Why your lawn won’t improve until you nail the basics
We see a lot of new members jump into the Facebook group and post almost immediately, and the photos usually tell the same story. The lawn is 100-150mm long, full of weeds, pale in colour, clearly under fertilised, and showing all the signs of stress. Thin patches haven’t been given any chance to fill in, and overall the lawn is simply not being cared for in a way that allows it to improve. Nine times out of ten the issue isn’t anything unusual or complicated. It is that the basics just aren’t being followed.
This article is here so we can point people straight to the fundamentals. These are the core foundations of lawn care and they need to be in place before anything else will work. You can buy every product under the sun, even the best professional lawn products from New Zealand Lawn Addicts, but none of it will make a meaningful difference if the fundamentals are missing. If you are not mowing frequently, irrigating properly, and feeding the lawn with a decent slow release fertiliser, the results will always fall short. Everything starts with the basics.
Mowing is the first non negotiable, only remove 1/3 of the leaf when mowing
Mowing frequency has more impact on lawn quality than most people realise. I have seen lawns completely full of weeds, yet because the owner mows every other day, the lawn still looks surprisingly presentable from a distance. The density and uniformity created by frequent mowing can hide a lot of underlying problems. On the flip side, long gaps between cuts lead to scalping, weak growth, and a wide open canopy that gives weeds every opportunity to move in.
Regular mowing, only ever removing one third of the leaf at a time, keeps the plant strong and dense. It reduces stress, encourages tighter growth, improves colour, and makes the lawn far more resilient to heat and foot traffic. If mowing is inconsistent nothing else works properly, and consistent mowing is still one of the easiest and cheapest ways to lift the look of any lawn.
Mowing every other day or a couple of times a week can sound daunting, but once the lawn is healthy it actually becomes much easier to manage. That’s when products like PGR, a plant growth regulator, become useful. PGR reduces vertical growth and helps maintain a tidy, compact lawn with fewer cuts. It is not a silver bullet and it should not be used on a lawn that is still struggling. Get the basics right first. Once the lawn is in good condition, tools like PGR make the ongoing maintenance far easier.
Make sure your mower blades are sharp
Sharp mower blades give the grass a clean slice, and the research is clear that a dull blade tears the leaf instead of cutting it. Torn or frayed tips dry out, lose colour, and take longer to heal. Damaged tissue is also more vulnerable to disease because the open, ragged edges act as easier entry points for pathogens. When the lawn stays damp for long periods the risk increases even further, since wet conditions slow healing and keep those torn tips moist. Keeping the blades sharp a few times each season reduces tearing, helps the lawn recover faster, improves colour, and lowers the chance of fungal problems developing.
Irrigation needs to be controlled and deliberate
Irrigation is one of the biggest issues we see, and it usually goes wrong in two completely opposite ways. Some people water lightly every day and think they’re helping, but all that does is train the roots to sit right at the surface. As soon as you get a hot day or a dry nor’wester, the lawn is toast.
On the other side of things, you get people who don’t water at all. No routine, no moisture in the soil, and then they wonder why the lawn is pale, brittle, patchy, and unable to take up nutrients. If there is no water going in, the lawn has no chance of responding to fertiliser or any other product.
Deep, infrequent watering is the goal. Two to three proper irrigation sessions a week will push the roots deeper into the soil where temperatures are more stable. That depth is what gives you resilience in heat. You also want to make sure you’re not watering at night. Early morning is best because the lawn gets the water it needs before the heat of the day, but the leaf surface still has time to dry. Watering late at night leaves moisture sitting on the blades for hours in warm, humid conditions, which is the perfect recipe for fungal issues.
If you are unsure how much or how often to water, we’ve got a full irrigation guide on the website that covers everything in detail. It is worth checking to make sure you are following it correctly. Getting irrigation right is one of the fastest ways to turn a struggling lawn around.
Fertiliser must support steady growth rather than boom and bust
A lot of people use fertilisers without understanding the difference between fast release and slow release, and it shows in the results. Cheap fast release fertilisers give you a quick sugar hit, a burst of colour, and then they disappear just as fast. The lawn spikes, crashes, and you end up constantly chasing colour instead of building real health. These are usually the low cost blends you see everywhere, including the common agricultural products from places like Ravensdown or Ballance. They are fine for paddocks but completely unsuitable if you want a high quality lawn.
A proper slow release fertiliser feeds the lawn evenly over many weeks. It keeps growth steady, builds density, strengthens the plant, and prevents that soft, weak flush of growth you get from fast release products. The problem is the slow release market itself is a minefield. Many products claim to be slow release but only a tiny portion of the nitrogen is actually controlled release.
We have a full article explaining how to spot a genuine slow release fertiliser, and it is worth reading so you know exactly what you are paying for. We recommend sticking to NZLA All Seasons, which uses a premium controlled release coating and gives consistent, reliable nutrition over an extended period. A healthy lawn with balanced nutrition copes better with heat, stress, irrigation changes, and mowing. It is one of the most important basics to get right.
Weed control and fancy products do nothing without the basics
There is no point spreading herbicides, insecticides, wetting agents, or anything else until the basics are sorted. A thin underfed lawn will not outcompete weeds no matter what you spray. Poor irrigation will undo any benefit from soil amendments. Irregular mowing will ruin any progress you make elsewhere. The lawn simply cannot respond when the fundamentals are missing.
Is your lawn more than 50% weeds
If your lawn is mostly weeds, it’s honestly time to stop fighting it. When it gets to that point, the grass that’s left is usually hanging on for dear life and no amount of fertiliser or spraying is going to magically turn it around. A proper renovation is almost always the cleaner, easier, and better option. Kill it off, reset, and start fresh with good soil prep and the right seed. If you want a clear, no-nonsense guide on how to do that, check out our Lawn Renovation Guide on the website. It walks you through the whole process so you can actually end up with a lawn you’re proud of, not one you’re constantly battling.
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