How to Prevent Lawn Burn in the Summer Sun

Summer will pull a lawn apart if you let it, and the brown patches that turn up in January are almost always something that could have been headed off in November. None of what follows is difficult. It is mostly a matter of watering properly and not scalping the thing.

1. Water deeply, and not very often

Aim for about two and a half centimetres of water in a session, two or three times a week, rather than a light sprinkle every evening. A deep soak pushes the roots down where the soil stays cooler, and a light daily watering keeps them sitting at the surface where they cook. Early morning is the time, because you lose the least to evaporation and the water gets down before the heat arrives.

2. Do not cut it short

Short grass exposes the soil to direct sun and that is where the burn starts. Lift the mower up and leave the grass somewhere around seven to ten centimetres through summer, which shades the soil and holds the moisture in. A well maintained mower matters here too, because a torn cut stresses the plant before the sun even gets to it.

3. Sort out soil that has stopped taking water

Dry compacted soil can go hydrophobic, which means the water beads up and runs off instead of soaking in, and you can be watering faithfully while the root zone stays bone dry. The test is simple. Water it, wait ten minutes, then dig down a few centimetres and see whether anything actually got there. A wetting agent through the affected area fixes it.

4. Be careful with fertiliser in the heat

Feeding a lawn in the middle of a heatwave stresses it and can burn it outright, which is the opposite of the intention. Use a slow release product, or wait for cooler weather. Follow the rate on the bag rather than being generous, because overfeeding is a very common cause of the exact problem you are trying to avoid.

5. Shade the spots that cop the most

Most yards have one patch that gets belted harder than the rest, usually against a west facing wall or a driveway that radiates heat back at it. A tree is the long answer. Shade cloth over the worst of it through summer is the short one.

6. Top dress and mulch

A thin layer of compost or organic matter spread over the lawn improves the soil structure and helps it hold water, and it feeds the microbes that do the real work down there. Mulch around the garden beds at the same time and the whole yard holds moisture better.

7. Test the soil before you guess

Sometimes the burn is not about heat at all. Acidic soil or a salt build up will give you the same brown patches, and a cheap soil test will tell you which one you are dealing with rather than leaving you treating the wrong problem all summer.

8. The pet spots

Dog urine is high in nitrogen and it burns the grass the same way an overdose of fertiliser does, which is why the patches have that dark green ring around a dead centre. Flushing the spot with a watering can straight afterwards dilutes it enough to matter. Training the dog to one area of the yard works better again, if your dog is the obliging sort.

9. Aerate it

Compacted soil stops water and air getting down to the roots, and a lawn on clay compacts fast. Aerating punches holes through that layer so the water you are putting on actually reaches something. Early summer is a good time for it, so the lawn goes into the heat able to drink.

Shop related products

• Neutrog Sudden Impact for Lawns 10kg. Organic based, which is why it is far harder to burn a lawn with.
• Neutrog Blade Runner Lawn Fertiliser 15kg. Slow release, for a bigger lawn.
• Easy Wetta Garden Mulch 50L. For the beds, so the whole yard holds water better.
• Pope Partner Sprinkler. For putting a proper soak on rather than a light spray.
• Pope Simple Set Tap Timer. So the early morning watering happens whether you are up or not.
• Brunnings Kikuyu Max Lawn Seed 135g. For patching what did not make it.

Did you know we also stock lawn aerators and shade cloth in the shop. They are not listed on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.

The lawn feed, the seed and the watering gear are all in the garden centre. If your lawn has gone patchy and you cannot work out which of these nine it is, bring me a photo and we will narrow it down in about two minutes.

More from the garden

• When to Mow Your Lawn in Hot Summer Weather
• How to Keep a Lawn Green Through a South Australian Summer
• How to Plant a Kikuyu Lawn in South Australia

Cheers, Candeece. My lawn has a dog shaped problem and the dog is unrepentant.