7 Easy Autumn Lawn Care Steps

Following a busy summer of traffic from parties, kids and pets your lawn’s soil could be compacted.

Soil compaction means your lawn’s roots are not able to receive enough, water, oxygen or nutrients.

The must-do activity for autumn is to aerate which helps de-compact the soil and allows water and air to move down into the profile.

The process is easy – drive a fork halfway down into the ground and wiggle it, remove, repeat across the lawn.

Also, always be careful of any underground irrigation lines when aerating.

If you have a large lawn area, it can pay to hire a coring machine or aerator.

Learn more about Aeration.

Before you start your autumn care prep make sure your lawn is free of weeds.

Depending on the size of your lawn you may be able to remove weeds by hand.

Typical examples of Broad-Leafed weeds are; White Clover, Plantain, Capeweed, Cat’s Ear, Bindii, Cudweed and Creeping Oxalis.

If your lawn has too many weeds to remove by hand we recommended an effective liquid herbicide – Bow and Arrow 500mL.

Bow and Arrow is suitable for use on Zoysia, Kikuyu, Couch and Buffalo grasses however transient discolouration may occur on Kikuyu, Carpet and Queensland Blue Couch lawns.

Application of Bow and Arrow is easily done with the appropriate spray equipment.

For more info on Top 10 Weeds found in lawns.

Lawn pests are often rife after a long hot summer due to humid and dry conditions that have stressed out your lawn and made it more susceptible.

The best plan is to first try and identify what pest you have on your lawn and then ask your Local Garden Centre what the appropriate insecticide to use.

The most common lawn insect pests are Curl Grub (the larvae of beetles like the African Black Beetle) and Lawn Army Worm.

myhomeTURF’s online shop has a wide range of insecticides that are safe to use on most grass varieties. Always check the label before use.

Like with lawn pests, diseases can appear after a long hot summer when the grass is tired and stressed.

Many common lawn diseases include Brown Patch and Dollar Spot, which appear as dying spots and patches of lawn.

Lawn diseases can also be more common in areas with compacted or poorly drained soil.

The trick to controlling lawn diseases is to keep your lawn healthy and well fed.

The most common lawn diseases can be controlled with an effective fungicide which can be found at the myhomeTURF online shop.

Always check the fungicide’s label to ensure it is safe to use on your lawn variety.

Fertilising at the start of autumn is the best way to green-up your lawn and make it stronger, and better able, to resist damage from extreme cold, even frost.

Autumn fertilising also helps a lawn’s recovery from any stress it may have faced at the end of summer from pests and diseases.

Your autumn fertilising application will firstly be determined by the sort of grass you have (warm or cool season).

For both warm and cool-season grass types, mid-autumn represents a great time to fertilise.

For warm season grass, slow release fertilisers are great for building your lawn’s strength over an extended period in the lead up to winter.

An ideal slow release granular fertiliser is Maintain Mini 26-2-9 + 3.4 Fe 20kg has become one of the most popular granular all-round lawn fertilisers on the market with the active ingredients of Nitrogen (N – 26), Phosphorus (P – 2), Potassium(K – 9) and Iron (Fe – 3.4).

For cool season grasses the worst of the summer heat has passed, so they will respond well to a meal in order to mend themselves.

The myhomeTURF online shop has a wide range of fertilisers. The different types of fertilisers available are:

• Liquid Fertilisers contain the active ingredients which push your lawn to its fullest growing potential in the quickest time. As liquid fertiliser is a quick fix and ignites growth and greening-up of your lawn, it needs to be applied more frequently. They are easily applied through your hose or a spray applicator.
• Granular Slow-Release Fertiliser is often better value for money if you are looking for a slow-release feed and growth for your lawn over an entire season (three months). Granular slow-release fertiliser is easily applied through a hand or push spreader.
• Traditional Fertiliser is often the cheapest lawn food choice but not necessarily the best, application rates are usually every 4 to 6 weeks and rely on the lawn being able to absorb the nutrients as they move through the soil.
• Organic Fertiliser is the most natural and environmentally-friendly fertiliser product available. True organic fertilisers are made up of either animal or vegetable matter and contain no artificial or synthetic materials. Application can be through a spreader or by hand depending on what product you purchase.

During autumn if you notice the leaf blades on your lawn starting to wilt then it is time to water.

Remember windy, warm autumn weather can be just as drying for your lawn as a hot, summer’s day.

During autumn it is best to water in the mornings as evening watering can encourage fungus growth when the lawn stays damp overnight.

Water your lawn early in the morning thoroughly for about 15 minutes, twice a week, so your lawn can absorb the moisture more effectively.

By watering your lawn thoroughly and deeply you encourage the development of strong root growth in your lawn.

If you are short of water – water only the parts of the lawn that are drying out or where you want it to stay green.

Ever wondered about reducing water usage on home lawns?

In autumn, your lawn is storing energy for winter therefore mowing frequency should decrease to allow growth.

Raise your mower height around mid to late autumn to ensure a larger leaf surface area.

Before mowing clear any leaves to allow your lawn as much sunlight as possible. 

If your lawn doesn’t need mowing but has lots of leaves, raise your mower’s cutting height to the limit, fit the catcher and use it like a vacuum cleaner.

For more info on when you should or shouldn’t mow with a catcher.

Bow and Arrow Herbicide

LawnPride Maintain Mini 26-2-9 + 3.4 Fe 20kg