Lawn care tips


Preparing your lawn for spring 🌼

As we approach the end of winter, it’s time to start preparing your lawn for the growing season ahead. And that means a little more than just throwing down some fret and hoping it works! Below are some of the things I do to my own lawn and some tips you can use at home.

End of winter

  • Take care of weeds with some hand weeding or a herbicide application
  • Clear grass away from sprinkler heads and test your irrigation system
  • Have your mower serviced and blades sharpened or replaced
  • Application of a soil wetter
  • Test the pH levels of your soil (should be between 5.5 and 7)

Start of spring

  • Application of a pre-emergent herbicide and insecticide
  • De-thatch and remove dead grass material (or plan for this task)
  • Start to feed your lawn again with a slow release granular fertiliser
  • And if there’s a lack of rainfall, consider watering your lawn to achieve 1 to 1.5 inches of water needed a week.


Soil temperatures will need to be above 13°C for a warm season grass to start actively growing (which most of us have at home here in Australia). So until then, you probably won’t be cutting much leaf with your mower and I would avoid mowing super low until temps are consistently higher.


It’s winter 🥶 do I still need to care for my lawn?


Yes.


Although most lawns in southern parts of Australia will go dormant or semi-dormant with the reduction in sunlight hours and cooler temperatures, there’s still some important things you can do to keep it ticking along and looking healthy.


  • A reminder that your mower height should be increased by now — you don’t want to be scalping your lawn this time of year
  • Maximise the sunlight and the chance for photosynthesis by clearing leaves and debris from your lawn
  • Use liquid fertiliser applications rather than granular, as the nutrients can still be absorbed through the leaf
  • If you live in an area where frosts are common, you can apply a liquid frost protection — and a good tip is to lightly water your lawn on those frosty mornings before sunrise, to further avoid leaf burn and obviously avoid walking on it
  • If dormancy colour is an issue, you can use a pigment with your liquids to restore some of that natural colour loss (ideally before the first frost)
  • Don’t mow when it’s wet — it’s actually a good time of year to service your equipment with the longer breaks between mows
  • Only water your lawn if it’s dry
  • And enjoy that time off from regular mowing.



Don’t fall 🍂 into the trap of letting your lawn go this autumn


It’s been a very dry and windy summer here in Melbourne and our lawns have taken a beating! Even though the temperatures have started to drop, it’s important to continue watering (especially if it doesn’t rain) and keep mowing regularly to avoid scalping and not recovering in time for winter.


Autumn is all about keeping your lawn healthy and preparing it for whatever winter brings, so it can thrive again on the other side. Below I’ve listed my tips to prepare for the cooler months.


  • Take care of any weeds while they’re still actively growing with a herbicide application—just make sure it’s compatible with the grass type of your lawn
  • And literally stop weeds in their tracks for the next 6 months with a pre-emergent herbicide (plus an insecticide as a preventive if grubs are an issue)
  • It’s also time to throw down a good quality fertiliser that’s higher in potassium to help your lawn stay strong once the temperatures drop
  • Raise your height of cut on your mower — longer grass blades heading into winter will also help protect your lawn and adsorb more sunlight
  • Consider aerating your lawn if it’s received lots wear over summer, or you have noticed soil compaction—this will help water, rain and nutrients penetrate deep into the soil
  • And a final tip for the more serious lawnie out there, I suggest it’s now too late in Melbourne to attempt a late season height reset, or mini reno—just wait for spring.



Get that MCG look this summer ☀️


By now, the soil temps should be up, you’ll be mowing regularly and your lawn should be looking the best it’s looked since March. Here are a few tips to keep it looking good throughout summer and continue to dominate your neighbours.


  • Time to throw out a slow release granular fertiliser again (every 12 weeks)
  • Raise your mower height to reduce plant stress and avoid scalping—now is the time of the year where the one-third rule matters (don’t cut off more than 1/3rd of the leaf blade at once)
  • Mow in different directions, to avoid grass blades leaning over and growing in the same direction, and it also helps avoid creating wheel ruts in your lawn
  • Consider an application of plant growth regulator to slow down growth
  • Continue regular liquid feeds (more Nitrogen and iron will result in better colour response)
  • A soil wetter will prevent your soil from becoming hydrophobic
  • Regularly check sprinkler heads to make sure they’re clear of grass (every few weeks)
  • Continue deep watering but avoid watering in the heat of the day and late at night (read more in my watering tips)
  • And mow, mow, mow—you should be mowing at least once a week to keep on top of growth.


Of course, you don’t need to do all of the above. But it all helps to achieve a full, healthy and greener lawn.  As a minimum, mow regularly, deep water irregularly and put out a granular fertiliser at least at the start of the season and again before autumn.



Watering your lawn the right way 💦


Deep irregular watering is the key to achieving a strong root system and a healthier lawn. With warm season grass varieties making up the majority of lawns in Aussie backyards, they actually only require 1 to 1.5 inches (or around 30mm) of irrigation a week to thrive! Most people simply over water their lawns or water too frequently.


  • Only water your lawn when it needs it. Without rainfall, this is 2-3 times a week to achieve 1-1.5 inches of irrigation. If you’re helping to establish a newly laid lawn, this is the only time you need to water more frequently.
  • Water in the morning when the winds are calmer and there’s less chance of evaporation, never at night.
  • Check your sprinklers are working correctly and reaching all sections of your lawn.
  • After watering, look for any pools of water in your lawn where your soil may have become hydrophobic. An application of a soil wetter can help resolve this.
  • Check your local weather forecasts and don’t water on days when it’s going to rain.
  • Check if your lawn needs watering by performing the footprint test: if when walking on your lawn, the grass blades don’t spring back (and you can see your footprints in the lawn), then it wants a watering cycle.
  • And if you don’t know how long to water to achieve 1-1.5 inches, try the following tuna can test.

Tuna can test: distribute a few empty tuna cans around your lawn and water for 10-15 minutes. Measure how much water is in each can after the watering cycle and find the average. Then use this number to work out how long you should water for to achieve that magic 1 to 1.5 inches of irrigation a week.  For example, I averaged half an inch on my lawn after watering for 15 minutes. I then know, I only need to water 3 times a week for a maximum of 15 minutes each time, to put down a total of 1.5 inches.



Spring into action with these lawn care tips!

Assuming you’ve followed all of my early season advice and your lawn has come out of dormancy. Right now—with an increase in daylight hours and the temperatures rising — is the time to get a head start on having the best lawn in the street.

From mid spring


  • Start regular mowing to encourage lateral growth and help fill in bare patches
  • Remove any weeds missed from the end of winter
  • Regular application of liquids (soil wetter, balanced liquid fertilisers, etc), to compliment your slow release granular fertiliser
  • A height reset, once your lawn is actively growing, timing this with a feed (this is the only time when scalping is ok)
  • Or even consider a full lawn renovation in late spring (depending on your lawn type), which includes core aeration and top dressing
  • And infrequent deep watering (1 to 1.5 inches a week).

If you live in a warmer climate or your lawn experienced full sun during winter, you may be in a position to start some of these tasks earlier and then simply enjoy the mow.

And if you need any help with any of the above, feel free to give me a call.

For more tips, check out my Instagram.