Your Guide to Early Spring Lawn Care in NZ

When the last smattering of snow graces your region, and you begin preparing for the onset of spring, it’s only natural to feel both excited and daunted.

You might be looking forward to spring lambs, warmer weather, and those all-important daffodils, but the impact that winter conditions had on your property might leave you feeling overwhelmed by how much work you have ahead of you. You might also not know where to begin or what’s involved in early spring lawn care.

Fortunately, taking care of the lawns after a damaging winter doesn’t have to be a time-consuming or expensive task. It might just require you to do some of the following things.

Fertilise the Lawn

Technically, fertiliser application is a late-spring task rather than an early spring one, but it’s still worth keeping in mind as you start gearing up for lawn rejuvenation.

Throughout the year, as you regularly mow your lawns and remove the clippings, you end up removing much-needed nutrients in the process. Applying fertiliser allows your grass to take back what it needs to thrive while also preventing moss and weed growth in the process.

Tackle Moss

Many people struggle with moss growth throughout the colder months of the year, and it can wreak havoc on the average property. It can be a slip hazard on hard surfaces and quickly take over lawns if they’re acidic, damp, and poor draining.

Two products might be required to take care of moss: one to kill the moss and its spores, and another to raise the pH of your soil to improve your lawn health and prevent moss growth in the first place. There is an abundance of moss products available in most garden stores for convenience.

Weed the Lawns

As if it wasn’t bad enough that you’re not able to take care of your lawn in winter as much as you would like, then the fact that many lawn weeds thrive in winter would surely be the icing on the cake. A number of weeds take hold in cold weather, such as lawn daisies, oxalis, Onehunga weed, and clover.

When your lawn is thick, healthy, and vibrant, it can easily give those weeds their marching orders. However, it’s less in a position to do so when it hasn’t been given the nutrients it needs. Consider the use of herbicides to control weeds without harming your lawns.

You can also apply a number of herbicide products throughout the year to keep on top of weed growth and give your grass a chance to thrive as the temperatures plummet.

Dethatch the Lawn

If you continually find yourself trying to combat lawn disease, weeds, and insect pests, no matter which herbicides you apply and how well you care for your lawn, ask yourself this question: when was the last time I dethatched my lawn? If you can’t think of the last time or you’ve never dethatched your lawn, early spring might be the ideal time to perform this task.

Dethatching involves removing the dense, spongy layer of ‘thatch’ at your lawn’s base, consisting of compacted stems, leaves, and roots. If your grass has more than two centimetres of thatch, it might be more at risk of pest insects and disease.

You might also find that your lawns are more at risk of developing high levels of thatch if your soil pH level isn’t correct or you have poor drainage. While lawn care experts can assist with dethatching, it’s also something you can do yourself.

Purchase dethatching products from your local garden store that can promote thatch breakdown. You can then manually remove thatch with a grass rake, mechanical scarifier, or dethatcher rake. While your lawn might look dismal for a short period of time after dethatching, it won’t be long until it has grown back healthy and strong.

Overseed the Lawn

Winter is generally the time of year when your grass is more at risk of being damaged. It’s softer from the wet weather, and people and pets walking on it can cause a great deal of damage. You might even notice that the lawn is sparse after performing weed removal.

Early autumn to mid-spring is the ideal time to overseed the lawn. Loosen the surface of the soil with a fork, create a layer of loose soil on the top, and water it until it’s damp down to around 15 centimetres.  

You can then scatter lawn seed over the dirt and gently rake it to mix it into the soil. Try to keep it protected from birds and other animals with netting or noisy plastic bags. You might then notice new growth within around one week.

Do the Work, Get the Reward

By putting all this effort into your lawn during early spring, you put your grass in the best position to thrive once the warmer weather arrives. By the time summer is on the doorstep, you can have a strong, healthy lawn that everyone can enjoy.