Getting lawn into shape and maintaining it

In early spring when the ground is dry give the lawn a thorough raking and aerate the soil or break up any dead and matted grass to increase the supply of oxygen to the grass roots.

Give the lawn a good hair cut (except fescue) by making sure your mower blades are sharp. A sharp blade cuts evenly and does not tear the grass. Don’t mow wet grass and the rule of thumb is to cut no more than one third of the grass height at any one time. If the lawn has been untended and it has grown tall, trim it down to its proper height in several different mowings.

Mowing height; mow

Kikuyu at 20-30mm

Couch 15-25mm

Buffalo 20-40mm

Mow at the maximum height prior to winter or in shady areas.

Feed the lawn with a slow release organic fertilizer during the growing season.

We reccomend Sir Walter Fertiliser available from Our Shop in 10kg ($35) and 3kg ($17) buckets.

A little bit often is better than a lot at once. Over fertilizing is expensive and can cause burning, fungus diseases or unnecessary mowing. Fungus can be treated using "Amgrow Chemspray Mancozeb Fungicide" $10.50 for 50m2 coverage and available from Our Shop and couriered to your house. If no response is obtained from fertilizer then correcting the pH level of the soil may be necessary. A "Manutec Soil pH Test Kit" is available for $17.10 (good for 50 tests) from Our Shop and will be couriered to your door.

Watering is the opposite. Infrequent deep watering is preferable to frequent light watering (except for newly laid turf) as it promotes a deep root structure that can utilize the moisture reserves in the soil.

Top dressing is only necessary to correct any unevenness in the lawn. If top dressing is required, the underlying lawn should be visible, so several applications may be needed over the growing season. It is better to de-thatch the lawn in spring followed by fertilizing and watering to promote new leaf growth.

Dwarf Tall Fescue does not require de-thatching. Keep a look out for Army Worms or Sod Web Worms from late January till March if your lawn is lush, as they prefer a good looking lawn. Sir Walter Pest Control, available in 2kg buckets (covers approximately 500m2) for $19.85 from Our Shop couriered to your door.