Most Blue Mountains lawns come out of winter looking patchy, pale and generally a bit sad — especially after a run of hard frosts. The good news is spring is exactly the right time to bring it back, and a bit of effort now sets your lawn up to look good right through summer instead of staying thin and weedy.

Give it a proper first mow. If your lawn’s been left mostly untouched over winter, don’t scalp it straight back to a summer height in one go. Take it down gradually over a couple of mows, especially if growth has been minimal — cutting too much off in one hit stresses the grass right when it’s trying to come out of dormancy.

Deal with the moss and bare patches. Shaded, damp areas of mountains lawns often develop moss over winter, particularly under trees or on the southern side of the house where sun barely reaches. Raking it out, improving drainage where you can, and overseeding bare or thin patches in early-to-mid spring gives new grass time to establish before the heat of summer arrives.

Feed it at the right time. A lawn that’s been sitting dormant all winter is usually low on nutrients. A spring feed, once the grass has started actively growing again, gives it the boost it needs to fill in and green up properly. Feeding too early, while the lawn’s still mostly dormant, mostly just feeds the weeds instead.

Aerate if it’s compacted. If your lawn gets a lot of foot traffic, or the soil’s on the heavier clay side (common across a lot of the mountains), spring is a good time to aerate. Compacted soil stops water and nutrients getting down to the roots, which is a big part of why some lawns never seem to thicken up no matter what you throw at them.

Get weeds under control before they seed. Broadleaf weeds and clover tend to take off in spring right alongside the grass. Getting onto them early, before they flower and set seed, saves a lot of ongoing weeding later in the season. A thick, healthy lawn is also your best long-term defence against weeds moving back in — bare or thin patches are where they get a foothold.

Set up a proper watering routine as it warms up. Early spring usually doesn’t need much extra watering in the mountains, but as temperatures climb it’s worth getting into a routine of deeper, less frequent watering rather than a quick daily sprinkle, which mostly just wets the surface and encourages shallow roots.

Consider your mowing height as the season progresses. A slightly higher mowing height through the warmer months helps the lawn retain moisture and shade out weed seedlings, which matters more once summer heat and dry spells set in.

If your lawn needs more than a weekend’s worth of attention, or you’d rather just have someone keep it looking sharp all spring without thinking about it, that’s exactly what our lawn mowing service is for. Get in touch and we’ll get it back in shape.