Hot and dry weather can really take a toll on even the healthiest lawns and cause them to become thin and patchy. This usually happens over the summer months, as the weather is hot and dry and lawn owners are generally on holidays or too busy to keep up their regular lawn maintenance schedule. It only takes a couple of days of hot, dry weather to affect your lawn.
What Do Dry Patches Look Like?
Usually what you will see is bare patches throughout the lawn or your lawn would’ve started to thin out and change colour. What follows this, is those bare patches bake in the sun and become rock hard making it difficult for water and nutrients to get into the soil. This is commonly known as dry patch and appears regularly in lawns throughout the summer. Thankfully it is treatable and is relatively easy to fix.
How Can I Treat Dry Patch in my Lawn?
First things first, it is always recommended you aerate the affected area of your lawn. Aeration can be done with a garden fork, core aerator, or a motorised aerator depending on the size of the lawn. This is crucial as it will de-compact your soil and will help nutrients and water penetrate your lawn.
Next, apply a wetting agent like Lawn Soaker to the affected area. Lawn Soaker is available in an easy to use hose-on bottle and will assist with water absorbing into your soil. This will also allow the soil to hold water in a usable manner for longer. Always remember to irrigate your lawn well after applying the wetting agent.
After this, it is time to stimulate your lawns growth to allow it to self-repair and cover back over. This is best done by applying an NPK fertiliser to the entire lawn and irrigating the lawn well afterwards. A fertiliser like the Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser, Pro Plus or Exceed Liquid Fertiliser are ideal options. Always remember to apply all products at label rates and follow all instructions.
There are steps you can take to reduce the suffering.
- Choose a drought tolerant variety like IronCutter Hybrid Bermuda.
- Carry out good soil improvement practices prior to installing your new lawn.
- Water your lawn correctly, less frequent, deeper soakings to encourage deep roots.
- If possible, give your lawn one deep soaking at the first sign of any heat and drought and then leave it until it starts to wilt, repeating the process as necessary. This will be more frequent in sandy soils.
- Increase the mowing height – slightly longer lawns shade the soil, reducing evaporation and stress.
If you are unsure of any of the above, please get in touch with our knowledgeable Rock N' Soil team. We'll be sure to help you with any questions on how to keep your lawn healthy and vibrant throughout the year. Simply give us a call, send an email, or visit us in-store!
Summer is a prime season for pest infestations. If you notice there are still dry patches on your lawn, it may be the result of pesky lawn bugs. Check out our blog here on how to tackle these turf intruders... Lawn Bugs: What’s Killing My Lawn?
This article was provided by Lawn Solutions Australia.