How to get new turf through its first Perth summer

Water Corporation's exemption for new lawns runs for up to 42 days from planting between 1 October and 31 March, as long as you apply on the day the lawn goes in. After that, your new lawn is on the same two day a week roster as everyone else.

That's a big change for a young lawn. For six weeks it's been getting water often. Now it gets water twice a week, in the hottest part of the year.

The fix is to not make the jump all at once. In the last couple of weeks of the exemption, water less often and for longer each time. That pushes moisture deeper and teaches the roots to follow it down. By the time the exemption finishes, the lawn should already be used to longer gaps between drinks.

On the roster, every watering has to count. A light sprinkle wets the top centimetre, which evaporates by lunchtime and keeps the roots up near the surface where it's hottest.

A longer, deeper watering on each rostered day soaks down into the root zone and stays there. Roots grow towards water, so deep watering builds the deep roots a lawn needs to get through January and February.

Water before 9am or after 6pm, when less is lost to evaporation and wind. Our Perth watering days guide covers the roster and how to set the retic to make two days work.

Here's the Perth problem. Sandy soil can turn water repellent, so water beads on the surface and runs off instead of soaking in. On a new lawn that shows up as dry patches that stay dry however long the retic runs.

Water Corporation recommends applying wetting agents at the start of winter and in early summer, and watering them in until they foam. For young turf going into its first summer, early summer is exactly the right moment. If you're seeing water sit or run off, our post on hydrophobic sandy soil explains what's happening and how to fix it.

Young turf needs all the leaf it can get in summer. Longer grass shades its own soil, keeps the root zone cooler and loses less water.

Once the lawn is established, lift the mower a notch or two for summer and stick to the one third rule: never take off more than a third of the leaf in a single cut. Cutting new turf short in a heatwave is one of the quickest ways to undo all the work of the first six weeks. Our mowing height guide has the right heights for each grass type.

Keep the blades sharp too. Blunt blades tear the leaf, and torn grass loses more water.

It's tempting to push a new lawn along with fertiliser. In summer, that tends to backfire.

Fertilise Wise, the Perth program that encourages lawn feeding practices that protect local rivers, recommends feeding in spring and early autumn and not in summer or winter. Heavy feeding in the heat pushes soft, thirsty growth the roots can't support, and on sandy soil a lot of it washes straight through.

A steady, well timed program works better than chasing colour with extra feed. That's what our lawn aftercare programs are built for.

A lawn under water stress tells you before it browns off. Look for:

• Footprints that stay. Walk across the lawn and look back. If your footprints stay flat instead of springing back, the grass is short of water.
• A dull, blue grey tinge in patches, especially in the afternoon.
• Leaf blades folding or curling to cut down water loss.
• Hot spots along walls, paving and driveways, where reflected heat dries the edges faster than the middle.

Catch it at this stage and a proper deep watering on your next rostered day usually brings it back. Leave it and the lawn goes dormant and brown, and new turf takes longer to recover than an established lawn.

Even once the rolls have rooted, new turf is still building its root system through the first summer. Heavy use, like backyard cricket, dogs running the same track, or furniture that stays put for weeks, wears it down faster than it can recover in the heat.

It doesn't need to be off limits. Just spread the wear around and give it the first summer to toughen up.

Ease off the exemption watering before it ends. Water deeply on your rostered days, early or late. Use a wetting agent in early summer if the water isn't soaking in. Mow higher, keep blades sharp, don't push it with feed in the heat, and watch for footprints that don't spring back.

If you'd rather have someone keep an eye on it through its first summer, our lawn aftercare and complete lawn care packages cover exactly that. Tell us about your lawn through the quote form and we'll reply within one business day.