Autumn Lawn Care Issues

Autumn is a great opportunity to prepare your lawn for the cooler weather that is upon us in South East Queensland. While we may not suffer the dramatic seasonal changes like our southern cousins the changes in rainfall and temperature can have an effect on our lawns too.

The main issues you need to consider during autumn are fertilising, mowing and pests.

Ideally your autumn fertilising should take place from March – April, but if you haven’t gotten to it yet don’t despair, as long as there is still warmth in the soil (and there should be considering the weather recently), then your lawn is still actively growing and will benefit from fertilising. Applying fertiliser in autumn will prepare your lawn for its dormant phase while encouraging a strong root system development, overall health and vitality and a good winter colour. Being healthier before winter will help your lawn to ward off pests and weeds.

You will want to keep your lawn longer during winter to help with the process of photosynthesis and keeping those pesky weeds suppressed. Keeping the lawn longer means less frequent mowing so use the time you would normally be mowing to maintain your lawn mower. Ensure the blades are sharp, replace the sparks plugs and generally give all the parts a once over. If you’re not confident undertaking this yourself, then now is the perfect time to send the lawn mower off to your local lawn mower service centre for a service.

Pests love autumn, so now is the time that you must remain vigilant. Lawn grubs such as armyworm, sod webworm and cutworm are particularly active during the autumn months, so make sure you keep an eye out and treat as soon as they appear and before an infestation takes hold.

Autumn represents a great time to adapt your lawn care regime to the cooler temperatures, shorter days and prepare your grass plants for the winter ahead.

For all your fertilising and pest control needs, contact the team at Daleys Turf; they can give you the best advice on the correct products to use, application and even organise what you need to be delivered directly to your door.