Prepare Your Grass for Summer

Prepare Your Grass for Summer

November has arrived, Christmas is fast approaching, and it’s clear that Adelaide has experienced an especially dry spring this year. Now, more than ever, proper lawn care is crucial to ensure your grass thrives throughout the intense heat of summer. As the weather changes, so should your approach to lawn care. Adjusting your maintenance routine in line with the warmer temperatures and longer days will help your lawn stay healthy, vibrant, and lush during the months ahead.

In this blog, we’ll discuss essential lawn care practices to focus on this November, from aeration and fertilisation to mowing and de-thatching. Additionally, we’ll highlight how our instant lawn installation and maintenance services can make this process easier for you, ensuring your lawn looks its best all year round.

Aeration: Essential for a Healthy Lawn

Aeration is a key step to keep your lawn healthy and robust, especially as summer approaches. This process involves creating small holes in the soil to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the root zone. These elements are crucial for the growth and health of your grass, helping it better withstand the dry conditions typical of Adelaide’s summers.

Aerating your lawn also prevents waterlogging and compaction. Compacted soil can lead to poor drainage, causing your lawn to struggle with moisture retention and root development. For smaller lawns, you can aerate using a garden fork, but for larger areas, we recommend using a specialised aerating machine. If this sounds daunting, don’t worry—Instant Lawn Adelaide offers professional aeration as part of our lawn maintenance services, ensuring your lawn is primed and ready for the summer heat.

Fertilise Your Lawn Before the Heat Hits

If you’ve missed your spring fertilising, there’s still time to get this essential task done in November. Fertilising your lawn now will provide the nutrients it needs to thrive through the summer heat, helping it conserve moisture, resist weeds, and maintain that beautiful green colour we all love.

A well-fertilised lawn is more resilient and better equipped to handle the stresses of summer. Be sure to choose a high-quality fertiliser and follow the application instructions carefully to avoid over-fertilising, which can harm your lawn.

Mow Wisely: Adjusting Your Cutting Height for Summer

As the heat intensifies, it’s important to adjust the height of your lawn mower. Cutting your grass too short can stress it, making it more vulnerable to drought and damage from the harsh sun. A good rule of thumb is to never remove more than one-third of the grass blade length at a time. This helps maintain a dense, healthy lawn, which is more resistant to heat and weeds.

By leaving the grass slightly longer, you’ll also help shade the soil, keeping it cooler and retaining moisture. You may not even need to collect the clippings—if they’re short enough, they will break down naturally and return valuable nutrients to the soil.

De-Thatching and Scarifying: Revitalise Your Lawn for Christmas

De-thatching is the process of removing the build-up of dead grass and organic material (known as thatch) from your lawn. This layer can block water, nutrients, and light from reaching the soil, which stunts grass growth. De-thatching your lawn now will ensure it has the best chance of thriving throughout summer.

For lawns with thicker layers of thatch or moss, scarifying may be necessary. Scarifying goes deeper than de-thatching, cutting through the soil to remove moss and thatch while improving drainage and airflow. While your lawn might look a bit patchy immediately after scarifying, with the help of a high-quality fertiliser and a liquid wetting agent, it will bounce back stronger than ever, usually within a few weeks.

At Instant Lawn Adelaide, we offer both de-thatching and scarifying services, either as a one-off treatment or as part of our regular lawn maintenance program. If you’re preparing your lawn for Christmas and summer gatherings, now is the perfect time to revitalise it with these essential services.

Watering: Deep and Infrequent for Strong Root Growth

With Adelaide’s dry climate, watering your lawn correctly is critical to helping it survive the summer months. It’s better to water deeply and less frequently to encourage deep root growth, which will make your lawn more drought-resistant. Shallow, frequent watering can lead to weaker root systems, making your lawn more susceptible to heat stress and drying out quickly.

If you don’t already have an irrigation system, consider installing one to ensure your lawn gets the right amount of water efficiently. At Instant Lawn Adelaide, we provide irrigation installation and servicing, ensuring your lawn and garden are well-hydrated throughout the hottest months. An irrigation system not only saves time but can also help reduce water waste and lower your water bill by delivering the right amount of water to your lawn when it needs it.

Stay Vigilant Against Weeds

Weeds thrive in the warm weather, and if left unchecked, they can quickly overtake your lawn. Regularly inspect your lawn for any signs of weeds and remove them promptly. You can either hand-pull smaller weeds or use a targeted herbicide for larger infestations. Be careful to choose a herbicide that won’t damage your grass.

Instant Lawn Installation: A Lush Lawn for Summer

If your lawn is patchy, struggling, or you’re starting from scratch, now is the perfect time to consider installing an instant lawn. Instant lawns provide a lush, green lawn almost immediately, saving you the time and effort of growing one from seed. We offer professional instant lawn installation, ensuring your lawn is healthy, even, and ready to thrive through summer. We use high-quality turf varieties suited to Adelaide’s climate, so you’ll enjoy a resilient lawn that’s built to withstand heat and dry conditions.

Conclusion

Lawn care in November is crucial for Adelaide homeowners looking to ensure their grass survives the summer heat. By aerating, fertilising, mowing at the right height, de-thatching, and watering deeply, you can maintain a healthy lawn that’s ready for summer barbecues and Christmas gatherings.

If you need help with your lawn care, Instant Lawn Adelaide offers a full range of services, including instant lawn installation, aeration, de-thatching, scarifying, fertilisation, and irrigation systems. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your lawn thrive this summer!