Summer is when Perth's warm-season lawns grow fastest, and also when they're under the most pressure. Long days above 30°C, hot easterlies and sandy soil that drains in minutes can thin a lawn quickly. Here's what keeps one strong through to autumn.
Water deeply, early, on your rostered days
Deep, less frequent watering trains roots to grow down into cooler soil. Short daily sprays keep roots shallow, and shallow roots dry out first.
- Water early in the morning, ideally before 8am.
- Stick to your rostered watering days. Most Perth households on scheme water can water twice a week.
- Check coverage along edges, corners and next to paving, where dry patches usually start.
Use a wetting agent
Much of Perth's sand repels water once it dries out, so water runs off or straight past the roots. A wetting agent at the start of summer helps water soak in evenly. Reapply if dry patches come back.
Mow to suit your grass
Most Perth lawns are warm-season grasses such as buffalo, couch, kikuyu and zoysia. They handle heat well, and how you mow matters more than any single height.
- Never take off more than a third of the leaf in one cut.
- Keep blades sharp. Torn leaf tips brown off and lose more water.
- Keep buffalo at around 30 to 40 mm, and never below 25 mm.
- Couch, kikuyu and zoysia can be kept lower and manicured, but only if they're mown often, watered well and fed. If water is limited, lift the height a little in extreme heat.
The real damage comes from scalping: cutting too low, too rarely, on a dry lawn. That's what turns a lawn brown in a week.
Feed lightly, never in extreme heat
A light, slow-release feed keeps growth steady. Apply it to moist soil on a mild day and water it in straight away so it doesn't burn the lawn. Skip feeding during heatwaves.
Check for pests and weeds every week
Brown or thinning patches, chewed blades or birds pecking at the lawn often mean lawn grubs or armyworm. Treat early, before they spread. Pull or spot-spray weeds before they seed.
Go easy on the lawn in the heat
Grass recovers slowly on hot days. Limit heavy foot traffic in the middle of the day and rotate play areas where you can.
If your lawn struggles every summer despite regular watering, it's usually a mismatch between mowing, watering and feeding rather than the grass itself. Our lawn care visits keep all three in step through summer.