North Queensland Lawn Stress Triggers

Posted on September 30, 2015 by Melissa - North Queensland Lawns

The North Queensland climate can be hard on lawns and, just like us, they have triggers for stress that we should keep an eye on.

Drought

The first way to help with your lawn staying healthy throughout a drought is to select and install a drought tolerant grass variety such as Sir Walter soft leaf Buffalo. Using good watering practices (even before any drought) will help to encourage a deeper and healthier root system.

Some other ways to eliminate the damage caused by drought is to ensure that your lawn is aerated as required so that water can penetrate the soil, and adding wetting agents to help your lawn to absorb the water it does receive. Keeping the lawn wet a little longer will reduce the effects of evaporation and stress.

Fire

Keeping your lawn prepared for a potential fire is a bit of a balancing act; you want to have the lawn fairly short and regularly mowed to reduce the amount of potential fuel but you don’t want it to be any shorter than 50mm or the weeds will take over, adding fuel. A well-kept lawn can provide a valuable, natural fire break around your home.

Flood

Most grass varieties can handle a few days of flooding without long lasting damage. If you receive flooding, the best thing you can do is to allow the water to drain away naturally and reduce traffic to avoid soil compaction.

When the water is gone, remove any debris. Often silt and soil will be left behind; if it is up 20mm you can spread this evenly over the lawn with a rake as a top dressing. If it is over 20mm you will need to use a shovel to remove the excess and then spread the remainder with a rake as a top dressing. Resist the urge to fertilise at this time in North Queensland (or any tropical area) – just aerate the soil if needed.

Flooding can make your lawn prone to weeds, disease and pests so keep an eye on it while it recovers. If the flooding last more than a few days, a new lawn installation might be your only option.

Contact Harden Park Lawns to learn more about lawn stress or to get a quote for a new lawn.