There’s nothing quite like a lush green lawn to enhance the look of your garden. Lawns are the pride and joy of many New Zealand gardeners, so if your lawn is not as it should be follow these steps to have the best looking lawn on the block.
If you want to make your tired lawn look brand new follow the steps below, however, if your lawns looks pretty good, but you just want to give it a boost follow the spraying, fertilisers, mowing and watering tips below.
Spraying: Spray the existing lawn with a selective weed killer, this will kill broadleaf weeds but not the grass. There are a lot of weeds and lot of product to choose from. It is always best to bring in a sample to ensure you get the correct spray. To spray your lawn but not to kill the grass some top two products are Yates Turfix or Kiwi Care Turf Clean; both will kill broad leaf weeds, clover, daisies, and prickle weed (Onehunga), without harming your lawn. Yates Woody Weedkiller is also very good, but you will not be able to re-sow grass in that spot for about 6 months. Diseases can also occur on lawns, but once again a sample always goes a long way to fixing any problems once it has been identified.
If you have weeds that look like grass you will need to use a non-selective weed killer like Kiwicare ‘Weed Weapon’ or ‘RoundUp’. Because this spray will kill everything, including lawn grass, you will need to spot spray it onto the grass weeds.
The sprays then need to dry for at least one day before either rain falls or watering is done, after that you can resume your normal watering practices with your lawn.
Removal: When the weeds are dead mow the lawn to 2-3cm (making sure you catch and remove your lawn clipping). The next step is often omitted, but in my opinion is one of the most important. You need to hire a de-thatcher. This is an amazing mower-like machine that puts teeth into the ground and removes the layer of organic matter on the soil surface and all the old, dead blades of grass. This is important because the soil must be exposed for new seed to grow. Click here to purchase your own de-thatcher.
Level the lawn: Use top soil to fill up any major dips or holes where puddles tend to form, and heel in.
Fill In Gaps: Spread extra grass seed over the lawn at 30g per square metre. Follow with a light raking to work the seed into the soil.
Fertiliser: Two top brands of lawn fertiliser are Oderings Lawn Replenish and Scotts Lawn Builder. Both will control their release of fertiliser for a 3-month period and although usually in smaller bags will go further distance for a longer period than cheaper brands. You will see the results in 7-10 days and do not have to water the product in immediately. Two of the cheaper brands are Tui Lawn Fertiliser and Oderings Lawn Fertiliser. You need to be more careful to get an even coverage with these two, as burning can occur if over applied, and they should be watered in immediately. However both are still good middle of the range products and you will definitely see your lawn getting a nice lush green within a couple of weeks. Oderings have a fertiliser spreader at each branch for hire for your convenience.
Mowing: More mowing equals vigorous growth and high quality lawns. A commonly asked question is “Is it ok to leave the lawn clippings on the lawn?” If you do they will recycle over time or you can use D-Thatch to break them down more quickly, either way will produce food and moisture for the lawn. It must also be said that poor air circulation and disease are another result.
Watering: Depends on the season and your weather. Like your garden you can tell when your lawn is becoming stressed and when it needs water so don’t ignore it, water it. Now you can take your shoes off and enjoy a luxuriously green, weed free lawn.
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