Autumn lawn care | How to revitalise your lawn

Then add inadequate watering and maintenance and this can all have effects on compaction, soil health and fertility, and ultimately your lawn's vigour and appearance at the end of summer.

But take heart the experts at Coolabah Turf say.

Autumn is about the best time of the year for your lawns as they find it easier to achieve peak condition especially with lower temperatures.

Much of the work to keep your home lawn looking good right through winter starts now. These are the tips for your lawn to flourish.

Get stuck into your thatch

If you've got a thatch issue going on, it's a great time now to get a couple of low-mows in before your growth slows to a slow/stop.

A study carried out by the University of Western Australia a few years' ago, compared different types of renovation for turf and they found that the results from a 'hard-mow' or 'scalping' was just as good as scarifying, coring, or grooming when it came to dethatching a lawn.

This should only be done a couple of times a year and works only for warm-season grasses (Sir Walter Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and Zoysia) and should be avoided for cool-season types - fescue and the likes, as this practice will probably spell the end of your lawn.

Frequent mowing is one of the most simple keys to a great looking lawn.

A lawn mowed more often helps to suppress that upright growth habit, and stimulates a lateral growth habit to help make your lawn lush and helps it have superior density, which is essential for blocking out those unwanted winter weeds that can sometimes penetrate during cooler winter periods.

Mowing frequency can save you bucket loads of time and money once spring arrives.

Check the soil profile by trying the screwdriver test

After a demanding summer you'll want to check how your soil is holding up and whether compaction is a problem.

Grab a long screwdriver and plunge it into the ground in a few places to see how far it will penetrate.

Do take care around any irrigation or electrical cabling.

You should be able to easily push it in for up to 100 to 150mm (4-6 inches) without too much resistance and if not, it would serve your lawn well to look at aeration to remedy the problem.

Hands and knees for the weeds

The trick here is to try and clean-up any weeds before they go to seed and create problems down the track.

One of the best way to reduce weeds is to have a healthy lawn so it literally smothers them out so look at the basics before you turn to the spray bottle.

If weeds are still an issue either hand-weed or apply (at label rates) selective herbicide that's safe for your lawn.

A last round of fertiliser before winter

Sometimes it may seem easier not to worry about a round of fertiliser after summer, but it's the time of the year your lawn will do well with it and keep it in better health on the way into winter.

Look at a balanced fertiliser with micronutrients and trace elements.

Lawn care doesn't need to be difficult and simple hints from the local lawn experts at Coolabah Turf can help with a full range of aftercare products to keep your lawn in top condition this autumn.

Source: Coolabah Turf coolturf.com.au