February lawn care in tropical areas

Armyworm caterpillars feed at night and can strip a lawn in days. If you see chewed leaves or a spreading brown patch, check the lawn at dusk or after dark with a torch.

Feed at the rate on the label while the lawn is growing strongly. Avoid feeding just before heavy rain, which can wash fertiliser off the lawn and into drains.

• When should I fertilise my lawn?
• Liquid or granular fertiliser?
• What does NPK mean?
• How to use and calibrate a broadcast spreader
• Applying liquid fertiliser
• Lawn Area Calculator
• Product Application Calculator

Mow often enough that you never take off more than a third of the leaf at once. Keep shaded areas a little higher than sunny ones, and keep the blade sharp so it cuts cleanly. In the wet season growth can be fast, so you may need to mow more than once a week.

• How short should I mow buffalo?

When rain is doing the watering, turn the irrigation down or off. Constantly wet, humid conditions favour fungal disease, so let the lawn dry out between rain where you can.

• What's the best time of day to water?

Nutgrass grows in warm, wet conditions and comes back from underground tubers, so it takes persistence. Improve drainage where water sits, and use only products whose label lists the weed and your grass.