With increasing costs of water usage in Perth combined with the end of government rebates, the pressure on ensuring our gardens are water-wise has increased. If you are staring at your dying, yellow, thirsty, patchy lawn and have a rising water bill, it might be time to ‘audit’ your lawn and consider installing a more suitable Perth turf variety grown locally and best suited to our WA climate.
The Thirsty Lawn Test
Not all lawns are the same when it comes to water efficiency and general maintenance. If you are struggling with an old lawn variety or a cross-variety with differing requirements, you are most likely overwatering it in an endless effort to keep your lawn green, or you may not realise that your soil is hydrophobic and incapable of absorbing water and nutrients. If your lawn still won’t stay green despite the extra watering, it has unfortunately failed the thirst test.
The Solution
Switching to a modern, more advanced drought-tolerant Perth turf variety, such as Windsor Green, Winter Green or Matilda Soft Buffalo, combined with maintaining your turf correctly, could save you money in the long run, thanks to efficient watering of 30ml a week, preferably am, as night watering attracts insect pests as well as regular applications of soil wetting agent in the warmer months and fertiliser applications providing nutrients.
The Soil Test
Not only is it important to have the right type of lawn for your needs and the aesthetics for the look that you are trying to achieve, but it is also vital that the soil below your lawn is performing and capable of providing water and food to the root system of your lawn. When you are feeding a lawn, you aren’t necessarily feeding the grass leaf itself. Instead, you are feeding the soil and the root system below ground.
It is essential that your soil holds onto the water you are applying in order to feed the root system of your turf variety. Buffalo varieties have shallow root systems and therefore require moisture to be held in the top soil profile, whereas Wintergreen and Windsor Green couch varieties have deep root systems that travel in search of water and nutrition.
To test your soil quality, it’s best to water your lawn on a cycle that applies 15ml of water, then dig to a shovel depth to examine whether the water you applied simply pooled on top of the soil, then bypassed the root system of your lawn without spreading and holding moisture in the soil profile (hydrophobic). If your soil is not absorbing the water applied, your lawn is not going to perform well, and no amount of fertiliser will improve things. A combination of high temperatures and high evaporation in summer dries out your soil, and it is therefore imperative to use ‘Soil Wetting Agents’ regularly in the warmer months, ensuring it is watered in well every time you apply it. Spike your lawn for aeration and apply a good quality granular fertiliser, watering it in extremely well as required during Spring, Summer and Autumn. Healthy soil should also have a slight clumpy appearance when damp. Another good sign is if there are earthworms in the soil. Signs of lifeforms indicate the soil is healthy. Just ensure they aren’t pests such as armyworm grubs or high volumes of black beetle.
The Solution
If the soil is too sandy and depleted of nutrients, then it’s time to stimulate the soil with organics/ soil conditioner and a wetting agent and test that all sprinklers are working effectively and distributing sufficient water to all areas.
Is It Time For a New Lawn?
If your lawn has too much contamination or has an overly dense root system or is diseased, and you are done with expensive water bills to keep your lawn alive, then it may be time to consider purchasing and installing a new turf suited to your needs/style and getting the right advice from Carabooda Lawn on how to maintain your new lawn correctly.
At Carabooda Lawn, we stock a wide range of lawn varieties specifically chosen for their ability to thrive in the harsh Western Australian climate. Whether you prefer one of our soft leaf buffalo varieties – Sir Walter Buffalo or Matilda Soft Buffalo, or our water-efficient, durable Wintergreen, you are sure to get a lawn that will save you money and look great in the process! Don’t forget, if you are installing a new Turf in Perth, make sure you claim your watering exemption with the Water Corporation.
