Summer is upon us and so it’s time for summer lawn care. The temperature is increasing and we are enjoying the outdoors and going about finding ways to cool down. This time of year it’s also important we understand the effect the increased temperatures has on our grass.
The trouble with some parts of our country during summer are the extended dry periods., whilst other more tropical areas typically experience their wet season. Any advice needs to consider your current weather-pattern circumstances.
- Changing a few little things now will help to ensure your lawn gets through the summer heat as best it can.
Summer is the peak growing period for most Australian lawn types - Regular deep-watering is better for your lawn than frequent shallow-watering – Regular deep-watering to encourage a stronger and deeper root-system and an occasional nutrient-boost with a high-quality, lawn-fertiliser application will help to keep your lawn in top-shape for summer.
- Regular mowing will be better for your lawn in extended dry periods
The key to keeping your lawn in top condition right through summer is a combination of the right lawn-type coupled with the appropriate amount of irrigation and care. The healthier the lawn, the less susceptible to weeds or disease it becomes. This allows it to better withstand any long hot-and-dry-spells that may soon be headed our way.
When should I water my lawn?
Conserving water and getting the most benefit out of the water you do use, is the most important aspect of summer lawn care. Watering in the heat of the day will cause a lot of moisture loss due to evaporation. Watering your lawn in the morning or early evening, will better allow the water to be absorbed and limit the amount of water lost to evaporation. It is also important to make sure you follow local water restrictions if there are any in place.
Mowing principles
The key to your lawn mowing in summer is to make sure you are doing so regularly. You want to keep on top of the leaf growth. You don’t remove too much at a time. Removing more than a third of the leaf at any one time, will cause stress to the grass roots. Minimising the amount of stress that is caused to the turf is especially important this time of year. Read our article on the One-Third rule here.
When mowing, do so earlier in the day or as the sun has started to go down again. The hot sun in the middle of the day is more likely to do damage to the freshly cut lawn, so doing so when it is cooler will cause less stress to the leaf.
In addition, a sharp set of mower blades will cut much cleaner and also reduce harm and stress to the grass, so make sure you have checked the blades and have replaced or sharpened them if necessary.
Grass types
Choosing the right lawn-type is one of the main factors in how it will perform over summer and a drought-tolerant, warm-season turf-type like TifTuf or Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo. Both are the perfect turf-types to handle a harsh Australian summer.
