The Aussie Summer is famous for barbecues, pool days, and afternoon drinks, which is why it's essential to keep your lawn in tip top shape. However, the summer is also harsh and can have damaging effects on your lawn. We’ve compiled our best tips for maintenance during the summer that’ll have your neighbours green with envy.
Your outdoor power tools will be put to use heavily throughout the growing season, so you’ll want to make sure they’re always performing their best. Blunt and poorly maintained equipment can leave your yard looking messy and make it susceptible to damage.
Mower blades should be a priority when checking your equipment. Blunt blades tear at the tip of the grass, making your lawn appear messy as the grass tips are roughened and browned. To resolve this, you can easily sharpen or replace your mower blades, resulting in a tidier and healthier grass cutting.
To keep your lawn edges and hedges looking tidy, it’s important to service your trimmers. As with mower blades, your hedge trimmers should be sharpened to ensure a clean trim every time. For edge trimmers you can service your oils and replace the trimmer lines with ease.
Bushranger stocks a range of maintenance tools and accessories to keep your tools at peak performance.
Happy and healthy lawns with good nutritional value are less prone to weed infestations. In summer, new arrays of weeds can thrive in uncontrolled lawns, so prevention is important. A great means of prevention is a pre-emergent herbicide, which forms a barrier in your soil against germination of weed seeds.
Pre-emergents typically provide 4 to 6 months of protection against weeds. To apply pre-emergent herbicides to your lawn, use a spreader for an even application and water it in thoroughly.
However, if you’re dealing with an existing weed infestation, there are also several ways to control them. It’s important to select the right herbicide for your lawn variety to get the best results and avoid causing distress. Take proper precautions when using herbicides, such as wearing PPE and applying in temperatures below 26 degrees.
A good way to check the health of your lawn is to test the soil pH levels. This test reveals your soil’s acid-alkaline level, ranging from 1 being most acidic to 14 being most alkaline. The optimal level is smack-bang in the middle at 7, meaning higher-quality soil. Therefore, testing your soil lets you determine the best course of action to achieve neutral pH for a better lawn!
Dry weather and intense heat can dry out your yard, leaving it brown and crunchy to the touch. Fertiliser is a great way to prevent sun damage and maintain a healthy lawn. It’s recommended to fertilise leading into summer as a great means of preventing damage.
Even if you missed out on your chance to fertilise in the spring, it isn’t too late! You’ll just need to take some extra factors into consideration. When fertilising in summer’s scorching temperatures, there’s the risk of burning and browning your lawn. Therefore, it’s ideal to use a slow release fertiliser that’ll steadily maintain your lawn’s health and reduce the risks of damage and burning.
To ensure an even and thorough cover, we recommend using the Bushranger Granular Spreader.
In the summertime, your mowing habits will have to be adjusted in order to best protect your lawn’s soil and root systems. This is because your yard will have reduced water retention, increasing the risk of heat damage and dryness.
In preparation for the hot temperatures, it’s important to allow your grass to grow longer, shading your soil and root systems. To maintain this healthy shade, it’s a good idea to increase your mowing height and frequency. Cutting your grass too short increases the risk of heat damage, weeds, and disease.
Leaving lawn clippings on the yard during summer can be detrimental to your soil and roots as they trap heat and humidity. Instead, rake away the clippings or use a catcher to avoid issues with fungus and to increase essential air flow.
For a quick and effective way to clear away clippings, check out our range of Blowers.
The next important maintenance tip for the summer won’t come as a surprise. In combination with the previous tips, your lawn will require regular and thorough watering to combat the damaging effects of heat and humidity.
Depending on water restrictions in your area, your ideal watering schedule would be a deep soak once or twice a week in the early morning. It’s recommended to water in the early morning to allow enough time for the water to evaporate from the grass leaves, promoting absorption and retention, and reducing the risk of diseases.
If you’re impacted by water restrictions, your best alternative is a wetting agent that will improve water retention and infiltration. This allows you to get the most out of reduced water use. To check if your soil is getting enough water, you can slice out a small section of the yard and measure the soil moisture.
Over all these tips, the most important thing is to enjoy the process! Bushranger provides high-quality, high-power outdoor equipment to help you get the job done quicker, so you can make the most of your summer days
Head into your local Bushranger dealer today to shop the full range of hedge trimmers, garden tools and more, or browse the range on our website.
