Achieving a lush and vibrant lawn that remains green throughout the year can be a challenge in Australia.
Lawn maintenance goes beyond installing and preparing your instant lawn. While regular lawn care practices can help maintain your lawn's health, pests, weeds, and diseases pose a significant threat. In this guide, we'll share our top tips for identifying and controlling lawn pests, weeds, and diseases to ensure that your lawn remains healthy and beautiful all year round.
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Identifying Potential Lawn Pests
Bugs and insects in your lawn are not always a sign of a problem. However, there are a few common types of pests that you need to watch out for in Australia. These include:
- Wireworms: These live in the soil and can cause damage to your lawn's root system.
- Ants: These build nests that can disturb your lawn's surface and overall health. Couch grass mites: These can wreak havoc on couch grasses.
- Two-spotted mites: These usually appear in the summer months and leave a webbed appearance on the lawn.
- Mole crickets: These live deep in the soil and feed on the roots of your grass.
What Damage Can Lawn Pests Do?
If left untreated, lawn pests will cause significant damage to your lawn. This includes dead and dying patches of grass, damage to your lawn's underground root system, spongy patches of grass on your lawn, and patches of grass lifting up due to pests eating the root system. Some pests can also cause bites and itchiness when they come into contact with the skin.
How Can You Prevent Lawn Pests From Damaging Your Lawn?
It's crucial to treat lawn pests as soon as possible to prevent further damage. Lawn care products such as pesticides are the most effective method of treatment, but it's important to research the pesticide you intend to use and ensure that it's safe for your lawn. You should also check how long you need to stay away from the treated area and any extra care needed to keep your lawn healthy.
Weed Control for All Lawn Types
Weeds can be a common problem in all lawn types, including instant lawns. Some of the most common types of weeds in Australia include clover, bindii, dandelions, and nutgrass.
Best Ways To Prevent Your Lawn From Weeds
This Season Preventing weeds from growing in the first place is the best way to keep them at bay. This includes:
- Mowing your lawn regularly to maintain a healthy grass height.
- Watering your lawn deeply and infrequently to encourage deep root growth.
- Fertilising your lawn regularly to keep it healthy and strong.
The Tried And Tested Way To Remove Lawn Weeds
The best way to remove weeds from your lawn will depend on the type of weed and the size of the infestation. Using weed control solutions such as Amgrow’s Weed Control or an All Purpose Weed Control can help get rid of those pesky weeds affecting your lawn.
For smaller infestations, hand-pulling or using a weed tool can be effective. However, for larger infestations, spot-treating with a weed killer or using a herbicide may be necessary. Our Winter Grass Killer and Oxafert Herbicide have been specifically developed to eradicate the highly common weeds found in home lawns.
It is important to read and follow the instructions on any herbicides used and be aware that if not used properly can harm your lawn, pets and other plants.
Disease Control for All Lawn Types
Lawn diseases can be caused by a range of factors, including poor maintenance, environmental stress, and pests. Some common types of lawn diseases in Australia include red thread, dollar spots, brown patches, and powdery mildew. These diseases can be recognised by discoloured or dying patches of grass, brown or yellow spots, and a powdery or fungus-like appearance on the blades of grass.
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How Can I Prevent Lawn Diseases From Occurring?
Preventing lawn diseases involves maintaining proper lawn care practices, such as mowing at the correct height, fertilising at the appropriate times, and watering deeply but infrequently. It is also important to avoid over-fertilising and to aerate the lawn regularly to promote healthy soil and root growth.
One way to keep your lawn healthy is by using good-quality fertiliser. It not only helps with overall lawn health but also acts as a barrier of protection against the effects of shorter winter days.
What Should I Do If I Suspect My Lawn Has A Disease?
If you suspect that your lawn has a disease, it is important to take action quickly to prevent the disease from spreading. This can include removing and disposing of infected grass, applying a fungicide, and adjusting your lawn care practices to promote healthy growth. Learn more about How To Care For Your Instant Lawn All Year Round or get in touch with one of our lawn experts for more information.
Which Lawn Type Is Best For You?
At The Green Centre, we offer a variety of instant turf and lawn types that are specifically selected for their hardiness and ability to resist pests, weeds, and diseases. Our lawn varieties include:
Each variety has its own unique qualities that make it suitable for different situations, whether you need a lawn that can withstand heavy foot traffic, cope with extreme weather conditions or is highly disease resistant.
What Next?
Pest, weed and disease control is an important part of lawn care that can help you maintain a healthy and beautiful lawn. Although it’s important to know how to care for your instant lawn, ensuring you’re using the right type of soil for your lawn type is important to lay the foundation for maintaining a lush lawn all year round.
Contact our team today for information about how to care for your lawn. Call us on (03) 9331 5300 or contact us via email. Our experienced team is happy to assist you with any questions or queries, ensuring you get the very best advice for your upcoming project.