When to water
- Water only when your lawn needs it! How often you water your lawn will depend on the weather, the type of grass and soil you have.
- The lawn should be partly dried out between waterings. This lets in air to the root system, stimulates deeper root formation and creates a more drought resistant lawn.
- Watering every day or every other day is bad for your lawn and leads to disease and a shallow root system.
- Winter watering is generally not necessary unless it is an abnormally dry season. During warmer months, a good deep watering once to twice a week will be sufficient.
Before watering your lawn please remember to check if water restrictions are in place with your local water authority.
How to mow
- Your grass should be cut according to the type of grass. Mow Couch between 20-30mm. Mow Buffalo & Kikuyu between 20-50mm
- The higher the mower height, the deeper and more extensive the roots.
- Don’t mow if hot weather is expected, or cut the grass shorter than 25mm, as the grass needs enough leaf area to protect itself form the burning effects of the sun.
- Sharpen mower blades as dull blades encourage plant water loss and introduction of disease.
- Keep mowing frequency to a rate where not more than 1/3 of the height of the grass is removed at anyone mowing.
When to fertilise
- Fertilise regularly all year round to ensure a healthy lawn and deter weeds.
- Use a balanced plant food that contains nitrogen(N). phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).
- Apply fertiliser prior to and during water restriction periods to help make lawns stronger and assist in their recovery when the weather cools.
Relax and have fun in your garden over summer! You can use this guide to take care of your lawn and your whole family will enjoy it too.
How to irrigate
- Regularly maintain your irrigation system to ensure maximum uniformity of coverage.
- Test the evenness of the distribution and the number of minutes to run sprinklers by placing 5 or 6 empty tin cans randomly across your lawn to measure the level of each can in mm. An efficient system will show an even level in each can.
- Use soil moisture meters or rain shut off devices where possible.
- Adjust automatic timers of in ground irrigation systems according to the plant’s seasonally changing water needs.
The footprint test
To check if your lawn needs watering, try this simple footprint test. Walk across the lawn and see how long it takes for the grass to spring back. If the lawn is adequately moist you will hardly be able to see your footprints. If the leaves are very slow to spring back your lawn needs water.
Maintaining a healthy lawn for your home is easy and doesn’t take a lot of water! Contained in this brochure are a number of useful tips on watering, fertilising and mowing that will help to keep your grass looking healthy all year round.
