HOW TO KEEP YOUR LAWN LUSH ALL WINTER

Lawns across Australia slow down in winter, however, there are a few simple things you can do to give it a boost and make sure it’s in tip-top condition come springtime.

1 GIVE SPRINKLERS A REST

Over winter, you won’t need to water your grass at all, so turn off the irrigation system. If it’s very dry, you’ll see the leaf of the grass curl up. If you see this, give the lawn a boost of water with the hose, but try to avoid excess soaking as this will lead to compacted soils, which are only bad news for your lawn.

2 RAISE YOUR BLADES

Raising the height of your mower blades in winter will help your grass in a few ways. A longer leaf will help the grass to absorb more sunlight and nutrients, which in turn makes it healthier and greener for longer. It also helps to block out any weeds trying to compete with your grass, and doesn’t give them the sunlight they need to grow.

3 SLOW YOUR MOWS

As a rough guide, you will only need to mow the lawn every few weeks in the cooler months. However, this will vary depending on your location and turf variety. Although you will be mowing less, it’s important to still mow as you don’t want the grass to get too long. If it does, you run the risk of scalping the lawn when you do cut it, which will brown the leaves and take a long period of time to bounce back.

While you have a bit of downtime with the mower, why not give it a service or sharpen the blades? Cleaner cuts means healthier grass.

4 LAY OFF THE TURF

Compaction is an issue with grass health in any season of the year, but in winter, especially after a bit of wet weather, it can be very problematic. Try to avoid walking on your lawn if at all possible, or regularly aerate any areas that cannot be avoided. Running a fork though the soil will free it up and allow your lawn to breathe and get some air down to the root zone.

5 WEED AWAY

When the growth habit of your lawn is sparser, such as in wintertime, it is more susceptible to pesky weeds such as bindii and clover. This can be combated with a broadleaf herbicide that will knock them out, along with any other broadleaf weeds. If left alone, they will return again with more vigour and greater spread, eventually ruining a good lawn.

If your lawn suffers from unfortunate winter grass, then a specific winter grass killer will be needed to target this.

6 BRIGHTEN UP

The majority of lawns in Australia are warm-season grasses, so you need to expect a bit of colour loss in winter. You can combat this by using a product called Colourguard, which helps to protect your lawn, especially if it’s exposed to the elements. This green spray prevents damage from the cold and keeps lawns greener for longer.