In the hot summer months, it is recommended to use a soil-wetting agent, fertilise your lawn, and remove any weeds and dead leaves. Wetting agents assist with water absorption and retention in your soil, ensuring it stays fully hydrated while fertilizing ensures your turf gets all the nutrients it needs to grow and keeps it healthy. Removing weeds and dead material from your lawn will allow the turf to absorb more sunlight and water, preventing disease.
Some types of lawns will need more water than others; buffalo grass (also known as Sir Walter Buffalo lawn and Matilda Buffalo lawn) needs about 15 mm of water twice weekly in summer, although it can survive off much less during the cooler months.
Utilise Soil Wetter
Applying a soil-wetting agent during the warmer months is a great way to increase the amount of water your soil is able to absorb and retain. Naturally, soil can become dried out which causes a waxy residue to form on soil particles, causing it to repel water instead of absorbing it, resulting in your grass becoming dehydrated. A wetting agent will allow the water to spread more easily across the soil, ensuring your turf stays nice and hydrated. This is especially important in summer for turfs like Buffalo Lawn.
How to apply a wetting agent to your lawn?
To get the most from applying a soil wetter, it is best to mow your lawn first, allowing the wetting agent to make contact with the soil. If you’re using a liquid wetting agent, attach the product bottle to your garden hose and apply by spraying. If you choose a granular wetting agent, it is advisable to use a fertiliser-spreading tool for even coverage. After you’ve applied the wetting agent, give your lawn a well-deserved watering with your sprinklers for about 40-60 minutes.
How often should I use soil wetter?
If you notice that water being applied is pooling, that’s a sure sign that your soil is hydrophobic. Also, if your lawn is not looking healthy, a good way to test if your soil is hydrophobic is to stick a shovel in the soil about an hour after your watering cycle has finished. If the soil is not wet down to the depth of the shovel, then you need more soil wetter applications.
Soils benefit from the use of soil wetter during the warmer months of spring and Summer. If your soil tends to suffer from dryness or often has trouble absorbing water, apply a wetting agent as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
Use fertiliser and remove weeds
Aerating your soil and applying organic fertilisers will also improve your soil’s ability to retain water and keep your lawn looking healthy.
Applying a fertiliser is another excellent way to prepare your lawn for summer, giving your turf the nutrients it needs. We recommend choosing a granular fertiliser, which will slowly release nutrients into your lawn over a period of time, ensuring gradual growth for your summer use!
Removing thatch, weeds, and other debris will ensure the water you are applying gets supplied to your soil, rather than watering other matter.
Treating and caring for your lawn using a soil wetter, a high-quality granular fertiliser, and keeping your lawn free of weeds and debris is the optimum way to have the perfect summer entertaining area. At Carabooda Lawn Turf Farm, we have a selection of products that you can use to enhance your lawn this summer. If you have any questions about lawn treatments or our quality products, feel free to get in touch with one of our friendly professionals from Perth’s leading turf farm.
