Dry, patchy lawn – What can you do about it?

A hot and dry summer has taken its toll on many of our lawns recently. If you have been away on holidays or if you have been limited to how much you can water your lawn due to water restrictions, your lawn may have become thin and patchy during this time.

Usually what you will see is bare patches throughout the lawn or your lawn would’ve started to thin out and change colour. What follows this, is those bare patches bake in the sun and become rock hard making it difficult for water and nutrients to get into the soil. This is commonly known as dry patch and appears regularly in lawns throughout the summer. Thankfully it is treatable and is relatively easy to do so.

• First things first, it is always recommended you aerate the affected area of your lawn. Aeration can be done with a garden fork, aerator sandals or a specialised aerator depending on the size of the lawn. This is crucial as it will de-compact your soil and will help nutrients and water penetrate your lawn.

• Next, apply a wetting agent like Lawn Soaker to the affected area. Wetting agents come in liquid and granular forms and assist with water absorbing into your soil. This will also allow the soil to hold water in a usable manner for longer. Always remember to irrigate your lawn well if you can after applying the wetting agent. A ready to use wetting agent like Lawn Soaker is your best option if you are limited with how much you can water depending on what your current restrictions entail.
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• After this, it is time to stimulate your lawns growth to allow it to self-repair and cover back over. This is best done by applying an NPK fertiliser to the entire lawn and irrigating the lawn well afterwards. Always remember to apply all products at label rates and follow all instructions.

There are steps you can take to reduce the suffering:
• Choose a drought tolerant variety like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda.
• Carry out good soil improvement practices prior to installing a lawn.
• Water your lawn correctly, less frequent, deeper soakings will encourage deep roots.
• If possible, give your lawn one deep soaking at the first sign of any heat and drought and then leave it until it starts to wilt, repeating the process as necessary. This will be more frequent in sandy soils.
• Increase the mowing height – slightly longer lawns shade the soil, reducing evaporation and stress.
• Bonus Tip: A good way of helping to protect, feed and improve your lawn’s colour while it is dormant during the heat of summer is to apply ColourGuard Plus.
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Lawn Solutions Australia is Australia’s largest network of turf specialists offering consolidation and consistency for its national network of turf production, product and research facilities.

We have the best grasses for today and we’re working on the best grasses for the future. But we are more than just turf suppliers. Our growers and suppliers are professionals who go the extra mile to make your lawn perfect. From expert advice about the best grass for your locality, to tips on calculating the amount of turf you need, and our highly professional turf installation services.

To compliment this, all Lawn Solution Australia members also offer premium lawn care products to ensure your lawn stays in great shape year round.

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