Many people prefer to hire lawn care experts not only to save time but also to save hassle. Alongside mowing the lawns yourself, you must also ensure your lawn mower is in tip-top shape. It can be a frustration that many people would prefer to be without!

But some people would prefer to handle lawn mowing themselves. The only thing holding them back from hauling the mower out of storage is not understanding how they should look after it. The good news is that we can help! We’ve provided some helpful information below to help you give your lawn mower the tender, loving care it deserves.

Purchase Maintenance Gear

Most new mower owners find the most overwhelming part of mower maintenance is knowing what they need to keep their mowers in tip-top shape. Once you have all the essentials for both maintenance and basic repairs, it can be smooth sailing! We recommend having a maintenance kit with the following:

• Safety gloves

• A socket set for removing parts

• Lawn mower oil

• A spare spark plug

• A spare set of blades (or equipment to sharpen your blades)

• WD40

• Rags

• A soft brush

• A wire brush 

Clean Your Mower

You likely already have plenty of things you need to keep clean, like your car and home. Add your lawn mower to your ‘must-clean’ list. The cleaner your mower is, the easier it can be to maintain. At a minimum, clean your mower before you undertake maintenance.

This can be pretty easy to do with the items you purchased in your maintenance kit – the rags and soft brush. Wipe away grass, dirt, and debris so you’ve got clean surfaces to work with!

Important note: Always disconnect the spark plug and ensure the throttle is off before performing any kind of mower maintenance.

Lubricate Moving Parts

Lawnmowers put up with a lot. They have many moving parts, which can be prone to stiffness and damage when not taken care of. Take your handy-dandy can of WD40 and spray it over moving components like the height adjustment lever, the throttle cable, and the wheels. Clean excess lubricant away once you’ve finished the job.

Take Care of the Spark Plug

Some people think their mowers are destined for the rubbish dump because they’re not running properly. Sometimes, they won’t go at all! Often, the problem is a part that costs under $20: the spark plug.

When you’re gearing up for another growing season, get into the habit of checking the spark plug. You might also check the spark plug if your lawn mower doesn’t start, is using more fuel than usual, takes a long time to start, or loses power when moving.

If the spark plug is worn down or damaged, replace it with a new one. Otherwise, cleaning it with a wire brush before reinstalling it might be all it takes to have your mower working at its best once more!

Take a Peek At the Air Filter

Air filters might not be something you can see on a lawn mower at a glance, but they’re important to check! Pop off the cover and clean the air filter underneath with a brush. If it’s too dirty to clean with a brush, replace it. Most air filters are under $20 and are designed to prolong the engine life, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce emissions.

Inspect Under the Mower

Underneath your mower is where all the action happens. So, it can be essential to see whether the blades are in excellent condition and have no grass build-up. Don’t tip your mower upside down to check. Instead, lean it back far enough so you can see.

If the blades are damaged or worn, replace them. You can also sharpen the blades yourself or take them to your local servicing centre.

Important note: Always wear safety gloves when handling the blades and ensure the spark plug is out and the throttle is in the ‘off’ position.

Check the Fluids

Last but not least, check the fluids. You won’t get far without oil and fuel if you have a four-stroke petrol-powered lawnmower. Top up the oil if it’s low. However, if the oil appears dirty or dark, drain it and replace it.

Now that you’re ready to start mowing, check the fuel tank and add as much fuel as you’ll need to mow your lawns. By only adding as much fuel as you need, you can prevent it from going stale the next time you use it. Alternatively, you can add a fuel stabiliser when the time comes to winterise your mower for the colder months of the year.

Here are some other yard tasks you can take care of when you’re not mowing in winter!

Start Mowing

After performing these important maintenance tasks, you’re ready to start mowing your lawns! Remember, if you’d prefer not to tackle these maintenance tasks, you can sell the mower and hire a lawn care expert to take care of your mowing needs!

Drought conditions are a lawn lover’s worst nightmare. When your grass doesn’t get adequate moisture, it can struggle to thrive. Many homeowners even see their lawns die altogether.

You might be unable to prevent your lawn from suffering during the drier months of the year, but you might limit the impact drought conditions have. Try taking some of the steps below!

Step 1: Change Your Mowing Height

Most people don’t give their mowing height much thought. You just haul the mower out of the tool shed and start mowing. However, it’s worth thinking about mowing height when rainfall is limited. The taller your grass, the easier it can be for your soil to retain the very little moisture it has.

When the soil retains moisture, the root systems can be healthier, and weeds are less likely to go to seed and take over your lawn. As a general rule, aim to cut no lower than 5cm. It’s also a good idea not to mow more than a third of the grass’s height at a time. If you cut your lawn too low and damage the grass, it will take a great deal of time and water to help it recover.

Step 2: Water Deeply and Infrequently

If your region isn’t yet facing water shortages or restrictions, you might see the value in watering your lawn deeply and infrequently. Once a week should suffice, with the best time being before dawn or after the sun goes down. Avoid watering during the day since the hot temperatures can cause the water to evaporate before it gets to where it needs to be!

If water restrictions are in place, watering your lawn will, of course, not be an option. However, you might consider investing in a rainwater collection system to keep your plants and lawns healthy during periods of water shortages.

Infrequent, deep watering promotes healthy and long roots. Your lawn might then find it easier to withstand drought conditions in the future.

Step 3: Stay Off the Lawn

As challenging as it might be to keep your family and pets off the lawn, it can be vital for its health when it’s struggling with high temperatures. Grass is much easier to damage during drought conditions. You also face soil compaction with use. The more compacted your soil, the harder it can be for any moisture to penetrate the soil and keep your grass healthy or alive.

Step 4: Mow Without the Catcher

Most people won’t be too upset about not having to empty their catcher every few rows to empty their clippings. When drought conditions hit your area, feel free to mow without the catcher! A small amount of grass clippings can function as mulch for your lawn, giving your soil all the valuable nutrients it needs to keep your grass healthy.

Step 5: Stop Fertilising

Fertiliser helps to keep your lawn healthy, so you might be confused about why you should stop fertilising in drought conditions. After all, this is when your lawn is struggling the most! Too much fertiliser during the most intense summer months can burn your lawn. If you must use fertiliser, apply it at least one month before intense summer weather kicks in. You might also get away with using a mild, organic slow-release fertiliser.

Step 6: Sharpen Your Mower Blade

You likely already perform mower maintenance before the grass-growing season begins, but it becomes even more important during summer. If your blades aren’t sharp, they have the potential to shred your grass, causing the edges to go brown and affect your lawn’s overall health.

While some homeowners have the tools and knowledge to sharpen their mower blades at home, you can also take them to your local mower repair business and have them perform blade sharpening and other servicing tasks for you.

Step 7: Wait

You won’t always be able to stop your lawn from going brown. Drought conditions can take a toll on everyone’s property. The good news is that, in most cases, lawns can bounce back. They might look dead on the surface, but the root systems can simply be waiting for decent rainfall before it decides to recover.

As soon as the temperatures start to plummet towards the end of summer, you can count down the days until your lawn is lush, green, and healthy once more.

Take Care of Your Lawn During Drought

Brown lawns can be unsightly. The good news is that you have options! Take these steps above, and you might be able to guide your grass through the worst of the hot weather relatively unscathed. If you need any advice or lawn care services during this time, reach out to Crewcut for a helping hand. Lawn care experts are always available to answer any lawn care-related questions you might have.

Dealing with a grass grub problem in NZ can be frustrating. Full-blown grass grub invasions can result in devastating lawn damage that can be difficult to manage.

Fortunately, you’re in the right place if you’re looking for expert tips for defeating these underground invaders. Read on to find out what your options are to give grass grubs their marching orders.

What Are Grass Grubs?

Grass grubs are the larval stage of bronze or brown beetles. They present as cream-coloured worm-like insects with light brown heads and can be as small as 6mm or as long as 20mm. In this growth stage, they are most active from spring to summer and chew the roots of lawns and plants. Not only are they a real pest for the average gardener, but they can also present many challenges for farmers.

Do I Have Grass Grubs?

Most people with grass grub infestations won’t be questioning whether they have grubs. They’ll know just by looking at their lawns. However, not every gardener knows the signs to look for.

In most cases, the first sign is the ever-growing presence of birds. If your lawn has become the latest neighbourhood attraction for birds, this can be a good sign that your grass has plenty of tasty snacks for them to enjoy.

You might also notice other signs like dead patches of lawn or spongy soil. Both can be indicative of grass grubs. If you’re still not sure, cut a small cross-section of your lawn and see how many grubs you can see. While a small number is natural, a huge quantity can represent a problem you should address sooner rather than later.

How to Treat Grass Grubs In Your Lawn – And Prevent Them in the Future

Once you know you have grass grubs, you’re likely curious about how you can give them their marching orders. It’s a straightforward process, but you might like to talk to your local garden centre about the best products to use.

Most garden stores offer a number of lawn grub products, most of which are in granular form. They typically recommend applying the products between January to March for up to six months of protection.

However, there can be more to getting rid of grass grubs than simply applying a grass grub-killing product. You also need to ensure your lawn is in the best health to prevent lawn pest issues in the future. Consider purchasing an organic lawn food product with all the goodies your lawn needs to thrive, such as fish meal, blood and bone, seaweed, and composted chicken manure.

If you’re unsure what your soil needs, consider performing a soil test and taking the results to your local garden centre to find out the best products for your needs.

What Happens If You Don’t Treat Grass Grubs?

Life gets busy, and while you might know you have a grass grub problem, you might not have found the time to take care of it. Therefore, you might be wondering what happens if you don’t.

Alongside birds ripping your lawn to shreds in search of the tasty treats, you can also find yourself with a small patch of damaged lawn that continues to grow larger. You might also notice that your grass is thinning out and that previously small bare patches are now much more prominent. Remember, grub-damaged grass will pull out easily at the roots, meaning it might not be long until your once-lush lawn is a barren square of dirt that sees you having to grow your grass again from scratch.

Start the Lawn Recovery Process

You might have given grubs their marching orders, but you’re now left with the devastation they left behind. Fortunately, your lawn doesn’t have to look awful forever. Take the steps below to restore your grass to its former glory.

1. Make Sure the Grubs Are Gone

You can be reasonably confident that the grub-killing product you purchased from your local garden centre would have done the job. However, don’t be afraid to make sure before you start the lawn restoration process.

When lawn grubs are mostly active at dawn or dusk, mix a bucket of soapy water and pour it over the edge of an area that was once affected. Wait around 10 minutes, and if any grubs are present, they will come to the surface.

2. Rake the Dead Grass

Grass grubs can decimate the average lawn, so you likely have a lot of dry and dead plant material in your lawn. Lightly rake it away so your lawn can recover quicker.

3. Irrigate the Lawn

As most of your grass leaves have been killed off by the grass grubs, the soil left behind is likely dry. Irrigate your soil often to replace any lost moisture.

4. Wait, Then Fertilise

When your grass has had a chance to recover, apply a fertiliser product with all the nutrients your grass needs to thrive. During this time, it’s also important to maintain your mowing schedule to encourage the lawn to thicken and promote lateral growth.

Say Goodbye to Grubs

The longer you give grass grubs free rein of your property, the more damage they can do. If you suspect grubs, purchase a recommended grass grub-killing product at a nearby garden centre. You can also reach out to your local lawn care experts for help and advice.

Competition can be fierce in the lawn care world. Not only are you up against homeowners who want to take care of their own lawn mowing and tree trimming, but you also encounter customers who don’t make brand loyalty their priority.

Despite these two factors making it challenging to attract new clients and retain existing ones, you might find manage both tasks easily when you take some of the following actions:

Focus On Marketing

If you’re a new or long-standing lawn care operator struggling to drum up new customers, consider whether your marketing efforts are to blame. While word-of-mouth advertising is a powerful form of marketing, you might also see the value in social media, flyer drops, and search engine marketing.

When you purchase a franchise, you can receive helpful guidance on marketing your business for success. However, sole traders can also find plenty of practical information on the internet regarding creating social media ads and organising flyer drops in your lawn care service area.

Offer Incentives

It can be in the back of some people’s minds that they wouldn’t mind receiving help with lawn mowing, gardening, or another yard task. However, they don’t always give it much thought until they encounter marketing materials with an easy way to access the help they need.

By offering incentives in your marketing materials, you might experience great success in welcoming new clients aboard. Something as simple as a discounted first mow or free tree trimming with the first lawn mowing service might be all it takes to have customers lining up for your lawn care services.

Provide Referral Deals

Word of mouth is already a powerful form of advertising, but it can be even more powerful if loyal customers are rewarded for it. Consider offering your long-standing customers discounted services if they refer others to use your services.

Your current customers likely already know of people who could do with the extra pair of hands for lawn mowing, hedge trimming, or water blasting, but a financial incentive might have them contacting them sooner rather than later.

Post On Noticeboards

You might be wary about going all-out with your marketing methods because you’re worried about spending too much money. However, you don’t need a huge marketing budget to be noticed. Sometimes, you can gain long-term, valuable clients by posting on noticeboards.

Both social media and supermarket noticeboards can be excellent places to advertise your services. Simply include your business name, contact details, and the services you offer, and you might be surprised by how many people contact you to find out more. Don’t forget to ask how they found out about you to learn which of your marketing techniques is proving to be the most effective!

Drive a Sign-Written Vehicle

Many lawn care service providers receive new and repeat business just by driving a sign-written vehicle. If someone sees your vehicle outside a house on their road or street as you’re mowing their lawns or providing other services, they might be inclined to approach you and inquire about your services.

Sometimes, this can mean you earn multiple clients on a single street, keeping travel costs low and making your job far more convenient.

Follow Up Past Clients

Some clients only require a one-off lawn care service – and that’s okay. You can provide that service and enjoy knowing you’ve made their life much easier. However, some clients show interest in a long-term service but never make contact after you’ve visited their property the first time.

Don’t let those clients fall away without following up and learning if you can be of further assistance. Ask if there’s a reason they no longer require your services or if there’s anything you can do to change their mind. Some past clients will stay in the past, while others might need a gentle reminder to book their next lawn-mowing or hedge-trimming service.

Charge Competitive Rates

The lawn care industry is competitive, so your pricing must also be. Otherwise, there’s potential for you to miss out on repeat work. Consider more competitive rates for ongoing work, and don’t be afraid to check out what your competition is charging to make sure you’re in the same ballpark.

Provide Excellent Service

While marketing, competitive pricing, and referral incentives can go a long way toward helping you grow your client list, providing excellent service is typically one of the best ways to attract clients and retain your existing ones. If you do a great job and leave your customers satisfied, there’s a high chance that they’ll contact you again when they need your services in the future.

If you’re unsure whether your customers are satisfied, ask them. You can also provide them with feedback cards to help you learn and grow.

When you become the proud owner of a property with a yard, it can be exciting to think about all the different ways you can utilise the space. Some homeowners go all-out with landscaping, while others simply love the idea of being able to watch their children and pets play in a secure, well-maintained yard.

However, being new to yard care can mean you don’t always know which tools you need for lawn care tasks. Arm yourself with the following tools and equipment, and you can be more than prepared for every season.

A Lawn Mower

If you have a lawn, your first purchase should be a lawn mower. However, you shouldn’t just venture into your local retailer and buy the first one that catches your eye. Some lawnmowers are better for some lawns than others.

For example, you might require a ride-on lawn mower for a sizeable section or an electric lawn mower for a small postage-stamp-sized lawn. You also might be more than satisfied with a two-stroke lawn mower for a small to medium yard or a four-stroke mower for a much bigger lawn.

If you’re unsure about the type of lawn mower you need or whether you would like an electric, battery-powered, or petrol mower, speak to your local lawn mower expert. Alternatively, leave this task in the capable hands of a local lawn mowing business.

A Line Trimmer

Lawns have to end somewhere. Typically, they border footpaths, driveways, houses, and fences. Getting close to the edges with a lawn mower can be challenging, which is why many homeowners find having a line trimmer or weed eater quite helpful.

Such a tool allows you to cut grass in areas that aren’t accessible with a lawn mower. In most cases, they use a reel of plastic line but can also have a blade. You can pick from electric, petrol, or battery line trimmers depending on how much lawn area you need to cut.

Before you purchase a line trimmer, take the time to review its many features. Pay attention to whether they have line-limiting blades, a line-feed system, and a straight or curved shaft. Many homeowners find that a curved shaft helps maintain a good trimming angle, while straight shafts suit tall people and are better suited to heavy-duty work requiring a long reach.

Pruning and Trimming Tools

If the property you’ve moved to has hedges and trees, you get to enjoy their many benefits. Most homeowners love them for their ability to provide shade, shelter, protection, and privacy.

However, they typically can’t provide these benefits to their full potential unless they’re well-maintained. Consider investing in pruning and trimming tools and learning how to use them safely.

When exploring hedge trimmers, you typically get to choose from three popular options: double-sided, single-sided, and pole hedge trimmers. Double-sided hedges are ideal for shaping, while single-sided trimmers are suitable for straight hedge sections in larger areas. You might also consider pole hedge trimmers if you need extra height. Rather than using a ladder, you can keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Regarding tree pruning, there are a number of must-have tree-pruning tools you might like to buy. Pruning shears, loppers, pruning saws, and pole pruners can all allow you to trim your trees to a high standard. However, you can also outsource hedge cutting and tree trimming to lawn care experts.

Leaf Blower

A leaf blower might not seem like an overly valuable tool to have, especially if you don’t have many leaves. However, it can be. Leaf blowers help you to keep your property clean and tidy by easily blowing away leaves, dirt, and debris from areas your family likes to use.

Lawn blowers can also be a much preferred contactless option for leaf removal on a delicate lawn. Rather than scraping over the soft lawn during autumn and winter with a rake, you can blow the leaves away without touching them.

Surprisingly, leaf blowers are multi-purpose, despite their name suggesting they’re not. You can also use them to blow away sticks, stones, twigs, and grit. Your leaf blower can be helpful for any task around your property that requires airflow. Just ensure you’re courteous to your neighbours and only use it during the daytime.

A Hose

It might seem like a simple tool, but you’d be surprised by how many people don’t have a garden hose. Garden hoses can be necessary to ensure your vegetable and flower gardens get ample water to help them thrive. Otherwise, you might have to spend much of your time refilling a watering can.

The options are endless for the type of garden hose you purchase, such as a standard rubber hose, a vinyl hose, a metal one, and an expandable one. You can also purchase multi-purpose heads to adjust the flow depending on what you’re watering.

Get the Right Tools for the Job – Or Don’t

If you’re the proud owner of a new home with a yard, it’s time to shop for everything you’ll need to look after it. However, why not spend your free time enjoying your yard rather than maintaining it? Hire lawn care experts to take care of everything from lawn mowing to leaf blowing and everything in between.

While some people are trying to combat dead lawn patches, others have to contend with lawn thatch. What is lawn thatch, and how do you deal with it? You can find this information (and more) below!

What Is Lawn Thatch?

Lawn thatch is a layer of living and dead vegetation nestled between your grass blades and soil surface. In its most basic form, it consists of roots, crowns, stems, and leaf sheaths that haven’t broken down. A small amount of lawn thatch is a good thing. But, as you know, you can have too much of a good thing – and the same goes for thatch.

When you have too much thatch, your lawn can be at an increased risk of succumbing to insects and disease. It can also increase the chances of damage from drought conditions.

Why Does My Lawn Have So Much Thatch?

Some people are continually battling thatch, while others barely have to give it a second thought. Does it matter where you live? Why does thatch affect some lawns more than others? Many factors can determine whether your lawn will have a thatch problem, such as:

• The soil conditions

• Soil aeration

• Pesticides

• Nitrogen levels

• Compacted soil

• Grass variety

These factors not only determine how quickly thatch develops but also the rate at which it breaks down – if at all.

Do I Need to Worry About Thatch?

Yard-proud homeowners want their lawns to be the envy of the entire neighbourhood. In this case, you do want to worry about thatch. The more thatch you have, the more unhealthy your lawn can sometimes be, putting it at risk of several other problems you might need to address in the future. Therefore, if thatch is becoming a problem, now might be the right time to start the removal process.

If you’re unsure if your lawn has a suitable or unsuitable amount of thatch, finding out is an easy process. Simply cut a slice out of your lawn as if you were serving a piece of pie. You likely won’t need to take action if you have about one centimetre of thatch or less. If it exceeds one centimetre, consider dethatching sooner rather than later. Most homeowners with lawns older than 10 years most likely have at least 30-40mm of thatch.

How to Remove Thatch

Even if you don’t consider yourself all that savvy with lawn care, you’ll be surprised at how straightforward dethatching is.

After cutting your lawn short and collecting the clippings, you can use a scarifier unit with blades to get the job done. Scarifiers typically have flail blades that rotate down into the soil and remove the thatch with ease. However, you can also use spring tines on ornamental lawns to prevent grass damage.

Once you’ve finished scarifying your lawns, you can remove the thatch and compost it. Help your lawn bounce back by applying fertiliser before top dressing and watering it.

Can I Prevent Thatch?

While dethatching is a reasonably straightforward process, that doesn’t mean you’ll want to be dealing with it all the time. So, you might be wondering if there’s a way to prevent it from becoming a problem in the first place.

Remember, some thatch is beneficial, but you might be able to prevent excessive accumulation in some of the following ways.

Fertiliser

Fertiliser can help ensure your lawn is healthy and strong. However, it can also help your thatch decompose. Don’t forget to perform a soil test to determine what your soil is lacking and what fertiliser will best suit your lawn.

Soil Aeration

If you have pets or children or love spending your free time outside, you’ve likely got a problem with soil compaction. When your soil is compacted, thatch can build up quickly.

You might be able to combat this problem by aerating your soil to ensure the ground gets the air, moisture, and nutrients it needs. When your soil wants for nothing, microbes can get to work decomposing the thatch and preventing build-up.

Soil aeration is straightforward with a machine or hand-powered lawn core aerator. You can also purchase aerating soil spike sandals to aerate small areas.

Mulching Mower

How you mow your lawns might determine just how much thatch accumulates in your lawns. Mow your lawns regularly to ensure that no more than a third of the lawn’s leaf height is removed with each pass. You might also be able to keep thatch to a healthy level by using a mulching mower to ensure even coverage of lawn clippings across your lawn.  

Give Thatch Its Marching Orders

Don’t let thatch weaken your lawn any longer. Try some of these tips and tricks above, or why not hire a lawn care expert from Crewcut to take care of it for you? Our expert team will be more than happy to scarify your lawn so that you can sit back, relax, and enjoy a healthy, lush, green lawn.

It’s easy to assume that keeping your lawn looking green, lush, and healthy is a full-time job. After all, there can be many barriers to achieving your goals, such as lawn pests and rainfall, and you can spend countless hours combatting one problem after another. However, a healthy lawn can be easier than you think when you have the following things on hand.

A Plan

You can’t just set ‘have a healthy lawn’ as a goal and expect to achieve it. Everyone’s definition of a healthy lawn can differ, depending on what you start with and how you use your property.

For example, you might have a weak lawn that’s susceptible to lawn pests, and you want it to be robust and hardy to handle pets and children. Alternatively, your lawn might be poor-draining and riddled with grass grubs, and you want it to be dry and pest-free. Make a plan, and you might find it easier to create achievable steps for yourself or a lawn care professional. Before long, you can have that healthy, picture-perfect lawn you always wanted.

Soil Tests

No matter how much grass seed you scatter or fertiliser you apply, you can’t always predict the outcome of your actions unless you have soil tests. Soil tests can be used to determine the type of soil you have and if it lacks anything that might be contributing to your grass being in poor health.

Generally, soil tests indicate your soil’s macronutrients, micronutrients, and current pH so you can choose the right soil amendments and fertiliser types to bring it back to total health. After all, healthy soil equals healthy grass.

Fertiliser

It never hurts to have fertiliser stowed away in your garden shed for those times when your grass doesn’t seem to be thriving.

Most of the best lawn fertiliser products in NZ have premium nutrient blends to promote lush green grass growth. Fertiliser can also help eliminate moss, encourage root growth, and promote a deep green colour to make your lawn stand out for all the right reasons. Look for products with iron, sulphur, and calcium, and you might be surprised by the results.

Lawn Aerator Tools

Soil compaction is a common problem, but it’s not something homeowners know too much about. When your soil is pressed down, air, nutrients, and water can struggle to reach your grass roots. If your grass roots can’t get what they need, your grass can’t remain in excellent health.

Fortunately, lawn aerator tools like aeration machines and manual tines can solve your soil compaction woes. By poking holes in your soil, you’re allowing your grass to access everything it needs, even if soil compaction has been a problem in the past.

Power Rake or Dethatching Machine

Thatch is a layer of organic materials like grass, leaves, and roots that can accumulate on your soil. A small amount can be helpful for grass, but too much can actually stop nutrients and water from reaching your grass roots.

Invest in a power rake or dethatching machine to remove thatch from your lawns. However, it’s important to follow the instructions for use to the letter to avoid damaging your lawn. If you’re new to the task of dethatching, start with a small area or hire experts to take care of this task for you.

Sprinkler System

Many homeowners make the mistake of giving their lawns a light sprinkle of water daily to keep them healthy. Your intentions might be good, but you perhaps aren’t doing your lawns any favours.

Shallow sprinklings encourage grass to develop short roots. If you suddenly stop watering, they can’t withstand drought conditions and can be at risk of dying. However, if you were to water your lawns infrequently but deeply, you’re encouraging deep root growth. Should drought conditions be a problem, your grass stands a much better chance of survival because it can access water further down in the soil.

Consider investing in a sprinkler system to make sure your grass gets as much water as it needs without you having to put in any extra effort. Most sprinkler systems work on timers and boast even distribution to ensure no part of your lawn misses out.

Hire a Lawncare Expert

As a proud homeowner, you might want nothing more than picture-perfect lawns that are the envy of all your neighbours. However, that doesn’t mean you’ll have the time to achieve them. If you want to make sure that your lawns are mowed, pest-free, and healthy without putting in the effort yourself, consider hiring a lawn care expert to assist.

Many lawn care companies do more than just mow your lawns. They can also take care of edging, fertiliser, pest eradication, and more. You can then spend more time admiring your grounds than maintaining them yourself.

You might assume that lawn mowing is the only service you can request from a lawn care company. After all, most lawn care companies simply call themselves lawn mowing companies!

However, many of the best lawn care companies in New Zealand – and even in other parts of the world – go above and beyond for their clients seeking picture-perfect properties. In fact, you can generally expect some of the following service offerings.

Lawn Mowing

Lawn mowing is, of course, the most commonly requested service from a lawn care company. Lawns can grow at a rapid rate during the warmer months of the year, causing problems for time-poor homeowners who want to enjoy their yards – rather than maintain them.

Depending on the company you choose to assist with lawn mowing, you can request a free lawn quote to see if their pricing structure suits your needs. Upon accepting the quote, you can receive lawn mowing weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or to suit your unique requirements.

However, there’s more to your standard lawn mowing service than meets the eye. Depending on the company you work with, you can choose from different lawn cuts to suit your specific goals, such as side delivery, catch, specialty lawn mowing, and ride-on mowing.

Side delivery involves cutting and throwing the grass to the side of the mower. While untidy, this lawn mowing service is preferred by homeowners with overgrown grass that would simply clog during the cutting process.

Catch lawn mowing involves using a catcher and ensuring no clippings are left behind on the lawn. You can then keep the lawn clippings for compost or have your chosen lawn mowing company remove them.

You might choose specialty lawn mowing services when you need more than a simple mow. Specialty lawn mowing typically includes spraying, fertilising, and replanting.

Then there’s ride-on lawn mowing. Not all homeowners have postage-stamp-sized lawns suitable for a push mower. Ask a lawn care provider about ride-on lawn mowing if you have a sizeable lawn or even hectares of land.

Hedges

Many homeowners love hedges for their aesthetics, noise-blocking properties, and wind protection. However, ask them what they don’t like about them, and maintenance would likely be at the top of their list.

Many lawn care service providers offer hedge trimming as an additional service. Typically, homeowners benefit from 4-6-monthly trims to keep their hedges under control and in excellent health.

Tree Trimming

Tree trimming can be important for tree health, damaged branch removal, and more light. However, not all homeowners know how to tackle this crucial task. Fortunately, many lawn care service providers do.

Talk to your local lawn mowing business team about possible tree trimming services, such as canopy reduction, thinning, lifting, and removal of dead wood.

Garden Clean Ups

Many time-poor homeowners love admiring their gardens, but they don’t necessarily have time to tend to them. Talk to a lawn care provider you trust about garden clean-up services. Many of the same people offering lawn mowing services in NZ can also help with weed removal, green waste removal, plant pruning, and dead tree removal.

They can also assist with gardening on an ongoing basis, taking care of the trimming, weeding, planting, fertilising, and even mulch delivery.

Alongside gardening help, some lawn care providers might be able to offer framed 600L garden bags that are ideal for lawn clippings, shrubs, leaves, and nearly anything organic. These garden bags can be collected on a monthly cycle to keep garden waste on your property to a minimum.

Water Blasting

Yards can look dismal after winter passes. Moss and mould can take over your pathways, and courtyards and deck areas can look green and drab. Now might be the right time to ask about water blasting services. Many lawn care operators provide this helpful service so that you can enjoy your property in earnest.

By hiring someone to take care of this task, you can free up your spare time for hobbies rather than worrying about how to remove the last remnants of winter from your home.

Commercial Services

While many lawn care service providers work explicitly for residential clients, not all do. Some also take care of commercial lawns and gardens, ensuring business owners can maintain their professional image without lifting a finger.

If your chosen company offers commercial services, inquire about what they are. Many of the best businesses can take care of mowing, weeding and weed control, hedge trimming, soil health, and much more. You might even find lawn care providers willing to tackle hardscape tasks.

Inquire About Lawn Care Services Today

Your local lawn mowing company might be able to help with more than just your lawns. Ask them about their other services and take more of a ‘hands-off’ approach to yard maintenance in the future.

When you think of worms, you picture a harmless, wiggly, squishy worm hanging out in your soil, minding its own business. And, sure, there are plenty of harmless, wiggly, squishy worms residing on your property. However, did you know there are also plenty that might be harming your lawn?

Learn more about worms below, and you might be in a better position to combat the harmful ones while accommodating those trying to help your lawn.

Sod Webworms

Have you noticed irregular brown spots on your lawn and damaged grass blades with chewed edges? You might have a problem with sod webworms.

Sod webworms aren’t technically worms; they’re the caterpillars of moths. They grow up to about 20mm and are pink-white or yellow-brown with black or brown heads. Most sod webworms are also covered with fine hairs and have wings tucked in closely to their bodies.

During the day, they hang out in sheltered spots and shrubs, but they indeed come out to play at night. These pesky critters will scatter eggs over your lawn, feast on your grass, and can destroy an entire lawn in a matter of days.

Unfortunately, there are no known effective insecticides explicitly for sod webworms on the market.

Armyworms

Armyworms are moth caterpillars that are known to decimate seedling stems and lawns. They mostly eat grasses and small grain crops and can leave many unsightly bare patches in their wake.

Armyworms can be your worst nightmare if you’re a lifestyle block owner or farmer. After migrating to a new feeding patch, they can devastate crops in a matter of days. Fortunately, we do have effective products to give them their marching orders.

LawnPro Protect is a recommended product for lawn infestations, while crop farmers might prefer an insecticide product known as Organic Insect Control.

Greasy Cutworm

If you’re an avid gardener with corn, brassicas, beans, and tomatoes, you’ll never want to see a greasy cutworm darkening your doorstep. Greasy cutworms are young caterpillars that eat a variety of plants and cause significant damage. The young caterpillars are brown to grey, while larger larvae tend to be dark grey and yellow. They get the name ‘greasy’ from their skin’s greasy and shiny appearance when they’re well-fed.

If you notice tunnels in your soil, you likely have large cutworm caterpillars. Apply LawnPro Protect from spring to late autumn. If you have adult moths, spray affected plants with Plant Health Spectrum between November and February.

Wireworm

Wireworms not only love gardens, particularly when it comes to tubers, but they see lawns as large tasty snacks. Give these soil-dwelling insect larvae their eviction notice before they have a chance to damage roots and stop your plants and lawns from thriving.

More often than not, wireworm can be found destroying lawns, potatoes, brassicas, wheat, and root vegetables. They also don’t think twice about killing your planted seedlings and hanging out in any rotting wood around your property.

If you’re at your wit’s end with wireworm, apply LawnPro Protect to any affected areas and consider preventative measures. You might be able to stop wireworm from returning by removing damaged plants, implementing a crop rotation plan, and carrying out preventative treatments with recommended products.

Garden Worms

How could regular ol’ garden worms be damaging? We need them! Worms are undoubtedly crucial for our soil ecology, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have too much of a good thing. When worms are too active in our grass during winter, grass can become bumpy when their castings dry. Wet castings scattered over the lawn can also cause you to have an ‘open’ lawn. If you have an overabundance of worms, control the population for better grass health using an organic tea extract.

Most Common Worms in NZ Gardens

You’ve seen one worm; you’ve seen them all, right? Perhaps not. We actually have at least six common worms in New Zealand, excluding earthworms.

You’re most likely to find blue-grey worms living in your topsoil. They have blue-grey, fat bodies, a yellow ring around their necks, and a yellow tip on their tails. If you dig around in your garden, you might also find grey worms. These worms live in and eat your garden soil and have pink-grey bodies with dark pink heads.

If you’re an avid composter, be on the lookout for tiger worms. They live in and eat organic matter, compost, and leaf litter. They are easy to spot because they have bright red bodies and yellow stripes.

You might also spot the occasional dung worm if you use dung in your garden or live in a rural area. These worms are brown with red saddles and live in organic matter like cow pats. If you live in the North Island, you might also encounter Nightcrawler worms that grow up to 30cm long and three metres deep in your soil and black-headed worms with dark grey-brown bodies.

Are You Welcoming the Right Worms?

Not all worms are as wonderful as we think. If you’ve welcomed the wrong worms, now might be the right time to explore your treatment options to keep your lawns and gardens happy and healthy.

As we say goodbye to summer and welcome its much milder friend, autumn, you might wonder if now is the right time to make some lawn improvements. Summer isn’t always kind to our lawns, with inconsistent rainfall and plenty of lawn games over the festive period, and your patch of grass might be in dire need of TLC.

Fortunately, early autumn is generally the best time for lawn improvements, like new turf, seeding, weed control, and feeding. If you have these tasks on your to-do list, these tips might help you on your way.

Seed Your Lawn

Whether your entire lawn needs your attention or you’re just trying to repair the dead patches from your dogs, early autumn is one of the best times to seed your grass in its entirety or in patches. Generally, autumn is when the soil has enough moisture and the conditions are milder to help your lawn seed germinate. Once you’ve planted your lawn seed, it’ll continue growing and thriving until it’s strong enough to manage the ever-changing conditions of spring and summer.

Seeding your lawn can be a significant decision to make, especially when there is an abundance of grass varieties to choose from. Typically, local garden stores offer options for shaded grass, robust grass, and grass you don’t need to mow as often. If you’re only patching your lawn this autumn, a lawn repair seeding product might also be worth your attention. 

To grow grass from seed in autumn, take the following steps:

1. Remove rocks and debris and rake the surface to flatten it

2. Apply fertiliser or use grass seed that already contains it

3. Spread out the seed evenly

4. Top-dress it with 2-3mm of top-dressing soil

5. Apply a wetting agent on the fine mist setting of your hose

6. Water daily and keep at least the top 10mm of your soil moist

Feed Your Lawn

If you’re happy with your current lawn but are worried about its survival abilities coming into the colder weather, purchase lawn food and feed it to improve its health. There are many different organic products on the market designed to enhance soil and grass health. Typically, these feature goodies like seaweed, fish manure, chicken manure, and blood and bone. Follow package instructions to give your lawn the best start in the cooler conditions to come.

Lay Turf Lawn

Not everyone has time to watch the grass grow – literally. If you’re in a hurry to enjoy your new lawn, consider buying turf lawn. Autumn is the perfect time for this to establish itself in its new home. Once you’ve purchased your preferred turf lawn product, you can follow these steps to give it the best chance to thrive.

1. Remove all weeds

2. Cultivate down to around 100-150mm and mix in lawn food

3. Ensure the soil is level

4. Place your turf

5. Water well

Take Control of Weeds

Lawn weeds can be frustrating. They detract from the attractiveness of your lawn and even take over where your healthy lawn once was. Autumn is one of the best times of the year to take control of pesky lawn weeds.

Identify what you have and head to your local garden centre for an appropriate weed-killing product. You can now also purchase weed and feed products, which simultaneously help your lawns and kill off weeds.

Trim Trees and Shrubs

As the days get shorter and the temperatures plummet, your lawn will receive less light to help it grow. It might even enjoy less than most lawns if trees and shrubs tower about it. Before your grass is impacted by too much shade, use the early days of autumn or the last of summer to trim your trees and shrubs. With this vital job taken care of, your grass can stand a better chance of remaining healthy once the cooler conditions hit.

Be Prepared for Pests

Pests like moss, fungal disease, and grass grub all like to take hold during the coldest months of the year. While you might not need to prepare for them before autumn, it can be a good idea to have products on hand to give them their marching orders should they arrive sooner than you expected.

Inspect your lawn often, look for the tell-tale signs of grass grubs like patchy, wilted, and discoloured grass, and treat when necessary.

Be Ready for Autumn

It’s never easy saying goodbye to the warm summer months, especially when we always have such fun relaxing in the sun and playing backyard cricket. However, you can at least be ready when autumn arrives. Once you’ve taken care of these necessary lawn care tasks like seeding, feeding, and weeding, your lawn can stand the best chance of premium health until summer comes once more.

The lawn care industry is competitive, with multiple companies fighting for market share in several towns and cities across the country. You might know you can provide a high-quality lawn care service that surpasses your competition, but being given the opportunity to prove it isn’t always easy.

If you’re struggling to obtain new clients, that might not be a problem for long. Here are some of the most effective strategies you might like to try for winning new lawn care clients in the new year.

Create a Website

More than five billion people use the internet, so it’s fair to say that people looking for lawn care services in your area are hopping onto their computers or mobile devices, searching for the right business to provide them. If you aren’t on the internet, you might not be considered.

Lawn care providers might be able to improve their chances of securing new customers by creating standout websites. Fortunately, when you align with franchises like Crewcut, you can field new client inquiries through an already well-established and optimised site.

Try Direct Mail

It’s easy to assume that the days of enjoying new business from flyers in the mailbox are long gone, but that’s not the case. Many people see a return on their investment of between 1-5%, which might equate to a significant number of new clients depending on the number of flyers you distribute.

Create a well-designed, high-quality flyer that includes all basic information about the services you offer, who you are, what your business is, and how people can contact you. You might even see the value in providing a one-off deal to encourage people to utilise your services sooner rather than later.

Provide High-Quality Services

Sometimes, the best way to win new lawn care clients is simply by being the best at what you do. People will sit up and take notice if your lawn mowing, hedge trimming, tree pruning, and edging skills are immaculate.

Word-of-mouth advertising remains one of the most effective forms of marketing, and if customers are satisfied with your offerings, they might be more likely to recommend you to their friends and family, helping you to build up your client base before long.

Join a Franchise

Starting a new lawn care business from scratch can be hard work. Not only do you have to create marketing materials and build brand recognition, but you also start with no clients and have to build your way up from there.

Joining a franchise can be advantageous in this respect. Some of the best lawn care franchises provide new franchisees with a base client list to start with, and you get to piggyback off the already well-established name and marketing materials.

What’s more, you have more than one option for how you join the franchise. You might buy a pre-existing franchise with a list of clients or buy a developing round with new customers in your preferred region.

Brand Your Vehicles

If you pulled up outside a client’s property in an ordinary vehicle and proceeded to mow their lawns, most people would think you were the homeowner tending to their own yard. However, if you turned up in a smartly branded vehicle with a business logo and contact information, they would immediately know you were a lawn care service provider.

Many lawn care service providers enjoy new business simply by parking on residential streets. If one property owner is having their lawns mowed, another might realise they, too, could benefit from your services and contact you before long.

Rely On Social Media

More than 89 percent of the New Zealand population uses social media, with a 9.6% increase between 2021 and 2022. While many people use the platforms to stay in touch with their family and friends, they also browse business pages and learn more about products and services. Be where the masses are, and you might win new lawn care clients.

Explore your options surrounding Facebook ads, and don’t be afraid to post information about your services on the community pages of areas you service. Sometimes, people have been considering hiring someone to help them with their lawns and gardens, but they don’t take the first step towards hiring someone until they see an ad for services. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you might be the person they hire.

Welcome New Clients Onboard Today

As challenging as it can be to build your client base, it’s not impossible if you’re willing to put in the effort. Join a supportive franchise, brush up on your marketing skills, and provide a standout service. It might then only be a matter of time until you have as many clients as you need to enjoy financial success.

If you live anywhere in little ol’ Aotearoa, you’ll be familiar with the all-too-common problem of having heavy rain impacting your lawn. Sometimes, it falls faster than your soil can absorb it, leading to puddles and flooding that takes its toll.

While you might assume that your lawns are robust enough to handle excessive rainfall every once in a while, it can actually cause a range of problems. Learn about the impacts of too much rain below – and what you can do about it.

Soil Compaction

Both heavy rain and traffic, like pets and children, can contribute to soil compaction. When your soil becomes compacted, you might notice that your grass is worn and patchy. This is because soil compaction stops water, air, and nutrients from being able to access the root zone. To solve this problem, you’ll need to wait until the puddles of water clear and get to work aerating your soil.

For a small lawn, soil aeration is as easy as poking holes into the ground with your garden fork. Pierce the ground down to around 5cm and move the fork prongs backwards and forwards. Do this every 10cm across your entire lawn.

However, if you have a larger lawn, you might see the value in purchasing aerator sandals and walking around your property or purchasing or renting a lawn aerating roller. These can be much faster methods than a garden fork!

Lawn Mowing Services Might Not Operate

If you have trouble mowing your lawns when your region experiences heavy rainfall, so will your lawn care service provider. As a result, heavy rain might mean your lawn mowing and other services are delayed.

You can encounter many problems while mowing wet, soggy lawns, with one of the most frustrating being clumps of grass getting stuck in the blades. There is also a significant health and safety risk, as slippery lawns might cause people mowing your lawns to have trouble maintaining grip. On slopes, this can be a recipe for disaster.

Your lawn might also suffer. When the ground is soft, lawn mower wheels can cause significant damage, which can take a long time to repair. As tempting as it can be to keep on top of yard maintenance, challenging weather conditions can sometimes see it put on the back burner.

Insects

We have plenty of beneficial insects that many homeowners love welcoming onto their properties, such as Harvestmen, spiders, ground beetles, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps. They can combat all manner of problems, like getting rid of tomato-destroying whiteflies, aphids, and slugs.

But not all insects are welcome. When your lawn is wet – or even when it isn’t – you can encounter troublesome critters like grass grub. Grass grub is our most significant lawn and pasture pest in New Zealand and is found throughout the country. They lay eggs in the soil throughout spring and summer, and the resultant larvae that hatch two weeks later start eating grass roots. They then leave infected and dead grass in their wake.

As many people encounter the most damage during winter, you’ll likely be dealing with soft ground, puddles of water, and bare patches. Fortunately, giving grass grubs their marching orders isn’t a challenging process.

You can use a specific grass grub-killing product from your local garden store throughout spring and summer. Most of these products are granular, so applying them just before moderate or heavy rainfall arrives is essential. During winter, you likely won’t be waiting long...

Flooding

Have you ever noticed that some parts of your property flood in heavy rain, but some don’t? You might have poor drainage, and addressing the issue might ensure it doesn’t happen in the future.

There are many effective ways to prevent flooding and keep your lawn from feeling the effects of too much water. You could start by diverting that extra water away, such as by installing gutters to collect rain from the roof.

You could also install a French drain, which essentially works like an underground creek. Install a drainpipe below the soil and let it drain water away to dry parts of your property. Many people install French drains when they have water pooling around their driveways, garden beds, and gutters.

You might even be able to reduce the effects of flooding simply by using heavier mulch products around your plants, investing in water-loving grasses and plants to soak up more water, and using rain barrels to collect water in heavy rain.

Weed Growth

Accelerated weed growth is a common problem people face after heavy rainfall because the water spreads weed seeds all over your lawn and gardens. While you might not be able to prevent this from happening, you can prevent those weeds from taking over.

Identify the weeds growing in your lawn, such as poa, broadleaf, Onehunga weed, moss, and clover, and purchase products from your local garden store to address them. If you only notice a small number of weeds, you can also pull them out by hand.

Don’t Let Rain Impact Your Lawn

We can’t control the weather, so we can’t always control the condition our lawns end up in or our ability to maintain them to a high standard at all times of the year. However, if you take care of weed growth, drainage problems, insects, and soil compaction, you might be surprised by how well your lawns fare.

As a lawn care business owner, your time is precious. You want your equipment to work at its best at all times without worrying about it performing poorly or not starting at all.

When you purchase quality brands, you can typically expect that to happen – but not without maintenance. If you don’t make time for care, you can spend more time fixing your equipment than actually using it. Learn more about maintenance requirements for lawn care equipment below, and you can provide your clients with a reliable, high-quality lawn care service they can trust.

Check Oil and Filters

If any equipment you own has a motor, it will likely need oil and filters to work at its best. When was the last time you checked the oil and filters within landscaping and lawn mowing equipment?

The more frequently you check and replace these components, the less likely your chances of engine failure, and the longer your equipment might last. The same goes for air filters, found on most residential and commercial lawnmowers. Clogged air filters can reduce air circulation and cause carbon build-up. Keep at least one replacement air filter on hand at all times to minimise downtime.

Sharpen and Check Blades

Just as you would sharpen knives you use in the kitchen, you need to do the same for any lawn equipment with blades—the sharper the blade, the cleaner the cut.

Typically, the best time to replace or sharpen your blades is when they have any dents or nicks. However, if you notice that your grass height is uneven after cutting, the grass blades look torn, or the edges of your grass are brown and frayed, these can be reasonably good signs that they’re in dire need of sharpening. Most rusty and dull blades chew and rip the grass rather than cut it cleanly.

Always carry a spare set of blades and tools for switching out old blades. You can then set time aside to sharpen the used blades yourself or take them to your local hardware store for sharpening. If you choose to sharpen blades yourself to lower your operational costs, make sure you wear safety gear, such as work gloves, eye protection, and ear protection.

Check the Spark Plugs

Spark plugs are such a small, inexpensive part of your lawn mowing equipment, but they can have the most significant impact. Failing spark plugs can make your lawn mower hard to start and even contribute to increased fuel consumption and poor engine performance.

Inspect your spark plugs at least every month. Be on the lookout for general wear, cracks, and chips. Consider stocking up on spark plugs so that you don’t have to be out of action for too long.

Clean Your Equipment

When you’re working in people’s yards day in and day out, your equipment is going to get dirty. When they’re not being covered in lawn clippings, they’re getting splattered with dirt, water, and other organic matter.

If you don’t clean your equipment often, you might experience rust and dirt build-up that’s both unsightly and harmful to your gear’s efficiency. Take the time to clean your equipment each day, and you might be surprised by how long it lasts.

Create a Maintenance Checklist

When you have a long list of equipment you use daily, like lawnmowers, hedge cutters, leaf blowers, and line trimmers, it’s hard to remember what you’ve serviced and what you haven’t. Take the guesswork out of the process by creating a maintenance checklist.

These checklists can incorporate all the tasks you need to perform on each piece of equipment and the dates you need to perform them. If you can’t remember the last time you changed the oil in your mower, you can simply refer to your maintenance sheet to find out.

Rely On the Pros

During the growing seasons, you’ve probably got more than enough tasks on your to-do list. At this point, equipment maintenance is simply cutting into your free time. If your goal with taking on a lawn care franchise was to enjoy a better work-life balance, consider leaving maintenance and repairs to the experts.

Develop a relationship with your local mower shop and discuss your current and future needs with them. When they know you have several pieces of outdoor power equipment you’ll need regular servicing for, they might be inclined to provide competitive prices and fast turnaround timeframes.  

Maintain Your Mowers Like a Pro

A successful lawn care business is about more than buying the right equipment and building up a loyal and satisfied customer base. It’s also about making sure you maintain your equipment to keep providing a high-quality service. Take note of these tips above, and you might enjoy having reliable, long-lasting equipment that suits your needs for years to come.

It can sometimes feel like keeping your lawns tidy is a losing battle. Between pets, children, and the elements, they always tend to end up looking messy, unkempt, and downright untidy.

But you don’t have to be destined to a lifetime of fighting against a messy lawn. Take some of the following actions, and you might be able to enjoy a tidy property at all times.

Get the Kids Involved

There’s nothing better than the sound of children’s laughter echoing across your property. They’re enjoying kicking a ball around, playing a Kiwi classic game of backyard cricket, running around, or swinging on their swing set.

There’s every reason to encourage your children to play outside, but consider the benefits of having them pick up after themselves. If they’re playing with a ball, remind them to bring it inside when they’re finished playing soccer. If they’re digging in the sandpit, remind them about putting their sand tools back where they came from.

When children know they have to clean up after themselves when they’ve finished with an activity, there’s less for you to pick up when you mow your lawns, and you also get to enjoy a tidy yard without an assortment of toys scattered throughout it.   

Have Solutions For Your Pets

There are few things as disheartening as venturing into your backyard only to discover that your dog has tried to dig a hole through to another country. A previously immaculate yard now looks like it has been the site of a treasure hunt.

Pets can also flatten lawns and create burned patches with their urine, leading to an unsightly lawn that takes considerable effort to fix. You love your lawn, but you love your pets more, so it makes sense to come up with solutions so that you can have both.

Growing hardy lawn varieties might be one of the most effective ways to keep your lawns in excellent condition. The stronger the lawn, the less everyday use affects it. Alternatively, you might like to aerate your grass frequently to ensure daily dog zoomies don’t compact the soil.

Some people also see the value in exercising their pets in a specific area and creating a designated pet area where you don’t care as much about the lawn being ruined. You might even be able to combat unsightly burns by introducing Dog Rocks to your dog’s water bowl and watering down their urine on the grass to dilute the nitrogen content. Keeping your lawns healthy and tidy doesn’t have to be as challenging as you think it is.

Mow Right

You might think you’re mowing your lawns properly, but are you? Lawn mowing can be an art form, and mastering it can take time, reading, and patience.

Start by mowing at the right time. This is typically mid-morning when the heat of the day hasn’t yet arrived, but the dew has already dried up. You’ll generally need to mow every week or second week in summer and every two to five weeks throughout autumn and winter.

As tempting as it can be to mow when the grass is wet because you have free time, refrain from doing so. You can spread lawn diseases through wet grass, and you might also find that wet grass gets stuck in your mower’s undercarriage while being torn or shredded rather than cut by your blades.

Then, focus on your cutting height. Remove up to 40 percent of your grass height each time – and no more. You can even keep your grass longer in the colder months of the year when it’s at its most vulnerable. If you usually catch all your lawn clippings, consider leaving them on your grass on the odd occasion. Clippings can provide essential nutrients like potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus that your lawn needs.

Finally, choose the right mower for the job. The perfect mower can depend on the size of your lawn, your power preferences, and even your grass type. Petrol and ride-on mowers often come highly recommended for large lawn areas and rougher terrain, while electric and some battery mowers are often better suited for smaller areas.

Hire the Experts

Not everyone has the time or inclination to put in the effort required to keep their lawns looking their best. If you’re time-poor but still want to enjoy beautiful grounds year-round, consider hiring the experts.

Lawn care experts like those at Crewcut are not only handy with hedge cutters, line trimmers, and leaf blowers, but they’re also lawn masters. They can mow, trim, edge, and treat so that your lawn looks the picture of perfection. Now might be the right time to explore your lawn care options so that your patch of grass is the envy of all your neighbours.

Most people with lawn care knowledge have no problem keeping their lawns looking perfectly healthy. And if they don’t have lawn care knowledge, they outsource this task to lawn care experts who do have it.

But keeping your lawn healthy when you have pets like dogs can be an entirely different story. Animals love the outdoors, and your lawn can sometimes pay the ultimate price. Before you end up with a muddy, messy, and entirely destroyed patch of grass, consider doing some of the following things. Your lawns (and pets) might just thank you for it.

Grow Hardy Lawn

If your lawn is currently so destroyed that you’re thinking about growing new lawn from scratch, take the opportunity to research the hardiest lawn options. The stronger your lawn, the better its chances of survival might be.

Of course, there’s no such thing as an entirely pet-tolerant lawn, but some grass types are more suitable than others. Talk to your local lawn care expert about varieties designed for high-traffic areas, such as ryegrass and turf fescue blends, which are often chosen for backyards, driveways, playgrounds, and other high-use areas.

Aerate Your Lawn

Our sweet furry friends love doing zoomies. They sprint around the yard without a care in the world, letting out all their pent-up energy. It’s fun for them, and it’s fun for us, but it’s not so fun for your lawn.

Over time, their antics can result in the soil underneath your grass becoming compact, stopping the grass roots from getting all the nutrients they need. To combat this problem and ensure your grass roots get air, water, and nutrients, dedicate time to lawn aeration.

Lawn aeration involves piercing small holes across your entire lawn. You can purchase manual or motorised lawn aeration tools for the job or even footwear so that you can simply walk on your lawn and create the necessary holes. Aeration can be temporarily unsightly, but it might be the difference between a happy lawn and a sad one.

Exercise Your Pets Elsewhere

If it seems like your lawn is never getting a chance to bounce back from your pet’s outdoor antics, give it a much-needed break by exercising them elsewhere. Rather than throwing a ball in your backyard, take them to a local dog park to interact with other dogs or walk them around your nearby dog-friendly parks and walking tracks.

Exercising your dogs elsewhere is not only beneficial for them to be able to explore new areas, but it might also mean your lawn isn’t subjected to the same daily wear and tear that’s contributing to its untimely failure.

Create a Designated Pet Area

Your dog realistically might not need your entire yard to do their business. If you exercise them elsewhere, you might see the value in creating a designated pet area and making the rest of your lawn off-limits.

In this area, you can set up a toileting space, a dog run where they can relax and enjoy their own company, and even a pet-friendly sandbox if they typically enjoy digging up your lawn. While they’ll be able to enjoy their outside time, you’ll also benefit from a pet-free area where your lawn has a chance to survive and thrive.

Rinse Urine

Nitrogen and salts in urine can damage your lawn, but your pet has gotta go when they’ve gotta go! Rather than letting the nitrogen kill off your grass and create unsightly dead patches, supervise their toileting time and water down where they’ve urinated with a watering can or hose.

The less nitrogen concentrated in one area, the less harmful it can be to your lawn. Alternatively, you might like to try the many different dog products on the market, like Dog Rocks, designed to filter out impurities in water that would typically pass through the urine and damage your grass.

Train Out Bad Habits

You might think you need to put up with your dog digging holes in the grass or pulling out your prized plants, but you don’t have to. With the right training programme in place to suit your dog’s needs and temperament, you might be able to replace their bad habits with new, better ones.

At a minimum, you might be able to switch their focus from digging a hole in your grass to digging one in a pet-friendly sandpit instead.

Ask Your Local Lawn Care Expert For Advice

As much as we love our pets, it can sometimes seem like we can’t have pets and nice lawns. Quite the opposite might be true. Take the above actions and talk to your local lawn care expert for advice. You might be surprised at how a proactive approach to lawn care might be all it takes to have your lawn back in tip-top shape.

Moss is one of those frustrating lawn weeds you never seem to see the back of. No matter how often you apply moss-killing products, it seems to keep coming back year after year.

Indeed, a one-off application of a moss-killing product is not the silver bullet, so how do you control moss in your lawn in New Zealand? It might take some of the following actions.

Apply a Moss-Killing Product

Moss-killing products should form part of every gardener’s arsenal, especially if you struggle with moss and achieving a healthy lawn at any time of the year. As previously mentioned, such products aren’t a silver bullet, but they can be the first step to taking control of the issue and setting you on the path to solving it permanently.

Sulphate of iron is one of the most effective options, which is the core component of most high-quality moss-killing products on the market. Sulphate of iron controls moss and feeds your lawn simultaneously.

Once the moss turns black, you can rake it out of your lawn and oversow with lawn seed to help your lawn take back over. If you’d prefer not to use chemicals on your grass, you might opt for an organic solution, such as lukewarm water with baking soda or dish soap with water.

However, it’s important to note that moss grows for many reasons and in various situations. If you don’t combat the cause of the moss growth, you can expect to see it returning before long.

De-thatch and Aerate

Moss can return year after year if it’s growing on parts of your lawn with poor drainage and compacted and damp soil. Address these problems, and you might give moss its marching orders for good.

Removing thatch and aerating your lawn might be the answer. Thatch is a layer of organic matter on top of the soil that can stop water from draining through your soil as it should. While a small amount of thatch isn’t an issue, a significant amount can be.

Use a sharp-toothed bow rake or dethatching rake to remove as much thatch as possible. Some people also hire powered dethatchers to speed up the job. Note: Your lawn isn’t going to look at its best immediately after dethatching, but it won’t look awful forever!

After dethatching, your lawn will have a chance to soak up excess moisture that might otherwise give moss a chance to take hold. However, it might be less able to do this if your soil is compacted. At least once per year, use aerating tools to pierce holes in your lawn.

Remove Shade

Moss thrives in cool, shady environments. So, it makes sense to remove whatever is creating that cool, shady environment. Something as simple as removing a shrub or pruning a tree might be all it takes to see the back of moss growth for good.

However, if moss is growing on the south side of your home, which is typically the coldest, you might consider removing the grass and using gravel or pavers.  

Improve Your Soil’s Health

Sometimes, moss grows when your soil has pH and nutrition problems. Acidic soil provides the healthiest foundation for moss growth. Perform a soil pH test to see where your soil sits, and correct the problem if your soil is too acidic.

Sometimes, alkaline powder can be the ideal solution for overly acidic soil, while some people manage to solve their moss woes with a layer of wood ash or pulverized limestone.

Fix Your Drainage Problems

If moss is still prevalent, even after trying dethatching, aeration, shade removal, and moss-killing products, you might need to consider whether your property’s drainage is to blame.

Sometimes, such issues are caused by high clay content, but they can also be caused by too much foot traffic, underlying subsoil problems, and the contours of your yard. In these situations, more intensive solutions might be required.

For example, you might need to head to your local park to kick around a ball rather than letting your children use the lawn. Or, you might need to change the contours of your yard to help excess water drain away or even dig up the lawn to change the subsoil.  

These might be solutions you consider if you’re already about to undergo significant landscaping changes. Otherwise, you might put up with the moss or use some of the other mentioned solutions to keep it at bay for most of the year.

Ask for Help

Most people experience lawn woes from time to time, and you might not have all the answers. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get them. Never be afraid to reach out to your local lawn or garden experts for help. You might then be able to enjoy a moss-free lawn sooner than you think.

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.

Is your lawn sulking? Is it not looking at its best? Having sad-looking grass can be devastating, especially if you pride yourself on a beautiful yard that has long been the envy of your neighbours.

Fortunately, there are a number of different ways you can address your lawn failures, no matter the cause of them in the first place. Take note of these tips below, and your grass will be looking its best in no time.

Stay Off It

The elements can take their toll during the cooler months of the year. The soil is soggy, the grass isn’t growing, and everything is cold. Using your lawn when it’s at its worst is one of the quickest ways to see it requiring extensive maintenance when the warmer weather arrives.

You might be able to avoid a soggy, muddy, messy lawn by staying off it during periods of heavy rainfall. Sometimes, this might mean sending the kids off to their local sports field to kick a ball and giving your pets an alternative area to use the bathroom until it has a chance to dry off.

Take Care of Weeds

You might think weeds are only a garden issue, but they can also be problematic in your lawns. While winter undoubtedly gives you a break from tackling your garden lawns, broad-leafed weeds thrive in the colder weather and can quickly take over your yard.

If you’ve encountered weeds in your lawn in winter, apply a selective herbicide to stop them in their tracks. You might also be able to use herbicide products throughout the remaining seasons while cutting out weeds as you see them.

De-thatch the Lawn

During the warmer months of the year, when most parts of Aotearoa experience less rainfall, it becomes even more important to ensure your lawn has access to all the water it can get. Otherwise, you might find yourself with a patchy, dying, or dead lawn that can’t seem to recover on its own.

Give your grass the best chance to thrive by de-thatching. This involves using a rake or a de-thatching tool to remove the layer of thatch underneath your grass that stops the roots from getting all the air and moisture they need.

While time-consuming, de-thatching is a straightforward process. Simply pull your rake through the lawn with even strokes and press down firmly to remove as much thatch as possible.

Try Top-Dressing

If you’ve noticed that your lawn is uneven, patchy, or even a little bit yellow, consider top-dressing. This process describes adding a thin layer of a growing media, such as a mixture of topsoil, composted bar, and sand, over the top of your lawn, with a particular focus on those inconsistent areas.

Top dressing can be beneficial for a number of reasons. It can make your lawn more drought-resistant, improve lawn drainage, and even increase its pest resistance. You might also find that your lawn is more capable of retaining nutrients and water and requires less maintenance over time.

Feed It Fertiliser

Many of us take it for granted that our lawns will remain the picture of perfection without our assistance. While some lawns are undoubtedly better than others based on the type of grass seed used and the climate, most will benefit from the occasional fertiliser application.

There are a number of lawn fertiliser products on the market you might like to try, such as synthetic granular fertiliser, combination fertiliser, slow-release lawn food, and liquid hose-on fertiliser. All options have their pros and cons based on your lawn’s needs and your preferences.

You might opt for liquid hose-on fertiliser if you want a fast and easy solution for a brown spot without worrying about soil nutrition. However, you might be more inclined to choose a slow-release fertiliser when you want your grass to benefit from nutrients over time.

There are also many different organic lawn food options, which contain nutrient-rich ingredients like blood and bone, animal manure, seaweed, and even fish.

Aerate the Soil

The appearance and health of your grass ultimately rely on the soil underneath to be at its best. If the dirt has been compacted over time with wet weather and regular use, your grass roots might not be able to access the air and water they need to produce strong, healthy, green grass.

Fortunately, you can solve this problem by aerating it. Use a garden fork or aerator tool and create small holes about five centimetres deep into the soil. Work your way across the entire lawn.

If you have an expansive area to cover, consider purchasing spiked aerator sandals and walk across your lawn, creating holes about 20 centimetres apart.

Ask Lawncare Experts for Help

It’s okay to admit that you don’t know how to improve your lawn on your own. If you lack knowledge, experience, or even time, there will always be lawn care experts you can call upon to lend a helping hand. Your lawn can be looking at its best in no time.

If you’ve always been quite proud of your lawns, then you’ve likely spent a lot of time maintaining them with activities like lawn mowing, weed eating, and de-thatching. While such tasks can keep your grass looking like the picture of perfection, that doesn’t mean it can’t succumb to troublesome lawn diseases that threaten to undo all your hard work.

If you believe you’ve encountered a lawn disease and need a helping hand combatting it, you’re in the right place. We’ve listed some of the most common lawn diseases in NZ and included helpful tips for taking care of them.

Brown Patch

Brown patch is perhaps one of the most common lawn diseases you’ll encounter in New Zealand, caused by the plant pathogenic fungus Rhizoctonia solani. Most turfgrass species can be at risk of this disease during the summer months, especially when the air is warm and humid and your soils are poor-draining. Homeowners who don’t de-thatch their lawns might also be at risk of brown patch.

Typically, you’ll notice brown patch on fine fescue lawns, which presents as circular patches of grass that take on a purplish hue before turning light brown. Sometimes, the grass will recover in the middle, which offers the appearance of a brown-tinged ring.

There is no overnight fix for brown patch, but it is a solvable problem. Apply a fungicide to your lawn and make de-thatching your grass in autumn a priority. If your soil has drainage issues, aeration might also assist with these.

Dollar Spot

Dollar spot gets its name from being a bald patch on turf grass around the size of a one-dollar coin. Many property owners in the North Island experience this issue, which can often be caused by plant leaves being wet for long periods – often in spring and autumn.

You might notice small, light patches of grass that eventually form large patches. Fortunately, these spots heal quickly, especially when you apply nitrogen-rich fertilisers followed by a fungicide if the fertiliser isn’t effective on its own.

Leaf Spot

Have you noticed that your grass is thinning out and possibly even browning? You might have a lawn disease called leaf spot. It’s also known as ‘melting out’ and looks like brown or black spots on grass blades that kill the grass above the roots.

Hot and humid weather can increase the chances of your lawn succumbing to this disease, but there are ways to reduce the risk and stop it in its tracks if it does arrive. Avoid cutting your grass too low and add nitrogen to your lawn if you notice any signs of leaf spot.

You might also see value in fungicides, but these tend to be more effective during the early stages of the disease.

Crown Rust

If you have ryegrass and the weather conditions in your region are mild and humid, be on the lookout for crown rust. This lawn disease tends to take hold from summer to autumn in mild, humid weather.

You might notice that your grass has taken on a rust colouring, and this is due to yellow or orange spores on the blades. Most commonly, this lawn disease affects grass being grown in low-fertility soils.

If you’re in the unfortunate position of having crown rust, you’ll be pleased to know it’s easy to correct. Apply a nitrogen-rich fertiliser just before or during rain, or water your lawn thoroughly after application.

Slime Moulds

Cooler weather conditions can wreak havoc on our properties, and our lawns often don’t make it through autumn and winter unscathed. Some people notice slime moulds on their lawns, particularly during long periods of dampness and where grass is growing in shaded areas.

Slime moulds look like eggs or crystal-like growths on the leaves, stems, or blades of grass. While they are often white and yellow, they can also be grey, orange, and other colours.

This type of lawn disease can appear and disappear without your intervention, but not everyone is happy for it to be there. If you’d like to see it gone, spray the affected area with a moss-killing product like LawnPro MossClear, which can kill moss, algal slime, and liverwort.

Red Thread

If you notice that your lawn has taken on a reddish-pink tinge during spring or autumn, it might be diseased with red thread. Red thread is a common fungal disease that mainly affects lawns with low nitrogen levels.

It can infect grass leaves, turn them red, then kill off patches of your lawn entirely. Sometimes, the problem can be further exacerbated by poor drainage, low cutting, and low soil fertility. Address these problems and treat the problem areas with a fungal control product.

Be Proactive With Lawn Diseases

No one likes to see their prized lawns succumb to problematic lawn diseases. Now that you’re aware of the most common ones to plague lawns in New Zealand, you might be in a much better position to identify and eradicate them.

Winter can be a challenging time of year for many homeowners. There are fewer daylight hours to tend to the lawns and gardens, and you might even struggle to know how to give your grass what it needs to make it through the coldest time of the year unscathed.

There’s no denying that most people’s properties aren’t the most attractive in winter, but there’s no reason why you can’t make sure they come out the other side of winter ready to look at their best. Are you on the hunt for winter lawn care tips in NZ? You’ll find some goodies below.

Feed Your Lawn

Unless you live in an incredibly cold part of the country with frost, snow, and frequently low temperatures, it’s highly likely that your lawn will still be growing. Sure, you might not be mowing it as often, but growth may not come to a complete standstill.

Therefore, feeding can still be necessary to keep your grass in excellent health. You might be able to promote good health and growth by applying granular lawn food or even commercial products with composted chicken manure to give your lawn much-needed beneficial bacteria.

If you’re looking for fast growth, temperatures might still allow for liquid fertiliser that you can purchase as a concentrate, mix with water, and apply with a watering can.

Weed Your Lawn

Many homeowners breathe a sigh of relief when the ‘growing’ seasons end. Colder temperatures might mean fewer weeds to contend with, but is that actually true? Technically, no.

Broad-leafed weeds love the colder temperatures, and it’s not uncommon to find yourself battling with Onehunga weed, oxalis, cudweed, clover, and many other weeds that thrive when the mercury plummets.

Fortunately, plenty of control products are available to eliminate those pesky weeds and promote grass growth. 

If you’re also struggling with moss, which flourishes in moist, cold environments, now might be an ideal time to tackle this issue. While most moss products work better in warmer weather, you might gain back some control of moss growth on your lawn and on hard surfaces like paving stones in winter.

Apply Lime

Winter is the ideal time to check your soil and see if its pH level allows for optimal growth. Purchase a soil test and if the pH level is below six, purchase lime and sprinkle it over the lawn to combat acidity and improve your growing conditions.

The best time to apply lime is at the end of the growing season, which can typically be at the end of autumn. This time of the year gives your soil plenty of time to absorb the lime and adjust the pH.

Spike and Aerate Your Lawn

Your lawn can look remarkably different during winter than in summer, and one of the most noticeable differences is how compacted the soil is. Compacted soil can affect your lawn’s ability to absorb nutrients and drain water.

At the end of winter, purchase aeration tools or equipment and puncture holes in the soil to let in oxygen. Oxygen allows for better, deeper, and healthier root growth, ultimately allowing better grass growth.

Two of the best tools for the job are plug aerators and spike aerators. Plug aerators remove a plug section of your grass, while spike aerators have solid tines to create holes.

Repair Your Lawn

Your lawn can take a real hammering in the summer month, especially with all those lawn games and outdoor entertaining in the sunshine. However, it can look even more worse for wear in winter when it’s soft and easier to damage.

Take the opportunity to repair your lawn so that it stands the best chance of thriving once the warmer weather arrives once more. This is a straightforward process, even if you don’t have previous lawn repair experience.

Purchase lawn seed and use a rake to soften your soil before adding potting mix or sandy soil to the bare patches. You can then sow your seeds and cover them lightly to keep them damp. Many different lawn varieties are available, so talk to your local lawn care experts about the best type to match your current lawn or the climate.

Avoid Using It

It’s hard being stuck inside for weeks on end when it’s too cold to venture outside. You might be tempted to spend time in your backyard simply because you’re tired of staring at the same four walls.

However, for the sake of your lawn health, refrain from spending too much time walking on it. The more you walk on your wet grass, the more compact your soil can become, and the harder it can be for your grass to experience healthy growth.

Take Care of Your Lawn This Winter

Lawn care might be the last thing you feel like focusing on when the temperatures drop, but it can be essential if you want a healthy, thriving lawn once the warmer weather arrives. These six tasks above might be all it takes for you to give your grass the best possible chance to survive and thrive.