Summer lawn care

With hot days and warm nights, it’s only natural that we want to spend plenty of time outdoors during summer. Whether it’s for the kids playing outside under the sprinkler or because you are inviting friends around for a BBQ, there’s no doubt you’ll want your lawn in tip-top shape during the warmer months.

With water restrictions in place, it may seem all too hard to keep your lawn green and healthy during Perth’s summer. But with a few handy hints and a small amount of effort, it is possible keep your grass luscious and green until the rains come again.

• Water your lawn in the early morning before 9am or after 6pm. Watering early in the day lets the moisture soak through the roots and be available to your lawn all day. Also ensure you are only watering on your rostered days – click here to find out what days have been allocated to your household.
• If you haven’t done it yet, aerate your lawn before the extremely hot weather sets in. Aerating helps the soil better absorb the smaller amount of water it requires to remain healthy.
• Apply a slow release fertiliser every two months during spring/summer and once during winter. Don’t fertilise on a very hot day, as the results can be devastating to the lawn if it is not watered into the grass thoroughly immediately after application.
• During the summer months, watering for at least 1 hour once per week should be enough.  By watering deeply and infrequently you’ll be encouraging stronger, deeper root growth which will increase the drought tolerance of your lawn.
• Mow your lawn every 7-21 days during summer, to a height of 10-20mm. Remember to keep the mower blades sharp. Regular mowing will encourage the lawn to grow more green leaf instead of using its energy to spread. This will thicken the lawn, which will further insulate the soil from water evaporation.
• If we have a string of scorching hot days and your lawn looks like it may possibly die, give it a very deep watering the next morning. You should also give the lawn a good application of wetting agent.