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Autumn Lawn Care in WA

Author

Baileys Fertiliser

Published

28 February 2020

Lawns

The 1st of March marks the start of Autumn. Summer may be officially over, however the potential for hot temperatures is still around. The official March stats for Perth is an average:

  • Maximum temperature of 29.6C
  • Sunlight hours of 9.6h
  • Rainfall of 19.6mm

The combination of warm days, long sunlight hours and increasing rain makes for great lawn growing conditions, and your lawn is likely in need of some TLC after a hot summer.

Your focus in Autumn should be to revitalise and strengthen your lawn in preparation for the cooler months when it slows down into a certain level of dormancy. A healthy lawn heading into winter will ensure it's better prepared for the cold, possible frost and make for a quicker spring recovery.

Nutrition & Colour

  • Autumn fertilising prepares your lawn for the winter months. It encourages prolonged growth to ensure a thick coverage and extended colour. These applications will be the most important for the year. It will also help prevent weeds from taking hold while your lawns growth rate slows.
  • When the soil temperature drops in winter, we recommend moving to foliar applications only, so fertiliser early March and again mid-April to early May using a granular fertiliser like Baileys Energy Turf, 3.1.1. Plus or Sure Green Gold

Energy Turf - Technical Information


To maintain that professional colour and finish, apply Baileys GT Green Plus between granular applications - every 4 weeks.  

Why use a foliar fertiliser?

  • Foliar feeding (a liquid applied to the turf leaf) is specifically effective for quick results or to correcting deficiencies. The nutrients in liquid fertilisers are almost immediately available to be absorbed through the leaf and roots.
  • Foliar feeding is more effective in cooler months when the transfer of nutrients from soil to plant slows down. 
  • Liquid application is particular bypasses issues with alkaline soils - which reduce the availability of key turf nutrients iron and manganese. Most of Perth's soils are alkaline or have a high pH, and GT Green Plus has been specifically formulated for this.  

GT Green Plus - Technical Information

Irrigation & Wetting Agents

  •  The summer heat can bake soil, restrict water penetration and create channelling. Even water penetration will allow lawn roots to access the moisture they need, while also allowing fertiliser to get into the lawn root zone to be taken up.
  • Another application of a quality wetting agent such as Baileys Grosorb will ensure you make the most of the autumn and winter rain.
Grosorb - Technical Information


Mowing

Raise the height of your mower a couple of notches. Mowing your lawn, a little longer in Autumn helps it absorb more sunlight and protects it from the cooler weather.

Attack Weeds

  • Get on top of Summer weeds now by applying the appropriate herbicides or hand removing before it cools down and your lawn is left weak during winter - when it is even more susceptible to infestation.
  • Launch a preventative strike on annual grasses and broad-leaf weeds with a pre-emergent herbicide. A pre-emergent herbicide for most warm-season grasses controls weed seedlings during germination. Make sure you read the label carefully before applying.

Look out for Disease

  • The high humidity that we've been experiencing can increases the chance of fungal disease. Coloured patches or rings in your lawn (yellow, white or brown), thinned out areas, or areas of powdery, threads, wet or slimy looking turf are a sign of this.
  • It is important that you identify the specific fungal disease that you have so that you can take the correct steps to rectify and eradicate the disease. 
  • Dollar Spot is the most common fungal disease found in WA lawns, especially couch, and is most obvious in humid weather from summer to early autumn.  Areas look like dry spot but smaller, about the size of a 50-cent piece, and can join together to cover larger areas. Early in the morning, fine webbing can sometimes be seen over the area and small black or dark brown spots appear on the grass stems.
  • Good drainage will help to prevent the risk of fungal issues. Remove thatch build up, water only in the morning and aerate if your soil is compact. Use a fungicide as a last resort if these steps don't cure your issue. 

RELATED PRODUCTS

  • ENERGY TURF

    ENERGY TURF

    A fully granulated, organic based fertiliser for all turf varieties. It has been specifically developed for nutrient poor, sandy soils common to Australia. ENERGY™ Turf combines a high analysis of essential...
  • GROSORB® GRANULATED

    GROSORB® GRANULATED

    Baileys Grosorb is a professional soil wetter that combats water-repellent soil, preventing run-off and dry patches. It's organic, granular, and easy to apply. It addresses the common issue of hydrophobic soil in...
  • GT GREEN PLUS

    GT GREEN PLUS

    PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONA balanced liquid fertiliser for use on all turf situations including golf courses, turf farms and sporting grounds. This formulation encourages deep green colour and vigorous growth. GT Green Plus is...
  • SURE GREEN GOLD

    SURE GREEN GOLD

    Sure Green Gold is part of the Baileys Sure Green Range. A high nitrogen & iron slow release blend for active turf areas. Excess chlorophyll produces deep and prolonged greening. Half of the nitrogen is in slow...
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