My turf has large dead and yellow areas in summer but remains lovely and green in winter – what can I do?
This is a question that we hear frequently as landscapers.
99% of the time, if your grass is yellow your irrigation system is not watering efficiently or effectively.
Yellow patches in the grass indicate a lack of water supply. To prevent dead yellow patches, you must correctly space your sprinklers (or reticulation solution) and ensure the pressure is correct for each station, allowing it to cover the affected areas. Once you have rectified the water coverage, you will need to increase water to these areas until they return to their former glory. Improving your lawn’s hydration should make your grass greener in summer.
Read on for more lawn hydration tips in the Aussie summer.
Invest In Reticulation To Keep Your Grass Green
In the summer heat, you need to be water smart. It’s important to give your lawn a good soak while adhering to any watering restrictions from the Water Corporation.
Having quality reticulation takes the work out of watering, distributing water to your lawn evenly at regular intervals.
With your new reticulation, you need to keep on top of your weeding, as regular watering will lead to quick growth.
Avoid Evaporation
It’s vital to make sure water reaches your lawn’s root system. This can be harder in summer, as high temperatures lead to fast evaporation. A quick hose down may result in the water evaporating before it can make a difference to your lawn and it’s colour.
You can avoid evaporation by using your irrigation to stick to the Water Corporation watering times – before 9am or after 6pm – on your designated watering days. We recommend 4-6am, this is often the calmest time of the day.
Reticulation Repairs and Servicing
Having reticulation is important, but keeping it serviced is equally as important if you want to avoid yellow or brown spots in your grass. Servicing will also detect leaks before they blow out your water bill.
Mowing Your Lawn
In the warmer months, you should leave your lawn a little longer – ensuring it doesn’t exceed the height of the sprinkler reach.
Mowing your lawn too short can leave your lawn vulnerable and put it under stress, resulting in brown, dead patches that will take effort to revive. Leaving your lawn a little longer will also help the roots stay cooler, which can help it to survive in harsher conditions.
Keep Those Weeds Away
Weeds are life-sucking – they compete for nutrients and space, slowly killing off the luscious lawn you’ve curated over winter. Once weeds make their way into your garden, they have accelerated growth patterns that allow them to overtake your lawn or garden extremely quickly.
Try to attack the weeds as you notice them, rather than only giving them attention once they’ve established their garden takeover. This may require a little time and patience, but it will be worth it in the long run. Ensure you use the correct weed spray relevant to your lawn variety, as one doesn’t fit all.
Aeration Helps Lawns Stay Healthy
If your lawn has seen a little too much backyard cricket or has cars regularly parked on it, it can become compacted, which reduces your lawn’s ability to ‘breathe.’
Aerating your lawn will help to loosen the soil, which will circulate air, improve water and nutrient filtration and stimulate the growth of new roots.
Be Aware of Critters
During summer, flies seem to stick to your skin and mosquitoes seem to love outdoor barbeques as much as you do! However, they aren’t the only critters making the most of the warmer months. You need to be on the lookout for garden pests.
While some pests may be annoying, not all of them are bad for your garden, so it is important to know which pests to keep around and which ones to avoid. Bees are great for pollination, while spiders, ladybugs and praying mantis can provide you with free pest control.
Watch out for dangerous critters that may be attracted to your garden, such as snakes and wasps, and be mindful of where spiders and bees may spend their time to ensure children aren’t bitten or stung while playing.
Keep Your Lawn Green With Perth’s Landscape Experts
Use our top tips to keep your lawn luscious throughout our Aussie summer and leave your neighbours green with envy – the grass will definitely be greener on your side of the fence!
Choose Looking Good Landscaping for all of your reticulation, landscape installations and repairs. Landscapes in WA are our specialty. Contact our team today to improve your garden to make the most of this summer
Find Us On Facebook!
