Lawn care tips for spring in Brisbane
The weather is warming up, which means plenty of sunshine, backyard cricket, and family BBQs are on the way. But if your lawn is looking a bit ordinary, now is the time to get it sorted, so you can enjoy luscious and soft grass underfoot throughout spring and summer.
Leave some length
It might be counterintuitive, but it’s best not to cut your grass too short when you’re mowing. As unfortunate as it sounds, trying to cut back on the frequency of your mowing by chopping it short can come at the expense of your lawn’s health: some breeds of grass—particularly the buffalo types, like Sir Walter—won’t do well when they’re cut short, and need to be maintained at heights between 35-70 mm to avoid yellowing and lightening of the colour, reduced density, and pest and disease risk. In times of drought and heavy water restrictions in Brisbane, increasing your lawn mowing height will also help to protect the soil from losing water through evaporation.
In general, longer grass is actually more protected from extreme weather and temperature, weeds, and pests, so if you’re looking for a good sward, give it more frequent trims without taking too much off, or let it go for a bit longer.
Use the right tools
Maintaining your mower blades is essential, if you want to avoid bruising and browning your lawn. Blunt mowers leave ragged or crushed grass blades that both affect the colour and appearance of your lawn, and make it more susceptible to disease and the extremes of Queensland weather. In general, you should sharpen mower blades when the cut is uneven, or when the blades are blunt and damaged. Sharpening blades will also extend the life of your mower, make it easier to push, and reduce some of the noise associated with it.
Removing and sharpening your blades can be risky if you don’t know what you’re doing, so if you’re unsure about what’s required, contact a reputable equipment maintenance business or experienced garden professional to help you. Raising the mowing height will also help to maintain the health of your lawn and the performance of your mower, so consult with lawn experts to determine the best setting you need to achieve a good finish.
Add nutrients
A soft, thick, and richly coloured sward depends on more than sunshine and rain: regular fertilising according to the needs of your specific grass is the best way to achieve the high quality of health and appearance it’s capable of fertilising your lawn has many benefits:besides improving the quality and appearance of the lawn, it also helps with water penetration to decrease the frequency of watering, and it can even reduce the weed growth and pest attacks, which are always a threat in Queensland.
It’s best to fertilise your lawn in early spring to avoid the hottest weather, and to water it in, or fertilise right before a rain. Slow-release fertilisers that have a good balance of iron traces and are high in nitrogen often achieve quick and long-lasting results, but it is important to use the right blend for your lawn. It’s also best to fertilise frequently and lightly, as heavy applications can overload the lawn with excess nutrients and cause more problems, or leak into the waterways.Fertilising around every 2 months is usually the best for Brisbane lawns, but the manufacturer’s guidelines will help to determine how often and which blend is best.
Water smarter
Brisbane’s unpredictable weather can make it difficult to manage your lawn. Heavy downpours in the wet months can either help your lawn with a deep soak, or flood the soil and dilute the nutrients from your lawnfertiliser. In times of drought and water restrictions, conserving water and maintaining the appearance and health of your lawn can be a challenge.
A few tricks for getting the most from your lawn watering include:
- Raising your mowing height to combat evaporation, and use less water
- Water in your fertiliser, but don’t fertilise before heavy downpours
- Don’t water at nightif you can help it, because it can cause mildew, fungus, and other diseases. Water in the morning, or late afternoon, avoiding the hottest part of the day where evaporation will be high
- Don’t mow when you’ve just watered—the mower will leave tracks and damage the lawn, and it canalso cause problems with your machine.
Generally, it is better to give your lawn a thorough soak, quite infrequently. This can achieve a deeper root system, which will protect the lawn in times of extreme heat and drought. Using environmentally friendly options for irrigating including grey water, and using wetting agents, can substantially reduce your water wastage while allowing your lawn to get the big drinks it needs to thrive.
Fight weeds and disease
There are a number of weeds, pests and diseases that can attack Brisbane lawns, including lawn grubs, bindiis, and brown patch. But there are also a number of conservative methods for preventing and treating them:
- Hand pulling and hoeing small weed seedlings are the best way to remove weeds like bindiis that are below mowing height
- Fertilising can help maintain the correct nutrient levels that your lawn needs to fight diseases like brown patch
- Maintaining or developing a good drainage system will prevent excess water accumulating which can cause fungus, mildew and other diseases
- Using selective and non-selective herbicide products that are specifically developed for your lawn’s grass type can be watered onto your lawn to control outbreaks when they start
Generally, all chemical treatments including fungicides and pesticides need to be applied by fully trained professionals, who understand the correct application and the conditions needed to resolve these issues without damaging the environment.
Whether you’re looking for solutions to any of Brisbane’s lawn problems, or whether you’re just time poor, Circle Maintenance can help. Our team of fully trained professionals have the broad industry experience and knowledge to deliver the highest quality gardening and lawn mowing services to East Brisbane and South Brisbane residents, so contact us any time, and we’ll help you get your lawn back to beautiful.