Whether winter at yours was wet, cold, or both, putting the effort in to get your lawn back up to standard during spring will only pay dividends in the months to come. More often than not, New Zealand winters take their toll on our lawns because we can expect rain, hail, snow and sunshine – sometimes in the space of a few hours. While we offer a range of services and packages that can get your lawn summer-ready and keep it that way, here are a few areas that you can get started on.
Drain any pools
If your soil is made up of a lot of clay, or you experienced a winter with equal amounts of harsh sun and heavy rain, you might not be surprised to find that with enough rain a few large puddles or bird baths have filled on your lawn.
Taking care of them can be as easy as stabbing some drainage holes with a pitchfork, otherwise, for larger jobs you may need to trench a PVC pipe or dig a small well you can fill with scoria to soak up excess water. To make digging easier, try spreading some gypsum beforehand to break up the clay.
Check for weeds and bugs
Weeds are easy enough to pull if there are only a few, but if you find plenty then it’s worth saving time and treating them chemically. In New Zealand, we have a number of different weeds that try to invade our gardens and treating them isn’t always a one-spray solution. To find out more about how you can identify and get rid of some of them, check out our post on common lawn weeds.
Spring is also the best time to check for anything lurking under your turf and doing so is easy. Use your spade to cut a square the length of its blade and lift around 50-60mm of grass and soil – just enough to check the grass, roots and a little of the soil underneath. Look out for beetles and the greasy-looking porina caterpillar, and if you find more than five in one patch then it’s worth treating your backyard.
This can be as simple as a tea tree oil solution applied after mowing. But if you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to get in touch and one of our team can offer the right solution for your lawn.
Re-sow if you need to
With a lawn free from bugs and swamps, if you have any patches leftover then now is the time to plant new seed. Be sure to find the same seed as what you’ve already grown, and to keep birds from eating them it’s a good idea to sow in the evenings when birds are asleep.
It’s possible to cover patches with netting, but if you’re sowing your entire lawn then throwing some old bread on the other side of your home is one way to keep them from tucking into your seed.
Still stuck or pressed for time?
Growing a winning lawn is easier said than done, and with a wide range of seeds available combined with the weather we can experience over winter, no two properties are the same when it comes to recovering from a harsh one. Our professional turf specialists are trained to deal with everything from commercial sports fields to small gardens, and everything in between.
If you require a one-off job like some proper drainage or are looking for a team of dedicated landscapers to keep your lawn pristine for the months ahead, we offer a range of packages and services to homeowners across Canterbury.
Contact us today or call 0800 887 383 to find out how we can transform your lawn.