Top Tips For Summer Lawn Care

Summer is here and with the beautiful sunny weather now is a great time to be enjoying the great outdoors. So our number 1 tip this is Summer is enjoy your lawn, get out and have fun outside!!

While it's great for us, sadly it's not so great for your lawn, with very hot days in January and February and increased traffic from parties and time spent outside your lawn is likely to suffer some stress, particularly for cool season grasses like Rye, Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass which enjoy cooler conditions.

Don't stress though, Munns has you covered with advice on how to ensure your lawn is looking it's best throughout this period. It doesn't matter if you are mowing, watering and fertilising your lawn during these hot months, we've got some tips below to help you take your lawn to the next level.

When mowing your lawn the height of cut and the quality of this cut can play a big part in its success, this continues during the stressful Summer period.

Simply allowing your lawn to grow longer can help shade the soil, promote root length and reduce watering requirements. Just remember this means letting it grow longer and cutting it regularly at this height, not letting it grow and then cutting it short, a big mistake.

Mowing your lawn too short during this period makes it more susceptible to the Summer heat, weeds and disease.  

Mowing heights for warm season lawns (like Buffalo, Couch, and Kikuyu varieties) should be approximately 2-4cm with cool season lawns (like Rye, Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass) being left to 5cm.

Pro Tip: During this warmer period mowing is usually increased (especially on warm season grasses) due to improved soil temperatures. With more frequent mowing your mower blades wear down in a shorter period and before you know it they will need a sharpen or replacement. Check out one of our other blogs on how to sharpen your blades.

​Deep watering is your friend in the warmer seasons as water can be used by the plant and evaporated from the surface very quickly. Soaking the lawn so the water reaches deep into the soil, 1-2 times a week (check water restrictions in your area) in the early morning is the best way to get water to your lawn without creating conditions that promote disease. Watering in the early morning is the best time as it allows for any water to evaporate off the leaf blades, watering at night can help promote disease if the blades are wet during the night so should be avoided if possible.

Pro Tip: To check how deep the water is getting into your soil, use a shovel to slice out a section of turf to check the soil moisture.  This can also be done after rainfall to see how far the water has penetrated.

Watering is vital for lawn health but to achieve the most effective results when watering your lawn and soil, we recommend the use of wetting agents, particularly in times of high heat like Summer.

By using wetting agents like Munns Professional Smart Wetter you improve water infiltration and penetration, priming your lawn to soak up every precious drop that you apply or falls from the sky in the hotter months. This product is highly concentrated and is ideal for all lawns, garden and vegetable beds, hanging baskets and pots. It can be applied using a backpack sprayer or re-use a hose on pack, for best results it's important to water deeply after application especially in times of high heat.

Fertilising is usually undertaken in Spring and Autumn but undertaking the task in Summer should be considered for two reasons. Firstly if you forgot in Spring or if you want it looking its very best for visitors over the holiday period.

If you forgot to fertilise in Spring it's not too late, but you do need to be careful in selecting a fertiliser. The use of conventional fertilisers results in readily available nutrition, while this is ideal for cooler Spring temperatures during Summer these can result in high levels of mowing, scalping and then disease during this period. During Summer it is best to use a controlled release fertiliser like Munns Professional Greenkeeper, it's coating technology results in a steady growth and release of nutrients to your lawn.

For those looking to show off to your friends, family and neighbours, Munns Professional Green Dominator takes your lawn to the next level with rapid greening of your lawn in just 4 hours. With regular entertaining through this period if you are looking to create that showpiece for Summer apply every 3 weeks.

No, we don't mean having the relatives over, we are talking about your lawn. Seaweed based products are great for stress events like increased traffic, heat and frost so it makes sense to give your lawn  an added advantage this summer. Applying Munns Professional Root Regenerator helps protect against heat stress and stimulates root development to access more water at lower depths. Its highly concentrated formulation treats a huge 1000m2 from just 1L making it great value.   

For more great tips like these and inspirational ideas for your lawn, make sure you follow Munns on Facebook and Instagram.