Nothing can compare to the Australian backyard. Summer BBQs, Christmas cricket matches and running under the sprinkler with the kids are all done on our lawns in Adelaide. Nevertheless, it is no big deal to maintain that strip of green that appears green in South Australia.
The problems of Adelaide are extremely local. We have a climate (so-called, Mediterranean) of torching, bone-dry summers and damp cool winters; it is the climate of a lawn that will not work in Sydney or Brisbane. You are not the only one whose lawn is turning out to be more of a dust bowl or even a patch of weeds. We will separate the most widespread issues with the lawns that Adelaide owners struggle with and ways of correcting them.
The Battle Against Heat and Water Scarcity
The Adelaide summer forms the greatest challenge to any local gardener. Your lawn is subjected to the unremitting heat stress with temperatures constantly hitting over 40°C.
Heat Stress and the “Crispy” Lawn
Your grass dries out, as soon as the mercury rises, before it can imbibe. You may even find that your lawn is becoming a dull blue-grey colour when you walk over the grass or that the print of your feet is still left on the grass long after you have taken a walk over. These are SOS signals. To counter this, you must abandon the daily sprinkling, and get on to deep and hard infrequent soaking. This stimulates roots to penetrate deep in the soil where the soil is cool and moist.
Hydrophobic Soil (The “Water-Repellent” Problem)
The soil in most of the suburbs of Adelaide, especially around the coast such as Glenelg or Grange, becomes hydrophobic. The organic material over time forms a coating of soil particles that is waxy in nature, so that water beads off instead of soaking into the soil. When you see puddles on top of the lawn and the mud below is bone-dry, that is a problem of water repelling.
The Essential Role of Wetting Agents
Fertiliser is not as significant in our climate as a wetting agent. These products disintegrate such waxy coating so that water can infiltrate the soil profile. Using a good-quality wetting agent in the beginning of spring and in mid-summer is the key to a green yard in Adelaide.
Adelaide’s Soil Secret: The Heavy Clay Struggle
Whereas people living in the coastal areas have to deal with sand, those in the foothills and the Adelaide Plains have to contend with heavy and reactive clay.
Managing Reactive Clay Soils
Clay serves very well as a store of nutrients but it is also a dreadful breathless substance. When the season is winter it is waterlogged and roots are drowned. During the summer it becomes hard and breaks. Even the hardest buffalo grass has its thin root systems broken by this mechanical pressure.
Soil Compaction and the “Screwdriver Test”
Compaction comes about as the miniature air holes within the soil are trampled by humans on foot, dogs or even heavy precipitation. A screwdriver test can be used to determine whether your lawn is compacted. When the ground is too hard, the screwdriver (normally with a length of 10-15 cm) cannot be pushed inside easily (when it is damp). Your grass is actually attempting to grow in concrete.
The Power of Core Aeration
Cores aeration is the solution to clay and compaction. You can form channels through which air, water, and nutrients can enter the root zone through the removal of small, soil-sized, plugs on the lawn. It is one of the things that can turn a poor lawn into a better one and all it takes is to do it once a year in spring.
The “Green Thugs”: Common Adelaide Weeds
The wet winters in Adelaide give the ideal breeding place to weeds which later “hitchhike” into your summer.
The Summer Menace: Caltrop and Bindii
We all have encountered the Adelaide sting, when you are walking over a lawn and a Bindii prickle pops up and pierces your foot. The foe of bare feet is these weeds. The secret is to treat them at the end of winter, or in the spring. Look after the prickly stuff in summer, and you have a habit of arriving late in time to check the carry off of next year.
Winter Grass (Poa Annua)
When your lawn appears extremely green and lush in July but it is growing in strange lime-green tufts, then you probably have winter grass. It looks good when it is cold, but the instant the first day of 30°C arrives, it dies and leaves ugly brown craters in your yard when you are about to use it.
Identifying Local Pests and Lawn Killers
In other cases, it is not the weather or the soil that is the problem, it is something that is eating your lawn at the core.
The African Black Beetle and Curl Grubs
When your lawn is having spots of brown spots and death, then undertake the Carpet Test. Tug on the grass; when it comes up like a dead rug of age, then you have curl grubs. These are larvae of African Black Beetles, and they are root-feasters.
Choosing the Right Turf
Frequently, the issue with a lawn is that the wrong grass has been selected to be planted there.
- Sir Walter Buffalo: The gold standard of Adelaide. It is a good gum tree, it copes with the sun, and is one of the finest types in those shady places.
- TifTuf Bermuda: Another newer type that is becoming extremely popular in SA. It is exceptionally drought resistant and does not need much water as compared with the conventional types.
- Kikuyu: Perfect on large expanses as well as when a quick fix is required (large dogs). However, it is also invasive when it finds its way to your garden beds.
Final Thoughts
With the unique environment of Adelaide, it is not about working harder but working smarter to maintain a beautiful lawn. With the help of soil compaction, water repellency using wetting agents and keeping abreast of seasonal pests, you can still have a green backyard even with the northerly winds blowing.