Get your lawn back in shape
The health of your lawn makes such a big difference to the overall appearance of your property, so how can you get the most bang for your buck without spending too much more time and effort than you already do?
You can start by mowing your grass higher. Most grass types popular in backyards of Templestowe, Victoria, like Sir Walter and Kikuyu, love to be trained to be cut a little bit longer. This can help them bunch up thick enough to block out weeds, and it also can look more luscious and healthy than a shorter lawn.
It’s a myth that mowing shorter allows you to extend the time between mows; it will still look just as scrappy just as quickly, if not more so, if you train your lawn to be cut low.
When you water, water deeply, even if it means watering less often than you are now. This encourages the grass roots to grow deep down into the earth to suck up all they can, which will bring about a more robust and hardy lawn that can withstand dry periods. Most water near the surface of the ground will evaporate, so a deeper sprinkle also means less water wastage as long as the water isn’t running off down the driveway into the storm drain.
Aerating the lawn by poking holes in it can help with runoff issues, as well as help encourage new root and runner growth, which means thicker grass. There are a number of tools you can use to aerate your lawn.
It can be helpful to spray the grass leaves with a seaweed solution like seasol once a month as a health treatment to help the grass make use of the nutrients already present in the soil. For the love of your garden, do not use the same spray bottle that you use for chemicals like round up, instead get a new spray bottle or back pack especially for this job.
Use a dedicated mulching mower to feed your lawn with nutritious and delicious (for your lawn) green clippings which are full of nitrogen and other trace elements. If you catch and dump clippings away from your lawn, you are always taking from your lawn without ever giving back.
If you find your lawn still looks like it needs a pick-me-up, you can spread some lawn fertilizer around in order to give it a more vibrant green colour and help it bunch up.
Unless there is a serious issue with the soil quality, shade or diseases or grubs, these simple tips should have your lawn back in shape in no time.
See our Lawn Mowing page for more advice.