Spring is just around the corner and we can’t wait for the warmer days, greener grass, and for more time out on the lawn. In this video, we share some tips on how you can prepare for your spring lawn activities.
Spring lawn care in many ways starts before spring. You can begin clearing away any leaves, branches and other debris that may have accumulated during winter as soon as you can.
Top Spring Tip If you are looking to lay a new lawn or repair some areas with turf, you don’t need to wait until spring. You can lay turf now, getting it established before the heat of summer comes which will mean less watering and your new lawn will be ready sooner.
Lawn Weeds Coming out of winter there can be a few weeds that may have been able to fight their way through your lawn. Most single weed types can be removed by hand, or you can spray with a broadleaf herbicide like All Purpose Weed Control. Just make sure you identify the weeds first and apply the right product. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev_lRe-KiOQ&t=82s
Lawn Mower Now is also a good time to give your lawn mower a service, or you can arrange to have it looked at by a professional. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVoNgo9N5Mk
pH Test Last season you may have found your lawn didn’t perform very well or didn’t respond to fertiliser applications. This could be to do with the pH of the soil.
Compaction Test To see how your soil is holding up and whether compaction is a problem, grab a long screwdriver. Plunge it into the ground in a few places to see how far it will penetrate, minding any irrigation or electrical cabling before you do this.
You should be able to easily push it in for up to 100 to 150mm without too much resistance. If you can’t, it would serve your lawn well to look at aeration to remedy the problem.
If you had to push the screwdriver through a lot of spongey thatch build-up, you should also look at dethatching as well.
Having tested the pH of your soil and for compaction, you can now look at what lawn care activities you will need to undertake during spring and create a plan of action.
Depending on the extent of what you need to do, the following sequence of activities is the recommended order for your to-do list:
Spring Lawn ‘Renovation’ • If dethatching is required start off with a low mow, before either a lower scalp or the use of a dethatching machine.
• Follow this with an aerate, if compaction is mild a garden fork will do, but core aeration is best if you have a significant compaction issue.
• If you have a compaction issue or want to improve your soil or levels, you would then topdress and apply a lawn fertiliser. If you have a pH issue, this is when you can apply the appropriate soil amendment to raise or lower your soils pH.
• From there, regular watering for recovery over the coming weeks is crucial followed by regular mowing.
Just make sure you don’t undertake dethatching, scalping or topdressing until your lawn is growing strongly again with warmer weather.
You now have a to-do list and can start to get the necessary lawn care products and tools together ready for use.
We have a great range of Lawn Solutions Australia products on our online Lawn Store which are also available through our national network of LSA Members, so you can stock up and be ready to go.
For more lawn care information and special insights into Lawn Solutions Australia, subscribe to our channel. Lawn Solutions Australia - Australia’s best and most experienced turf growers - Proud Suppliers of Sir Walter DNA Certified, Sir Grange & TifTuf 🌱 https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/ #preparinglawnforspring #springlawncare #lawnrenovation
