Caring for your Kikuyu Turf in Winter

Monitor Rainfall and Water Your Kikuyu Lawn as Needed

Despite cold temperatures, Melbourne does enjoy plenty of sunshine in Autumn and even in the Winter months. Ideally, your Kikuyu lawn should be watered in the early hours of the morning or in the evening once the sun has gone down. Your Kikuyu grass will not need to be watered over winter unless there is a prolonged dry spell of several months.

How do I keep Kikuyu grass green in winter?

Many lawn lovers choose to lay Eureka Kikuyu grass because of its hard-wearing texture and appealing deep green colour. Ideally, a quality Kikuyu lawn will withstand most climates. However, some winter seasons can be fiercer than others. Keeping Kikuyu grass green in winter requires good Kikuyu lawn care and maintenance leading up to the cooler months and ongoing monitoring and attention.

Establishing a healthy root system that will sustain the turf is essential, and this happens in the first 12 weeks from laying the lawn.  It is important to mow the lawn reasonably short in Summer and early Autumn. Ensure regular watering twice per week, and in late Autumn , evenly apply iron-rich fertiliser to the Eureka Kikuyu lawn.

If your grass looks discoloured during winter, don’t despair. Eureka Kikuyu turf will bounce back once the peak of winter passes. In the meantime, you can choose to use ColourGuard products.

Dealing with frost

Frost results from the morning dew reaching below zero temperatures and freezing on the grass blades during the cooler months. The more southern parts of Australia, including Victoria, are susceptible to winter frost,  affecting Kikuyu grass during the season. Unlike cold climate varieties of turf, Eureka Kikuyu grass does not contain proteins to defend the grass from frost, so if you lay Kikuyu lawn, you should deal with frost as follows:

• Stay off your lawn when frost is present as foot traffic and mowing can damage grass blades
• Melt the frost with light watering during the early morning hours. This is the best Kikuyu grass maintenance to alleviate patchy damage by minimising damage from frost on your lawn in winter
• Apply iron-rich fertiliser for Kikuyu grass at the end of Autumn or early Winter as this is the best way to build the lawn’s winter immunity.

Let your lawn breathe

As mentioned, grass that has experienced frost from winter temperatures will be damaged. By trampling the lawn, you could cause further and hard-to-repair damage to the grass. Eureka Kikuyu turf has been designed to bounce back from damage naturally, so it is important to let the lawn repair itself and breathe. If you are concerned that your lawn will not return to its former glory, you can get in touch with your turf supplier in Melbourne for further advice and reassurance. Dr Turf at Anco is a good source of information for lawns.

Weed out the turf

It is known that during the winter months, ‘winter grass’ can creep in where it is not wanted, and it becomes noticeable by the end of winter; therefore, monitoring your lawn is important. By hand weeding small problem areas during winter months, you can avoid bigger winter grass issues. Although Kikuyu grass is not prone to herbicides, you can still include winter grass killer as part of your lawn care maintenance regime for extra peace of mind. This lawn care product is best applied towards the end of winter and early spring.

As you can see, Kikuyu grass does not require too much extra maintenance in Winter, trim and regular monitoring for water will be sufficient. The experts at Anco Turf can produce and deliver the perfect green Kikuyu turf for year-round enjoyment. Contact us today.

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