Winter Lawn Care
Ever wondered why with the onset of the colder months, your lawn is in a state of decline? Is your lawn lacking in colour? Are you noticing bare patches along with thinning out of the thatch layer?
Here at Luke’s Landscaping Co, we’re the experts when it comes to installing lawns in Perth and we know the secret to a winter lawn care. Today, we’re happy to share it with you.
A beautiful winter lawn is created NOW in Autumn prior to the onset of winter.
Now is the time to act (for lawns and gardens)
Below is some relevant information on what we can do for our customers to ensure their lawns will live up to our promise of lush green beautiful winter growth.
We’ve also included recommended mowing heights for buffalo and couch grasses in both summer and winter months. Get started on your winter lawn care below.
Lawn Installation & Maintenance
Here at Luke’s Landscaping, we specialise in Lawns & Reticulation.
For most lawn owners in Australia, we grow “warm season grasses” as our lawns. What this means is in warmer weather the grasses thrive and as the weather cools they go into a state of much-slowed growth or in some cases a state of semi-hibernation.
Without the rapid and regular growth associated with warmer weather, grasses will lose their dark green colour and will become slower to re-grow and repair damage. As the position of the sun changes in the sky it increases shade combined with lower daylight hours, a reduction in direct sunlight and lower soil temperatures, lawns will generally be at their most vulnerable and unable to repair or maintain good health as well as they can in warmer times.
WHAT IS THE SECRET TO A BEAUTIFUL LAWN IN WINTER?
A beautiful winter lawn is created in autumn, PRIOR to the onset of winter. That’s the secret! And it’s very simple. Once winter arrives, there is very little or much that can be done to bring a lawn to good health, or to maintain it there if the grass wasn’t already in maximum health prior to winter arriving.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO INCREASING LAWN HEALTH IN AUTUMN?
Realise and be aware of the importance of the lead-up to winter as being the time to create a beautiful winter lawn and act accordingly.
Increase mowing heights
As daylight hours decrease, so does the ability of lawns to photosynthesise, so by increasing mowing heights and leaving more green leaf, we increase the food supply to the grass. This step is essential and taking the mower up a notch or two should suffice.
Decrease watering as air and soil temperatures decrease
Overwatering at this time of year can increase the possibility of turf disease or rotting of the thatch layer.
Kill winter weeds
Generally, broadleaf weeds will become more prominent in winter as conditions for their survival improve and as the ability for the lawn to fight against them decreases. It is best to treat them as early as possible before they spread.
Pruning
Overgrown trees and bushes may increase their shade levels in winter, and by the time you notice that your lawn has started dying in affected areas, it can be too late to repair the damage. So it’s best to plan ahead and prune trees and other bushes in autumn.
Treat winter grass
If you had winter grass last year, you’ll have it again this year too. Its continuing existence can choke the root system of your lawn throughout the year. Winter grass must be treated when it’s young, and the very best time to treat it is pre-emergent. That means knowing that winter grass will soon emerge and killing it before it is even seen. Winter grass can be treated pre-emergent from May.
One of the preferred treatments is a product called Kerb which needs to be applied either in the rain or immediately before the retic is put on. This product kills the seed just as it starts to germinate, which is the best way of controlling winter grass. Once it has germinated, it is very difficult to get on top of and produces millions of seeds which will only increase the problem in the lawn for the following years.
Fertilise correctly
Lawn is a living thing and like all living things requires the right nutrients at the right time to look its best and have healthy vibrant growth. Often people treat lawn fertilising as an ad hoc event and do it sporadically without really thinking it through! The best results are when you follow a plan and do it evenly with a spreader applying the fertiliser at the right time always, without fail.
This means having a plan for fertilising at the right times with the right fertilisers. Put down a high quality winter fertiliser in May prior to winter arriving. Winter fertilisers contain higher levels of iron which is essential for good lawn health through winter. We recommend monthly fertilising with our specialized landscaping 28 day fertilisers.
RECOMMENDED MOWING HEIGHTS AND FREQUENCY
Buffalo grasses such as Sir Walter and other soft leaf Buffalo varieties should be mowed at a height approximately 20mm – 35mm in summer every 2 weeks. In the winter months the heights can be raised to approximately 30mm – 45mm and mowed every 3 weeks. If the lawn area has considerable shade cover these heights can be accordingly.
Couch grasses such as Winter Green, Greenlees Park, Winsor Green and Bermuda Couch, should ideally be mown every 10-14 days at a height of approximately 10mm – 12mm in summer and in winter mowing every 3-5 weeks raising the mowing height to 12mm – 16mm.
LANDSCAPING PERTH
At Luke’s Landscaping, we specialize in Perth lawns and have extensive experience with lawn mowing, lawn spraying and general lawn care. When it comes to diagnosing problems in your lawn and fixing issues we are the ones to come to. We have our spraying licence and can spray for most weeds and pests and diseases in lawns. Remember one year’s weeds can be 10 years seeds! If you’re looking for Perth landscapers, we know how to get your garden looking its best.
Contact us now for an assessment from our friendly team at Luke’s Landscaping and achieve that lush green lawn you always wanted.
Our Guarantee to you
- We will clean up every time
- We only use the best machinery
- We will check your reticulation at the end of every job every time before leaving (lawn only)
- We can offer fertilising packages to keep your lawn healthy and green
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