Don looked at a lawn riddled with weeds, moss and lichen. He guessed that the garden owners had forgotten to reset the sprinklers for winter, so the lawn was overwatered. Also, being on the southern side of the house the lawn obviously didn’t receive enough sun through winter.
Don’s tips
You need to water more heavily in summer than you do in winter. If you have an automatic sprinkler system, reset it to reduce watering time and frequency through the cooler months. Instead of using chemicals to get rid of weeds, try fertilising the lawn to encourage strong growth. Also, raise the height setting on your mower so that you don’t cut the grass too short. Repeated close mowing weakens lawns. If you fertilise, water and mow correctly the lawn will grow strongly and outcompete most of the weeds.
Further information
For full details on lawn care, don’t miss Don’s lawn guide, a free 24-page zipout in the October edition of the Burke’s Backyard Magazine. The magazine is available at newsagents and supermarkets for $5.20.