While you may only have to mow your lawn twice over Winter, there are downsides to ignoring lawn maintenance over the colder months of the year.
The majority of Australian grasses are best suited for the warmer months and if not looked after properly during the colder months can suffer some serious, long-lasting damage, including browning, thinning, and the intrusion of nasty weeds such as bindis.
However, with a little maintenance and TLC your lawn can brave Winter and embrace the arrival of Spring. Here are five top tips for caring for your lawn during the cold.
Mow higher
While grass grows quicker in Summer, it grows at a much slower rate in the cooler months. Sunlight and warmth – ideal growing conditions for grass – are far more irregular, so leave your grass a little bit longer to enable it to absorb the sun it needs to maintain its colour and bounce back as the weather warms up.
Remove clippings
In Winter your lawn needs all the sun and air it can get to survive. As such, raking up the errant lawn clippings after a mow will greatly help your grass get the air and sunshine it needs to brave the chilly weather unscathed.
Soil aeration
While the Winter months can feature periods of heavy rain, if the soil under your lawn remains hard the goodness of the water can’t reach the roots, where it will do the most good. Aeration can help as it loosens the soil to enable water and nutrients to reach your lawn’s roots. Use aerating sandals or a garden fork to aerate your soil and let air, water and nutrients seep in and enrich and sustain your grass. Seek professional help from a landscaper for larger yards.
Stop watering
Your lawn doesn’t need much watering at all during the cooler months when overwatering your lawn can lead to fungal disease. Once fungal disease sets in, creating highly visible spots, brown patches, threads, rings and slime moulds in your lawn, it can be difficult to treat. So limit how often you water your lawn– which will also help you adhere to the Level 1 Water Restrictions that are in place around the Sydney area.
Act against weeds
While your lawn effectively goes into hibernation during Winter, most hearty weeds will continue to gleefully grow if left unchecked. One such weed is the dreaded bindi. If left untreated, bindi will take seed in your lawn and develop to its full potential over Spring. Using a simple spray treatment during winter can make all the difference when summer arrives.
The grass is greener in Catherine Park Estate
Following these five simple steps will ensure that your lawn can toughen out the challenges of Winter and be ready to thrive come Spring. Make your lawn stand out for all the right reasons this year.
