There’s Still Time to Spruce up the Lawn

- a brief overview:

Summer in Auckland has been rather pleasant this year. Though the norm is to expect a bit of everything in so far as what the weather gods dish out. Fine weather beacons us to spend more time outside resulting in an increase in foot traffic over the lawn. Drying winds, warm temperatures also have an effect on the lawn and with the summer series of backyard cricket soon coming to an end, its a good time to review the condition of your lawn as autumn approaches. As temperatures remain warm and rainfall arrives on a more regular basis, this combination provides ideal conditions for grass growth.

Deal to the weeds first, either by hand or a suitable/safe herbicide. After good rainfall aerate all the compacted areas of lawn, a pitch fork is ideal; the flat areas that have been continually walked over, the area under the swing, the bare patch where the grass died off over summer, etc. This will enable good air circulation allowing water and nutrients to penetrate below the surface to where they are most needed.

Select a lawn fertiliser that includes good levels of Nitrogen,Phosphorus and Potassium – (NPK). This will give the lawn a good boost prior to the decrease in activity over winter.

The NPK ratio is printed on the bag of lawn fertiliser, choose numbers around 11:4:8. These refer to the percentage of each component present in the bag. Apply this prior to rainfall. This will ensure the lawn is fed for around 12 weeks. Alternatively a dressing of blood and bone would also benefit the lawn; the NPK is 6:6:0.

NB:

This rates quite high on the ‘smelly scale’.

In a nut shell: Nitrogen = new growth, Phosphorus =

root

development, Potassium = healthy grass.