Lawn care in Perth
Perth has hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, and many of its soils are sands that hold little water and can turn water-repellent. Warm-season lawns grow strongly from spring to autumn, and summer watering under the sprinkler roster is the biggest part of Perth lawn care.
Climate zone: Warm temperateWarm temperate lawn calendar
Short answer
Perth lawns grow on sandy soils through hot, dry summers, so watering well is everything. Water Corporation's benchmark is 10 mm twice a week in summer, on your rostered days. Do a catch-cup test, use a wetting agent where water beads, and mow a little higher. Feed while the lawn is growing, apply a winter grass pre-emergent in autumn, and respect the winter sprinkler switch-off.
Perth is a demanding place for a lawn. Summers are long, hot and dry, and many soils are sands that drain quickly, hold few nutrients and can turn water-repellent. But Perth also has some of the clearest official lawn advice in the country, from Water Corporation and the Turf Growers Association of WA, and a lawn watered and fed by that advice does well.
The biggest Perth lawn jobs are:
- Watering on your rostered days. Perth has a sprinkler roster based on your address. Water Corporation’s benchmark is 10 mm twice a week in summer, and much less in cooler months. Use a catch-cup test to turn that into run times for each zone.
- The winter sprinkler switch-off. Sprinklers are switched off over winter, when rain usually does the job.
- Getting water into the sand. If water beads or runs off, use a wetting agent at the label rate, ideally before the summer heat, and core compacted areas.
- Feeding little and often while the lawn is growing, at the label rate. Sandy soils hold few nutrients, so heavy feeds wash through. Keep fertiliser off paths and driveways, where it washes into drains and waterways.
- An autumn pre-emergent for winter grass.
Laying a new lawn? Water Corporation grants exemptions to water a new lawn outside your rostered days while it establishes: up to 42 days in spring and summer and up to 35 days in autumn and winter, applied for on the day it goes in. See the watering new turf and seed guide.
Grass suitability on this page draws on the Turf Growers Association of WA’s variety notes. Your turf supplier can tell you about the varieties they grow.
Climate
- Hot, dry summers. Bureau of Meteorology long-term averages for Perth Metro show a mean January maximum of about 31 °C, with little rain from December to March.
- Mild, wet winters, with a mean July maximum of about 19 °C and a mean July minimum of about 8 °C.
- Rain averages about 720 mm a year, most of it from May to September.
- Many soils are sands that drain quickly, hold few nutrients and can become water-repellent.
Best grass types for Perth
Soft leaf buffalo is widely grown in Perth and needs at least 4 hours of direct sun a day, the least of the main warm-season grasses. Water Corporation suggests mowing it at about 15 to 20 mm in summer.
Excellent wear and recovery in full sun, according to the Turf Growers Association of WA. Needs at least 5 hours of direct sun.
Excellent wear and recovery, and fast-growing. Needs 5 to 6 hours of direct sun and regular edging.
Dense and slow-growing, with moderate to good wear. Needs 5 to 6 hours of sunlight a day.
The lawn year in Perth
Sprinklers can come back on after the winter switch-off. Do a catch-cup test, fix coverage, apply a wetting agent to water-repellent patches before the heat, and feed once the lawn is growing strongly.
Water on your rostered days, early in the morning. Water Corporation's benchmark is 10 mm twice a week. Raise the mowing height, and check for lawn grubs and, at dusk, armyworm.
Apply a winter grass pre-emergent before it germinates, give a final feed while the lawn is still growing, and reduce watering as the weather cools.
The winter sprinkler switch-off applies. Rain does the watering. Mow only when needed and dig out winter weeds while they're small.
This month: October
- First feed of the season
- Lower the mowing height gradually
- Watch for lawn grubs
- Check your sprinklers before summer
- Core aerate compacted areas
Common weeds by season
| Season | Weeds | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Winter grass, Bindii | Germinate as the weather cools and rain returns. |
| Winter | Winter grass, Bindii | Treat or dig out while small. |
| Spring | Bindii, Clover, Onion weed | Bindii forms burrs in spring. |
| Summer | Nutgrass, Clover |
Pests and diseases to watch
Lawn grubs are most active from spring into early summer, and armyworm from about December to March in warm-temperate areas. On Perth sands, dry patches from water-repellent soil look very like grub damage, so lift a piece of turf before treating.
Watering and water rules
Water rules change. Check the current rules with your water authority before you plan watering or install irrigation. We link to the official pages rather than repeating rules that may be out of date.
Soils
- Water Corporation notes that WA's sands are often water-repellent, and that dry brown patches often mean uneven watering; check with catch cups. (Water Corporation (Western Australia))
- Water Corporation puts the ideal pH for most lawn grasses at fairly neutral, about 6 to 7.5. (Water Corporation (Western Australia))
- Non-wettable sand is very common; organic matter, clay-based amendments and soil-wetting agents help it hold water and nutrients. (Shire of Mundaring, courtesy of the South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL))
Questions from Perth
Guides
Who wrote this, and what it's based on
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Sources
- Climate classification maps, Bureau of MeteorologyPerth sits in LawnMan's warm-temperate zone. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- Climate statistics for Australian locations: Perth Metro, Bureau of MeteorologyLong-term averages for Perth Metro: hot, dry summers and winter-dominant rainfall. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- How much water does my garden need?, Water Corporation (Western Australia)10 mm twice a week in summer for Perth and the South West; less in cooler months. Accessed 4 October 2026.
- Check your watering days, Water Corporation (Western Australia)Sprinkler roster and winter switch-off. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Apply for a watering exemption, Water Corporation (Western Australia)New-lawn exemptions. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Bring your brown lawn back to life, Water Corporation (Western Australia)Water-repellent sands; soft leaf buffalo mown at about 15 to 20 mm in summer in WA. Accessed 4 October 2026.
- Establishing a new lawn, Water Corporation (Western Australia)Ideal pH for most lawn grasses. Accessed 5 October 2026.
- Turf varieties, Turf Growers Association of Western AustraliaSun, wear and mowing notes by grass type for WA. Accessed 3 October 2026.
- Fertilising your lawn and garden (Fertilise Wise brochure), Shire of Mundaring, courtesy of the South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL)Non-wettable sands and soil amendments. Accessed 5 October 2026.