Dry Patches in Your Lawn
Hot and dry weather can really take a toll on even the healthiest lawns and cause them to become thin and patchy. This usually happens over the summer months, as the weather is hot and dry and lawn owners are generally on holidays or too busy to keep up their regular lawn maintenance schedule. It only takes a couple of days of hot, dry weather to affect your lawn.
What do dry patches look like?
Usually what you will see is bare patches throughout the lawn or your lawn would’ve started to thin out and change colour. What follows this, is those bare patches bake in the sun and become rock hard making it difficult for water and nutrients to get into the soil. This is commonly known as dry patch and appears regularly in lawns throughout the summer. Thankfully it is treatable and is relatively easy to fix.
The Trident is a manual lawn corer/aerator, which has 3 coring tines
The coring tines remove plugs up to 126mm long and is available in 12.7mm (1/2″). To increase air and water flow to the roots of the turf and soil, plus reduce compaction.
MADE IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
How to treat dry patches
Aerate
First things first, it is always recommended you aerate the affected area of your lawn. Aeration can be done with a garden fork, core aerator, or a motorised aerator depending on the size of the lawn. This is crucial as it will de-compact your soil and will help nutrients and water penetrate your lawn.
Apply Wetting Agent
Next, apply a wetting agent like Knights Wetta to the affected area. Knights Wetta will assist with water absorbing into your soil. This will also allow the soil to hold water in a usable manner for longer. Always remember to irrigate your lawn well after applying the wetting agent.
Bi-Agra wetting agent is a new innovation in the fight against hydrophobic soils. A moisture retaining aid as well it is great for lawns and gardens.
A commercial grade liquid wetting agent for use in severely hydrophobic soils.
Knights Wetta is a professional-grade liquid wetting agent for treating and preventing hydrophobic soil in Perth lawns. Perth's sandy soils are highly susceptible to water repellency — over time, a coating of organic compounds builds up on sand particles that causes water to bead off rather than penetrate. The result is that even regular watering fails to reach the root zone, leaving lawns dry and stressed despite appearing adequately irrigated.
Knights Wetta breaks down this hydrophobic coating, restoring the soil's ability to absorb and hold moisture. Applied through a hose-on applicator or diluted in a sprayer, it works within days — the simple test of pouring water on a treated area and watching it soak in rather than bead off confirms the difference immediately.
Apply every 6 to 8 weeks through the growing season, or when signs of water repellency appear — dry patches that remain brown despite watering, water running off the surface, or soil that feels dry below the surface even after irrigation.
Compatible with all turf varieties and safe for use on all soil types.
Fertilise
After this, it is time to stimulate your lawns growth to allow it to self-repair and cover back over. This is best done by applying an NPK fertiliser to the entire lawn and irrigating the lawn well afterwards. A fertiliser designed for WA soils like our Knights Coastal Special Mix, Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser or Exceed Liquid Fertiliser are ideal options. Always remember to apply all products at label rates and follow all instructions.
Knights Coastal Special Lawn Mix is a granular fertiliser formulated specifically for the conditions Perth lawns face — sandy, free-draining coastal soils that leach nutrients quickly, and a climate that demands consistent colour and root health through both dry summers and cooler winters.
The balanced nutrient blend replenishes the nitrogen, potassium and trace elements that Perth's sandy soils cannot hold between applications. Unlike high-nitrogen products that push rapid lush growth, Knights Coastal is formulated for steady, sustained feeding — building genuine root depth and lawn density rather than quick but shallow top growth.
Apply with a rotary spreader at the recommended rate and water in immediately after spreading. Suitable for all lawn varieties including Sir Walter Buffalo, TifTuf, Zoysia Australis and Nullarbor Couch.
Best used as part of a year-round fertilising program with applications in autumn (April/May), late winter (August) and spring (October). The autumn application is the most critical — it builds the nutrient reserves the lawn draws on through winter.
20kg BAGS DO NOT QUALIFY FOR FREE THURSDAY DELIVERY - STORE PICK UP ONLY
Sir Walter Lawn fertiliser has been developed by Lawn Solutions Australia for use on Soft Leaf Buffalo and most other lawn varieties.
Exceed is a liquid fertiliser designed for fast uptake and visible results. Applied as a foliar spray directly onto the leaf blade, Exceed bypasses the soil absorption process entirely — nutrients are taken up through the leaf within hours rather than days, producing a visible green response significantly faster than granular alternatives.
This makes Exceed the product of choice when you want quick visible results — before an event, after a stressful period, or to top up colour between granular applications. It is particularly effective in cooler conditions when soil temperatures reduce the efficiency of granular nutrient uptake.
Exceed is safe for use on all turf types including Sir Walter Buffalo, TifTuf, Zoysia Australis and Nullarbor Couch. It can be applied through a hand sprayer, knapsack or hose-on applicator depending on the formulation selected.
Use Exceed in combination with a granular base fertiliser for best results — the granular provides slow-release sustained nutrition while Exceed delivers the immediate colour response.
Dry Patch Prevention Methods
There are some steps that you can take to reduce the suffering….
Choose a drought tolerant turf variety such as TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda
Carry out good soil improvement practices prior to installing a new lawn
Water your lawn correctly, less frequent, deeper soakings to encourage deep roots.
If possible, give your lawn one deep soaking at the first sign of any heat and drought, then leave it until it starts to wilt, repeating the process as necessary. This will be more frequent in sandy WA soils.
Increase mowing height - slightly longer lawns shade the soil, reducing evaporation & stress.
LIMITED STOCK - CALL FOR AVAIALABILITY
MINIMUM ORDER FOR METRO DELIVERY IS 25SQM. MIN ORDER FOR DELIVERY TO BALDIVIS AREA IS 100SQM AND MANDURAH TO DAWESVILLE MIN ORDER IS 150SQM. WE DO NOT DELIVERY FURTHER THAN DAWESVILLE.
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda Couch is the world's most water-efficient turf grass variety, developed over 25 years at the University of Georgia from a field of nearly 30,000 bermuda grass genotypes. It is the first and only turf variety in the world to receive the Smart Approved WaterMark certification for drought tolerance.
Independent trial data from the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) confirms TifTuf requires on average 38% less water than comparable varieties to maintain its quality and colour. On a Perth lawn under standard Water Corporation two-day restrictions, that is a significant and measurable reduction in water bills through the summer months.
TifTuf's deep rhizome root system — growing both above and below ground — gives it exceptional drought recovery and wear resistance. It is used on sports fields, council parks and high-traffic public spaces across Australia for this reason. In residential settings, it is the variety of choice for homeowners who want a fine, dense, manicured finish and are prepared to mow regularly to maintain it.
TifTuf requires a minimum of six hours of direct sunlight daily. It is not suitable for shaded sites. In winter it will slow and may brown off — this is normal behaviour for a couch variety.
Key characteristics:
38% less water required than comparable varieties (STRI trial data)
Smart Approved WaterMark certified — the only turf variety in the world to hold this certification
Deep rhizome system for outstanding drought recovery and wear tolerance
Fine, dense blade producing a tight, manicured finish
Establishes up to 75% faster than some other varieties in warm conditions
AusGAP certified — grown at our Gingin farm
Requires full sun (minimum 6 hours direct sun daily)
Available in slab cut format. Delivery across Perth metro.
Orders less than 25sqm can be collected from shop in Wangara.