Nursing the Coast’s soggy lawns back to health

Following weeks of heavy rain, many Central Coast householders are concerned about the state of their lawns.

Wamberal mum of three, Emily Fagan, is just one resident who is worried entire sections of her lawn won’t recover from the constant deluges and that it’s becoming a breeding ground for pests.

“The rain has stopped but it’s left the lawn a no-go disaster zone,” she said.

“I’m hoping the grass will come back because with three boys we can’t live without it.

“I’m not sure if I’ll have to replace the muddy areas which were the most water-logged or if I can save it.”

Yates Australia horticulturist Angie Thomas says lawns simply aren’t designed to cope with this much standing water.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.

“Lawns across greater Sydney are completely saturated.

“People are concerned their grass has turned to mud and they’re worried it will never recover.

“August is usually when we start preparing for spring, but this year the rainfall has been relentless.

“We’re encouraging people to focus on drainage and aeration right now.

“Something as simple as gently forking the lawn to let water escape can make a big difference.

“It’s about giving the grass a chance to dry out and recover.”

Thomas said a major concern was backyard pest outbreaks and fungal diseases in the lawn.

“After a big deluge of rain we tend to see fungal diseases like rust, powdery mildew and black spot spread quickly,” she said.

“There’s also an increase in pests like slugs and snails which are very active in wet conditions.”

She gave the following tips for helping lawns to recover: while it is raining, make temporary drains to divert run-off from wet areas; aerating compacted soil with a garden fork will help drain water and allow oxygen to reach sodden roots; prune back dense foliage to improve air circulation and remove dead or rotting plant material; and treat plants suffering from root rot or soil-borne diseases with a phosphorous acid fungicide, while other fungicides can help with rust, blight, mildew and leaf spots. 

August was one of the wettest since records began with much of the east coast between Brisbane and Wollongong receiving three times the usual rainfall.