5 Key Steps To Reviving A Tired Lawn

The most common problem you’ll encounter in lawns during spring is dead patches. The first step is to identify the cause so you can take action to stop them recurring.

Bear in mind that the problem could be a combination of factors.

COMPACTED SOIL: When soil becomes compacted, which is not uncommon in areas where there is high foot traffic, grass is often damaged or worn away and struggles to regrow.

It is more likely to occur if the soil contains high levels of clay or organic matter. In the warmer months, when grass is naturally thicker, you may not have noticed the problem, but after winter, the spots are more obvious.

If the soil is hard underfoot and also draining poorly in bare areas, it needs to be aerated.

SPOT TREATMENT: It is not always necessary to replace an area of lawn. Instead, just repair it with a garden fork, a rake and washed course sand.

At 100mm intervals, drive the fork into the soil about 50mm deep. Rock it back and forth to open up the holes. Rake sand over the area. This helps improve aeration and drainage.

OVERSHADOWING: Another cause of dead patches is overshadowing. As gardens grow, the available light can decrease. To fix this, trim shrubs and prune trees to lift their canopies.

Help the lawn by fluffing up the bare soil with a steel rake or garden fork, remove weeds and spread lawn seed. Keep it moist as it germinates and establishes.

BINDII BLUES: Feeling the prickles of bindii? Then, sadly, it’s too late to treat your lawn for this problem weed. The prickles are the seeds and tell you that this annual plant has reached the end of its life cycle.

If it has been a problem, make a note in your diary that you should spray bindii in autumn and again in late winter.

As well as being unsightly, weeds can cause dead areas in a lawn. They grow vigorously during winter, smothering your lawn. Many are annuals, so they die, leaving dead areas underneath.

Weeds are also good at filling patches that cause these dead spots and enlarging them.

Appropriate feeding and watering are the best ways to discourage weeds because healthy, vigorous grass will outcompete most weeds. Sometimes, though, you will need to take action.

Manual or hand weeding can be the most effective, but is only really practical on smaller lawns or where the number of weeds is low.

Avoid spreading any seeds when pulling up weeds and dispose of them in the green-waste bin.

Only try to compost them if they don’t have seeds or your compost heap runs hot.

Weedkillers, such as hose-on or granulated weed-and-feed products, can be fast and effective, but make sure they’re suited to your lawn type.

Also avoid overspray on garden plants and ensure you stick to the recommended application rates.

If you have a buffalo lawn such as Sir Walter, make sure that the formulation is buffalo-safe.

TIP: Long-handled weeding tools help save your back when pulling weeds.

To make your lawn look amazing in as little as three days, and help prevent bare patches and weeds, feed it with a premium slow-release fertiliser.

The average lawn will take less than 10 minutes to feed, cost about $20 and will need to be applied only twice a year.

It’s also important to think about feeding your soil, not just the grass. Mulch mowing improves soil, as it adds organic matter.

But using a quality slow-release fertiliser, especially one with an organic component supplemented with a seaweed-based product, will help keep your soil healthy.

There are many schools of thought regarding using different mowing heights throughout the year. But you don’t really need to get technical and change heights with the seasons.

Just remember not to mow so low that the lawn is scalped and not so high that you are sinking into it.

The ideal height is what is described as ‘foot feel’. That is, in bare feet, the lawn should feel comfortable.

Cutting height will vary with lawn variety and location. But the aim is to have a height that’s good to walk on.

This generally means leaving at least a few centimetres of leaf blade.

MULCH MOWING: When you mulch mow, clippings are cut and recut to a super-fine state before being blown back into the lawn thatch.

Here, they quickly break down, adding organic matter to the soil and nutrients to your lawn.

It’s like lightly organically feeding every time you mow. It also cuts down mowing time, as you’re not stopping to empty the catcher. You also won’t have to dispose of loads of clippings.

Even a healthy, well-maintained lawn will need additional water during extended hot or dry periods.

After the cooler seasons, the soil may be drier than expected. When watering, you need to make sure that the water is actually getting into the soil and not running off.

The best way to do this is to nurture the soil over time through mulch mowing and using quality fertilisers and organic supplements.

But sometimes, a quick fix is needed and you may also want to consider applying a suitable soil wetter.

When?

Watering after a long, hot day may seem logical, but this wastes water and may encourage diseases.

When water hits the hot, dry grass and soil, some is lost through evaporation. This also increases humidity around the grass. On still, warm nights, the increased humidity creates the ideal condition for fungal problems to develop.

Water instead in the cool of the early morning, which will charge up your lawn for the day ahead.

How often?

This will always vary with soil and grass types, the aspect of the lawn and prevailing weather.

Water less often but more deeply. For instance, water once a week for 15 minutes instead of two or three times a week for five minutes.

If you water lightly, it encourages your lawn to develop shallow roots, as the roots will develop only where the water reaches.

Shallow-rooted lawn can be more easily damaged by hot, dry weather, so promote deeper roots by deeper watering.

Using a sprinkler

To water your lawn well, you need a quality sprinkler and tap timer.

Look for a sprinkler that produces reasonably coarse droplets, as these are less likely to be lost to wind and wet soil more effectively.

Unless you have round lawns, go for a sprinkler that is adjustable and has an angular rather than a round pattern.

This way, you can run it beside paths or in narrow spaces without losing water to overspray.

Set your tap timer whenever you run your sprinkler, as it’s easy to forget a running hose.