A simple lawn care routine through the year

September 30, 2025

Most of the lawns around here are warm season grasses like kikuyu and couch, and the easiest way I know to keep one looking good without giving up every weekend is to do the work when the grass can actually use it, which means doing quite a lot in spring and summer and very little in winter.

Spring, when it wakes up

A warm season lawn greens up as the soil warms, and once it's growing properly and you've mown it a couple of times, that's the time for the first feed of the year. Water the lawn food in well afterwards, because fertiliser left sitting dry on the grass is how a lawn gets burnt. Late spring is also the time to fix bare patches with seed, because warm season seed needs warm soil to come up. If you've got patches of broadleaf weeds, they're easiest to deal with while they're young.

Summer, when it's working hardest

Lift the mower a notch or two through summer, because longer grass shades its own roots and holds on to water better than a lawn scalped short. Water deeply and less often, early in the morning, rather than a light sprinkle every evening. If the water starts beading up and running off instead of soaking in, the soil has gone water repellent, and a soil wetter fixes that. Keep an eye out for brown patches that spread quickly and lift easily like carpet, because that can be lawn grubs feeding on the roots.

Autumn, before it slows down

Give the lawn a second feed in early autumn while it's still growing, so it goes into winter in good condition and comes out of it faster. Early autumn is a good time to aerate any areas that have been packed hard by foot traffic over summer, because the grass is still growing and recovers quickly. You can start dropping the mowing height back down a little as the weather cools.

Winter, when you mostly leave it alone

Kikuyu and couch go dormant over a cold Strathalbyn winter, so they'll go off colour and stop growing, and that's normal. There's no point feeding a lawn that isn't growing, and you'll only need to mow occasionally if at all. Try to keep off the lawn on a frosty morning, because walking on frozen grass damages the blades and leaves footprints that stay brown for a while.

Every time you mow

A sharp mower blade makes a clean cut that heals quickly, while a blunt one tears the tips and they go brown. Try not to take off more than about a third of the leaf in one go, because cutting a long lawn right back in one hit stresses it badly. And if you mulch the clippings back into the lawn rather than catching them, you're handing back some of the food it used to grow them.

Shop related products

Brunnings Green Up Lawn Food 2.5kg. A granular lawn food for the spring and autumn feeds.
Neutrog Sudden Impact for Lawns 10kg. A pelletised organic lawn food, if you'd rather go that way.
Lawn Grub & Beetle Kill Hose On 2L. For treating a confirmed lawn grub problem, used as the label directs.
Brunnings Weed Kill For Lawns Spot Spray RTU 1L. For spot spraying broadleaf weeds in the lawn.

Did you know we also keep Weta-Lawn soil wetter and a lawn aerator in the shop, and they aren't on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what's on the shelf.

The rest of the lawn range is in our garden centre, and if your lawn is doing something odd, bring a photo in and we'll have a look with you.