In-depth guides to Australian lawns, plus practical application and irrigation guides that show you exactly how to do the job, safely.
Every lawn grass needs direct sun, and shade is one of the most common reasons lawns thin out. How to measure the sun you actually get, choose the right grass, care for a shaded lawn, deal with trees, and decide when a spot is better as something other than lawn.
Hollows and bumps make a lawn hard to mow, scalp easily, hold puddles and trip people up. How to find the cause, measure how uneven the lawn is, and fix it, from thin topdressing for shallow hollows to lifting turf for deeper ones.
Dogs and lawns can get along. How to fix and prevent urine patches, choose grass that copes with wear, use lawn products safely around pets, and avoid the garden hazards that send pets to the vet.
Renovation clears out thatch, opens up compacted soil and smooths the surface, so a tired lawn can grow back thicker. What each job does, when to do it, the steps in order, and how to look after the lawn while it recovers.
A new lawn is only as good as the ground underneath it. How to choose between turf and seed, remove the old lawn and weeds, test and prepare the soil, lay turf tightly or sow seed evenly, and look after it until it's established.
A soil test tells you what's really going on under your lawn before you spend money on fertiliser, lime or a new lawn. How to take a good sample, home kits versus laboratory tests, what pH means, and how to correct soil that's too acid or too alkaline.
A step-by-step spring plan for Australian lawns, adjusted for your climate zone: when to start, the first mow, clean-up, aeration, the first feed, spring weeds, watering checks, wetting agents and what to watch for as the weather warms.
Everything a homeowner needs to look after a buffalo lawn in Australia: how to recognise it, how much sun it needs, mowing, watering, feeding, weeds and herbicide safety, pests, diseases, renovation, and a season-by-season plan.
Liquid fertilisers give a quick feed and are easy to spread evenly with a hose-end or pump sprayer. How to apply them at the label rate, when, and what to avoid.
Pre-emergents stop weed seeds establishing, so timing and even coverage are everything. How to choose, time, apply and water in a pre-emergent on Australian lawns, following the label.
Wetting agents help water soak into dry, water-repellent soil instead of running off. How to tell whether your lawn needs one, choose between liquid and granular, apply it evenly and water it in.
Granular fertiliser is the most common way to feed a lawn. How to choose the time, work out how much you need, spread it evenly, water it in, and keep it out of drains.
Confirm the pest, choose a product whose label lists it, and apply it so it reaches where the pest feeds, while protecting bees, waterways, children and pets. Then help the lawn grow back.
Calibrating tells you how much water your sprayer, nozzle and walking pace actually put on the lawn, so a product goes on at the rate its label intends. It takes about fifteen minutes with clean water.
Spot spraying treats individual weeds instead of the whole lawn, so you use less herbicide and put less stress on the grass. How to identify the weed, choose a product that's safe on your grass, and spray accurately.
Where and how to keep herbicides, insecticides, fertilisers and other lawn products at home, what to do with leftovers and empty containers, and where to take old chemicals in each state and territory.
Hose-end sprayers are the quickest way to apply liquid fertilisers and wetting agents over a lawn. Here's how to set one up, check what it actually puts out, and cover the lawn evenly.
Pump and backpack sprayers give you control over exactly how much water and product goes on, which suits spot-spraying weeds and products with a specific water volume on the label.
A calibrated spreader is the difference between an even green lawn and stripes. How to set up a rotary (broadcast) spreader, check its output against the label rate, and cover the lawn evenly.
How to apply herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on a home lawn without harming yourself, your family, your pets, your neighbours' plants or local waterways. The product label always comes first.
Mixing two lawn products in one sprayer saves time, but only when both labels allow it. How to check the labels, run a jar test, mix in the right order and use the mix safely.
The main types of lawn sprinkler, what each suits, and how to get even coverage from whatever you have.
The basics of planning a home lawn irrigation system that waters evenly, before you buy any parts. What to measure, how to split the lawn into zones, and what needs a licensed plumber.
A practical guide to lawn watering by grass type, season and soil: how to work out the right amount for your lawn, measure what your sprinklers deliver, and water deeply within your local rules.
The hands-on steps for putting a pop-up sprinkler system into an existing lawn: marking out, trenching, connecting valves, flushing the pipes, setting heads at the right height, testing and repairing the lawn. Plus what needs a licensed plumber.
New turf and seed need far more frequent watering than an established lawn, then a gradual change to deep, less frequent watering. A week-by-week approach, how to check you've got it right, and what to do about water rules.
Water-repellent soil sheds water instead of absorbing it, leaving dry patches that don't respond to watering. What causes it, how to test for it, how to water it, and how to stop it coming back.
How much a rainwater tank can realistically do for a lawn, what tank installations need, and when greywater can be used safely and legally. Rules differ by state and council, so this guide shows you what to check.
A controller decides when and how long your sprinklers run. How tap timers, standard controllers, weather-based smart controllers and rain sensors differ, how to set one up properly, and why a badly programmed system can waste more water than it saves.
A simple test with a few containers and a ruler tells you how much water each sprinkler zone applies, how long to run it, and whether parts of the lawn are missing out.
How to keep a lawn alive with less water, and where to find your water authority's current rules. We link to the official rules rather than repeating them, because they change.
