
The lawn maintenance tasks you should keep on top of throughout the year can broadly be divided into seasons.
Start the summer with a hit of fertiliser to give it the boost it needs to look its best throughout the hot months ahead.
A granule-based slow-release fertiliser that contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and potassium, such as Grech’s Top Turf Fertiliser or Sir Walter Fertiliser, will get it looking green and lush while encouraging strong root growth. Remember to water-in the fertiliser after you’ve applied it so you don’t burn the lawn.
If you’ve had a lot of rain in the preceeding season, you might consider fertilising at a higher dosage than the recommended rate to compensate for any nutrients which have been washed out of the soil.
If you’re not sure, apply the higher dosage first to a test area to see whether it performs any better in the following weeks. If it’s looking a lot greener and healthier than the area with the regular dose, then you can apply some extra all over.
During the first half of summer you should consider applying some Lawn Solutions Grub Guard to your lawn to prevent moths and other insects from laying their eggs in your lawn – these are commonly referred to as lawn grubs.
Without some preventative action, later in summer and thru autumn you may see some areas of your lawn looking dead where Lawn Grubs are actively feeding on the roots of the lawn in that area.
If you do get a bad case of grubs, they can do a lot of damage and quite quickly. While Lawn Solutions Grub Guard can help to halt an attack, prevention is better than cure!
Summer is when your lawn will likely grow pretty quickly because of the extra sunlight. This is particularly true if you are watering or enjoying regular rain.
Because you should not cut more than 1/3rd off your lawn blades at any one time, mowing the lawn every week is the best way to keep it from getting too long.
If you have let it go a bit long, take 1/3rd off, then give it a few days to recover before taking another 1/3rd off. This will prevent the lawn getting stressed and thinned-out.
Try not to mow too low, or you’ll encourage weeds to grow and the soil to dry out, which will mean you have to water more frequently. If your lawn seems to have white tips after you’ve mown, it’s time to give your mower blades a sharpen. The white tips are where the lawn has been ripped rather than cut!
Depending where you live, some amount of watering is probably going to be needed. We suggest you do it once a week, and water deeply when you do. This encourages the roots of your lawn to go deeper for water which will stand it in good stead during the hot and dry spells.
If you feel like your lawn really needs more watering than this to keep it looking good, you might consider applying a wetting agent. Some soils (especially sandy ones) can be ‘hydrophobic’ and not hold water well. Applying the wetting agent e.g. Lawn Lovers Lawn Soaker, is easy as clipping on the handy applicator bottle to your hose and spraying onto the lawn.
Because your lawn should grow nice and thick in summer, weeds shouldn’t be too much of a problem. But if you do seem to have some stubborn ones left over from the cooler months, apply some weed killer such as Lawn Lovers Buffalo Weed Control to get rid of them.
Autumn is an important season for lawn care, because it’s when you’ll prepare the lawn for the rigors of winter.
Like in the Summer, it’s a good idea to start Autumn with a hit of fertiliser to get the lawn as healthy as possible while it’s still growing. Don’t leave fertilising too late when the soil starts to cool and the lawn stops growing, or it won’t be of much help.
If you are unfortunate enough to get a case of grubs during autumn, remember to fertilise that area afterward to help it recover as quickly as possible.
If you’ve had a lot of rain, or there’s a part of you lawn that gets heavy foot traffic, you might find that the soil in that area gets compacted. This will make it hard for the grass to grow well in this area because the roots can’t breathe.
The way to fix it is to get some spiked aerator sandals and have a good tromp about the affected area. If your soil has some clay in it, it will be more prone to compaction and it would be a good idea to add some lime and gypsum after aeration to prevent the problem recurring.
You’ll be able to reduce the frequency of your mowing in Autumn as the lawn will stop growing as quickly. It’s also a good idea to start allowing your lawn to get a bit longer, so as it’s got good blade length for maximum photosynthesis when the days are shorter.
If you’ve had some wintergrass in the year previous, you need to get on top of it early this year because the seeds will be laying dormant in your soil getting ready to resurge with a vengeance this year. Don’t wait till winter, or it’ll be too late! At the start of April, you should treat the grass with some wintergrass weed killer which should ward it off for the year.
The main issue in winter is weeds. These take hold in winter because your lawn will be thinner and less able to out-compete them. The only thing you can do to prevent a bad weed season is to get on top of your fertilising it Autumn, so that the lawn is as healthy as possible during winter.
From that point, weeding can be done in different ways depending on the type of week you’re trying to eradicate. See our article on Lawn Weeds.
During spring, your lawn should start growing again, so if it seems a little slow to get going, check that the lawn has not become compacted (most frequent in clay-based soils) and in need of aerating and treatment with gypsum and lime as mentioned above. Or if you have sandy soil, you should check whether it’s holding enough moisture and if not, apply a wetting agent.
If the weather in your locality is a still quite cool, fertilising in early spring is best done with some liquid fertiliser, such as Seasol, which is a seaweed-based natural fertiliser that can be applied all year round.
This will give the lawn a kickstart after the dormant winter months. Or if your area enjoys warmer temperatures, a granular fertiliser should be applied – these types rely on bacteria in the soil to break down the nutrients in the fertiliser, which is activated by warmer temperatures.
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I would like to just take the time to thank you all for the great service. From the sales team on the phone all the way through to the delivery driver. The turf was also the freshest turf I have ever had delivered and we had a 100% perfect roll condition, I have never had a delivery with no waste rolls and perfect thickness growing bed attached so thank you. Even though I may not be very big currently I will be using GTS as my supplier from now on.
Hayden Mann – Dosman Lawns & Maintenance
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Jim – Superb Concreting
We pride ourselves at Eclipse Landscapes on our high level of standards and attention to detail, and with this in mind we have found that every aspect of Grech’s Turf over the past 20 years have always exceeded our expectations. They are most reliable, courteous and will always go that extra mile to ensure that their clients are well looked after and the best service is provided. They will always try their best to accommodate our deadlines and are extremely flexible in their approach. We would highly recommend the services of Grech’s Turf & their product.
Michelle – Eclipse Landscapes
The Other Side Landscapes Pty Ltd uses Grech's Turf for all our Turf Supplies. We undertook a trial process with turf suppliers and found their quality to be excellent, which is what our clients expect.
Adrian – Other Side Landscapes
You guys are great to deal with, deliveries are always on time and easy to organise, your quality of turf is great, I use the sapphire buffalo a lot, this is always in good nick and at a good price.
Mike – Vivid Scapes
I have been using the turf supplied from Grech's for over a decade simply because I know the turf delivered is the best quality every time.
Chris – Chris Chominsky Landscapes
Grech's Turf has been supplying our turf needs for over 20 years. Their quality of turf is superior. Their deliveries are always on time and delivered when scheduled and the staff always friendly and helpful. The grass is never greener anywhere else.
E. T. Landscapes & Plant Hire
Waratah Lawn Care & Garden Management have been using the professional services of GTS for over 6 years now, and over this time they have proven to be a reliable supplier of good quality turf to meet our range of clients needs. Sometimes our orders range from large orders of hundreds of square meters and other times just 10-20 meters, but no matter the order and where it's going GTS is always willing to get the order cut and delivered within our required timeframe. I have found the office staff to be helpful and professional with service, as well as the delivery drivers who are always friendly and keen to make sure they help out our staff by delivering and unloading the turf in the right position on site.
Greg – Waratah Lawn Care & Garden Management
“Thank you for the help over the Christmas break.
We had an order booked in with them of the Wednesday just before Christmas 2015 but due to the weather they were not able to cut, which is understandable. The guys kept me informed and were really helpful in organising a time and day for delivery once they went back to work and the ground dried enough so they could start cutting turf again.
The turf is always top quality and my customers are always happy with the turf.”
Shannon – Ponds-on-Pipeline
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Steven – Goodwill Landscaping
"Fine Edge Landscapes have been using Grech's Turf Supplies for the past 15 years. The quality of turf is always 100%, they deliver on time and their prices are very competitive. You can count on Grech's Turf Supplies to be the best every single time!"
Marcus – Fine Edge Landscapes
“BNE Lawn & Garden Maintenance has been using Grech's Turf for some 10 years. We have found their turf to be first quality and never had an issue with any turf. Grech’s is easy to deal with, the turf is always on time and when requested – especially at short notice.”
Bryan – BNE Lawn & Garden Maintenance
“Thank you to Kathy and Peter of Grech's Turf. Great Staff all very helpful. Love my new lawn”
Allan – Charlestown
“Ordered some turf form Grech’s Turf recently to cover an area around a new home. Well it has just finished our home off beautifully. Can not wait to mow it over the summer period, as it come up tops.
I would like to thank Grech’s Turf for their prompt service and top quality product, but even more importantly, their willingness to offer advice to get the most out of our investment.”
Scott – Sydney
“Just a quick note to thank Kerrie and her team for their advice and service – our new Sir Walter lawn was delivered and is looking fantastic. Everyone at GTS was friendly, knowledgeable and made sure everything was done properly to ensure our lawn would be the envy of our neighbours!”
Nick – Holroyd
The turf that arrived today was the best I have seen! As always, you guys provide a prompt and professional service, which makes me look good to my clients. Thanks again!
Joe – Windsor