Summer

Continuing to fertilise through summer months is as important as Spring. As temperatures continue to rise, grass becomes stressed and depleted of nutrients and water, making it more susceptible to diseases, weeds, and discolouration. By choosing the right fertilisers and products like wetting agents and seaweed, you can ensure your lawn remains healthy and green throughout the summer.

Warm season grasses prefer these conditions so long as the lawn has what it needs, due to the temperature we need to consider what we do with applying products in the heat and doing any work to the lawn like scarification which leaves the lawn susceptible to more stress in heat.  So timing of these practices are best done in cooler spells or cooler times of the day.

Cool season lawns on the other hand stress greatly and often will shut down and head into almost a dormant period, so what we do for them is very important.  Shallower roots mean they are more prone to moisture stress so use of wetting agents and soil amendments to nurture the roots is essential along with increased watering.  Allowing a cool season lawn to stress in summer is sometimes hard to recover from, so having a plan in place to prevent is the best approach.

When selecting a lawn fertiliser for summer, it’s important to consider the nutrient content. The Slower-release fertilisers are often recommended for summer application as the warmer soils can cause faster volatilisation or release of the nutrients in the soil. These products release nutrients gradually over an extended period, providing sustained nourishment to the grass.  This gives a more even growth pattern preventing rapid growth spurts and reduce the risk of burning the lawn during hot weather.  Look for a balanced fertiliser that contains a controlled or stabilised source of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N-P-K) in the appropriate ratios for your lawn’s needs. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth, phosphorus aids in root development for young lawns, and potassium helps with overall stress tolerance.  Organic and biological inputs to the soil are very important for your lawn too. These products improve soil health, enhance microbial activity, and promote natural nutrient cycling.

Additionally, with the warm season lawns consider using a plant growth regulator to make maintenance easier, a tighter darker finish and a more stress tolerant lawn.