught. The Sward app turns the readings into a heatmap, a Watering Score out of 100 and the minutes each zone needs for 10mm. Check your local watering rules before a 10-minute run. More on Catch Cups.

Spread them across the zone you are testing, at least 1 metre from the nearest sprinkler, as Water Corporation advises. The Sward app maps your lawn on satellite imagery and marks where each Catch Cup goes. More on Catch Cups.

Each Catch Cup is marked in millimetres, from 0 to 40mm. After the 10-minute run, read the water level against the scale at eye level and enter that number for each Catch Cup in the Sward app. More on Catch Cups.

Each zone runs for 10 minutes while the Catch Cups catch the water, and the Sward app can time it with you. You test one zone at a time, and if a zone comes out uneven, the app may offer one more round to fill the gaps. Check your local watering rules before a 10-minute run. More on Catch Cups.

Yes. Catch Cups measure whatever lands on the lawn, so they work with a hose, hand watering, a movable or oscillating sprinkler as well as in-ground pop-ups. They matter even more without fixed sprinklers, because those are the hardest to judge by eye. More on Catch Cups.

Yes. Place Catch Cups across the area the sprinkler covers, run it for 10 minutes and read what each one caught. You see how far it really reaches and how long to leave it in each spot. Check your local watering rules before a 10-minute run. More on Catch Cups.

Most lawns do well with about 10mm each watering day, the same as 10mm of rain: about 20mm a week, two runs of 10mm. In Perth, Water Corporation recommends 10mm on each of your two watering days in summer and far less in the cooler months. A Catch Cup Test shows how long each zone takes to put that down. More on Catch Cups.

10mm is a depth of water, measured the same way as rain: 10mm of watering is the same as 10mm of rain, and it puts 10 litres on every square metre of lawn. To turn it into minutes, run a zone for 10 minutes and read what your Catch Cups caught. If they caught 5mm on average, that zone needs about 20 minutes for 10mm. The Sward app does the sum for every zone. More on Catch Cups.

It depends on the sprinkler. Water Corporation’s typical times to put down 10mm are 13 to 16 minutes for pop-up sprays and 30 to 60 minutes for rotary and gear drive heads. Your own system can differ, and a Catch Cup Test gives you the minutes for each zone. More on Catch Cups.

Uneven coverage is a common cause: blocked, tilted or misaligned heads, mixed nozzle types, low pressure or run times that are too short. A Catch Cup Test shows which parts of the lawn miss out, so you know where to look first. More on Catch Cups.

The Winter Sprinkler Switch-off runs from 1 June to 31 August in Perth and the South West. Check your local watering rules before a 10-minute run. More on Catch Cups.

Most lawn grasses grow best at about 6 to 7.5. The Soil pH Test Kit reads from 4.5 to 7.5 in half steps, and the Sward app tells you the pH your lawn should be and what to use if it sits outside that range. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Most garden plants do well at about 6 to 7, while acid-loving plants such as camellias, azaleas and blueberries like it lower. Search your plants in the Sward app to see the pH each one prefers. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Soil pH changes how easily your lawn and plants can take up nutrients. In alkaline soil, iron and manganese can be harder for grass to take up, and strongly acidic soil can hold a lawn back too. Getting pH in range lets your lawn and plants use the nutrients they need. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Take a little soil from 5 to 12cm down and let it dry. Fill the tube to the first mark, add a scoop of settling powder, add test solution to the second mark, cap it and shake hard for 5 seconds. Stand it upright for 10 minutes, then match the clear liquid against the colour chart in daylight. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Scoop, shake, match. Put a little dried soil and a scoop of settling powder in the tube, add the test solution, shake for 5 seconds and stand it for 10 minutes. Then match the clear liquid against the colour chart. Each kit holds 15 tests. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

About 10 minutes once your soil is dry. Fill the tube, add the powder and the solution, shake hard for 5 seconds, then stand it upright for 10 minutes and match the colour in daylight. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Everything the three steps use: a test tube with a cap, the settling powder and its scoop, the test solution and the printed colour chart. The box holds 15 tests. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

Yes. Test each garden bed, pot and veggie patch on its own, since different plants like different pH levels. In the Sward app you can search the plants you grow to see the pH each prefers. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

At 5.5, most warm-season lawns cope, so re-test in autumn before doing anything. At 5.0 or lower, lime or dolomite may help raise it; re-test after two to three months. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

No. It reads your soil’s pH level only. It doesn’t measure nutrients, salts or soil type, or tell you whether soil is safe for growing food. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

The Water & Soil Kit is Catch Cups and a Sward Soil pH Test Kit in one box, with 6, 12 or 18 Catch Cups. Catch Cups test how evenly your lawn is watered; the kit tests where your soil’s pH sits. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

Each Water & Soil Kit costs $9.99 less than its Catch Cups pack and a Soil pH Test Kit bought separately. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

Pick it by the Catch Cups your lawn needs. One Catch Cup per 12m² is the coverage guide: 6 Catch Cups cover about 70m² in one round, 12 about 145m² and 18 about 215m². Fewer still work: the Sward app can offer another round and shows you where to move them. Measure your lawn to find your pack.

Even watering and soil pH in range are two things a lawn needs from the ground up. Catch Cups show where your sprinklers miss; the Soil pH Test Kit shows whether your lawn and plants can use the nutrients you give them. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

Add a Soil pH Test Kit and the cart makes the pair a Water & Soil Kit, at the kit’s price. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

Orders of $89 or more, after any discount, ship free, the Water & Soil Kit included. Under $89, shipping is $9.95 on orders under $50 and $12.95 from $50 to $88.99. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

No. Catch Cups work on their own. The Sward app makes the test easier: it marks where each Catch Cup goes, times each run and turns your readings into a heatmap, a Watering Score and a run time for each zone. You do not need an account to run a test. More on Catch Cups.

No. The kit works on its own with its printed colour chart. The Sward app tells you the pH your lawn or plant should be and what to use, and keeps every reading in one place. More on the Soil pH Test Kit.

No. Both tests work on their own. The Sward app guides you through each one, turns your Catch Cup readings into a heatmap and a Watering Score, tells you the pH your lawn or plant should be and what to use, and keeps your results together. More on the Water & Soil Kit.

Orders ship from Western Australia, and you get a tracking email when yours is on its way. Shipping is $9.95 on orders under $50 and $12.95 from $50 to $88.99. Orders of $89 and over, after any discount, ship free. Read our shipping policy.

There are no change-of-mind returns. Faulty or damaged items are always covered under the Australian Consumer Law. If your order arrives damaged or something is missing, email hello@sward.au within 30 days with your order number and photos. Read our returns policy.