Lawn has suffered over summer

[Hirsty]

My lawn isn't in great shape after a dry summer.

Any advice for bringing it back?

Is it too early to feed it given that we are still getting the odd day over 30 here in Melbourne?

[Jason]

Hi @Hirsty,

A very warm welcome to Workshop. I hope you get lots of great advice and inspiration for your house and garden projects from our community members. 

I'm sure you're not the only one whose lawn is suffering at the moment after a long hot summer. Hopefully some of our resident lawn care experts like @Adam_W can share some tips with you. My understanding is that autumn is a great time to feed your lawn to give it a chance to have a growth spurt before winter sets in. 

Jason

[greygardener]

Water deeply a few times a week @Hirsty and your lawn should slowly come back. Don't make the mistake of watering too often, you want to encourage deep root growth. And it is best not to fertilise in hot weather as it can burn the lawn. Once it starts cooling down and you get more regular rain you can give it a feed. 

[aly]

Thanks for the advice @greygardener. Unforunately our lawn is looking rather sad too this time of year @Hirsty

[Jason]

Looking forward to some rain over the weekend at our place @Hirsty. Our lawn is also struggling at the moment. 

I'm going to feed ours in a few weeks. 

Jason

[Baretta11]

@Hirsty,

Sorry I missed your post.

I live about 2hrs west of you so our weather is very similar albeit Meb has had more rain or should I say had all the rain rain and we had none!!

I bit the bullet as it were and watered my lawn after leaving it to it's own devices always expecting rain but never getting it or at least not for quite a few months, since Dec I believe if my memory serves me right.

Determined not to lose this purpose sown lawn, I embarked on a watering program of 2hrs per spot and it took me more than a week to cover it all but it is just starting to show the slightest green tinge, so pleased with my effort.

I wouldn't fertilize until spring where it will do the best job as the dry grass will be almost entirely dormant trying to survive and do nothing else unless you have kept it green??

You could seasol the lawn if it's green but I would hold off on the big fertilizer job until there is enough moisture to soak the fertilizer to the roots properly, which is usually spring when the plant has the ability to uptake the product properly.

I live on a farm and I have had to use water from a dam to do the job but fortunately as I type, I hear thunder and see lightening so we might just receive the promised rainfall today that has otherwise been eluding us, fingers crossed.

Best be off, I'm milking 280 cows for a neighbour this morning!!

Cheers,

Barbara

[Bracken_Fan]

I live in Newcastle and have Buffalo and the only thing that saved my lawn was water, lots of water and I feel ashamed for using 350 liters a day for it. I watered in the afternoon, but apparently the best time to water is in the early morning (which I'm still trying to get my head around). I need a timer that starts watering early before I get out of bed.
 If I had my choice all over again, I would choose Kikuyu. It bounces back much much quicker after a dry spell with very little rain.
Keep the cutting blades as high as you can and never scalp (cutting to runner height). As this will encourage dead spots and weeds will take over.

The best fertiliser I have found is Yates 7kg Dynamic Lifter Concentrate Lawn Fertiliser for $19.33 @ Bunnings. It will feed 250 square meters.
I was considering using Yates 30L Waterwise Granular Soil Wetter before next Summer as it can be used on lawns, gardens and pots.

It would be unfair to post photos of my lawn as we have had a lot, alot of rain lately. 240mm of rain in the last 2 days. That’s another thing. Buy a rain gauge to see if the lawn/garden needs watering.

[Jason]

Many thanks for sharing your experiences and knowledge @Bracken_Fan. I'm sure other community members like @Hirsty appreciate it.

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to Workshop. It's fantastic to have you join the community. I'm looking forward to reading more about your projects and plans. Please let us know if you ever need a hand with anything, or have a project to share.

Jason

[Adam_W]

Hey @Hirsty welcome on-board,

Shame you didn’t visit the Melbourne Flower & Garden Show as I was talking lawns all week

1) – Quality fertiliser. You want to feed now & you want to use slow-release.

To find out if the product is slow-release you only need to look at the application rates. If it says to reapply ever month or two it’s not slow release.

I use, both personally & professionally, the Lawn Builder products so I have no hesitation recommending them. Yes, they are more expensive at first glance but worth every cent. Funnily enough if you do the sums on cost, coverage & reapplication rates they are good value.

For lawns that are dry or where you’re using too much water use the + Wetting Agent formulation.

If your soil is a bit ho-hum then use the + Organics formulation.

And use a mechanical spreader to apply to get even coverage, a simple handheld one is fine for most folks but for a larger lawn you might want to invest in a walk-behind.

2) – Watering. Chances are you had some decent rain last week but I’d still recommend that you apply a quality soil wetter. There are some formulated for lawn use.

That’s really it without getting into any serious nitty-gritty. Recovery mode is more about feeding and watering but I will say… don’t mow too low.

[Jason]

Thanks for the expert advice @Adam_W. I'm sure @Hirsty appreciates it.

Looks like I'm putting feeding the lawn on my to-do list for this long weekend.

Jason