Top 5 Spring Lawn Care Tips

September 13, 2019

Feeling a bit 'browned off' with the look of your lawn after this long, cold winter?

Don't fret. You're not alone. Brown turf in winter is actually 'green' from an environmental stand point!

But if you're looking for some simple ways to help boost your lawn's recovery, try these five spring lawn care tips.

Step 1: Clean up and rake away debris

Now's the time to clear away any leaves, branches and other debris that may have accumulated on your lawn during winter. Almost like a spring clean of your home, move any objects that have been stationary for a while and allow your lawn to breathe. Trampolines are a great example.

Step 2: Get your mower ready

Chances are that like your lawn, your mower has been sitting dormant for a few months. A bit of basic maintenance can go a long way. Changing fuel, oil and the spark-plug can help keep your machine running smoothly for years. If you baulk at the thought of home-mechanics, there are many mower shops around that will happily help you out. But get in early in the season before they get over-run with work. Sharp blades are another important piece of mower maintenance. A new set of blades, or if you’re a dab-hand with the grinder, a touch-up can do wonders.

Step 3: Remove weeds

It's not uncommon at this time of year for winter weeds to have taken over your dormant lawn.
You can remove most single weeds by hand, preferably before they go to seed. Mow over flat weeds; a healthy lawn will choke most weed types out once the growing season starts again. If you’ve got many weeds or a persistent type, feel free to call our Coolabah Turf Lawn Dr hotline to get some advice on the best herbicides to use. A product like Oxafert is effective to help eradicate weed issues before they turn to seed and potentially spread and cause further ongoing problems.

Step 4: Fertilise your lawn

Spring is a critical time to fertilise your lawn. This helps speed up new growth and recovery from dreaded winter dormancy. It also helps establish strong roots for summer. But don’t get carried away! You want to try and eradicate those unwanted winter weeds first, before feeding them as well. Overfeeding at this time of year may not produce immediately desired results because the warmth and light intensity is not quite there yet for your lawn to perform at its best. A light dusting of either organic or inorganic fertiliser at the specified label rate will give your lawn the boost it needs. It’s a good idea to mow a few times first, assess the weed and lawn growth situation and then further address fertiliser needs as soil temperatures start to increase.
Once warmer weather really kicks in (hopefully only a couple of weeks away now) – your lawn will be back looking lush and alive…and green! At Coolabah, we recommend you feed your lawn with a granular NPK fertiliser like Lawn Solutions Australia fertiliser.

Step 5: Check for compaction

To see how your soil is holding up and whether compaction is a problem, grab yourself a long screwdriver. Plunge it into the ground in a few places to see how far it will penetrate. (Be sure to mind any irrigation or electrical cabling). You should be able to easily push it in for up to 100 to 150mm (4-6 inches) without too much resistance. If not, it would serve your lawn well to look at aeration to remedy the problem.
One of the healthiest things you can do for a spring lawn is to aerate. Aeration helps increase the amount of air, water and nutrients getting to the soil. This strengthens grass roots and helps create a healthier lawn.