Keeping lawns in good shape does take a little bit of work. Gone are the days where you would give your lawn it’s once a year fertilize and then let it fend for itself. These days it is far better to feed your lawn every 12 weeks with a balanced fertilizer. Lawns are actively growing for most of the year so it makes sense to feed them on a regular basis.
At this time of the year lawns can suffer from water stress so it is important to keep watering them. Compaction from high traffic and the kids playing can cause water to just run across the surface and not soak into the soil. This can be alleviated by using one of the many wetting agents that are available on the market. Compaction also leads to a breading ground for certain weeds such as Bindi and dandelion that actually prefer compact soils.
If you find your lawn is a little worse for wear at the moment then it may be worth looking at aerating and top dressing. Aerating will help to alleviate any compaction as well as allowing air and water movement through the soil profile and the top dressing will help to level out any dips in the lawn and give the roots of the grass something to hold on to. This treatment will also help any of those mossy areas that tend to crop up in the lawn through the cooler months.
Weeds are often a problem in poorly maintained lawns and can quickly take over a lawn area. Clover, dandelion, paspailium and oxalis are all actively growing now and will take away water and nutrients from the lawn. There are many weed sprays on the market and a good general purpose one is ‘Kleen Lawn’ which can be used on most lawn types. The biggest mistake people make is not following the directions on the label and the application of too much chemical can kill the lawn as well. An excellent new hose to use weed killer is ‘Buffalo Pro’ which is effective not just on buffalo lawn, but on most others too.
Lastly and most importantly is to mow your lawn on a regular basis. At this time of the year it should be mown weekly. Lawns that are mown on a regular basis will generally require less water and less fertilizer and are generally thicker and healthier. If you think your lawn is beyond repair you will be surprised what a little water, fertilizer and a bit of TLC will do.
