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As floods become more common, so has the chore of recovering from their damage. With the recent floods sweeping across the Sunshine Coast, many homeowners are left to either salvage or replace their lawns.
Below we have compiled a list of helpful hints that you can use to try and salvage your lawn after a flood.
After a flood, two types of damage can occur to your lawn. These are:
When floodwater submerges your lawn for an extended period of time your lawn runs the risk of dying due to a lack of oxygen. When grass has been submerged for more than six days it has a very low chance of survival or recovery.
Due to silt and sediment buildup from the flood your lawn could also be subject to fungal diseases, algae, moss growth, and weeds.
Take note of where the most flooded areas of your lawn are. This will help you to work out where the weak spots are in your drainage, as well as areas that will need more attention. Common reasons for puddling or pools of water in your lawn are:
Whilst your lawn is recovering from a flood try to avoid walking on it as much as possible. Walking on flooded grass can damage the roots of the grass within the soil. Not to mention causing the muddy soil to push up to the surface of the grass. If you absolutely have to walk on it, ensure that you minimise your steps.
Floodwater can produce all kinds of debris onto your lawn such as tree branches, leaves, glass, and other forms of trash and debris. You should remove all debris from your lawn as soon as you are able to walk on it. This will give your lawn the best chance of revival. If your lawn is still heavily wet it is best to try to remove the debris with a rake to avoid stepping on it.
Once the flood has started to die down scrape off any soil and silt deposits from your lawn. You shouldn’t rake it into your lawn as the silt and muck brought in by floods do not have the organic material needed to help your lawn grow or repair.
Once your lawn has started to dry out and you can start to see new growth through the soil you can begin to aerate it. It is recommended that you go over your entire lawn three to four times with an aerator. This will help relieve the compacted soil left behind from the flood as well as improve the levels of oxygen within the soil.
Once aerated you can apply fertiliser to your lawn to help keep the weeds and other potential diseases from sprouting across your lawn.
Watch the growth of your lawn for the next several weeks to assess the amount of damage that was incurred by the flood. By this time you will be able to work out whether you will need all new turf or whether certain areas will need to be replaced.
As a rule of thumb if 60 percent or more of your lawn is recovering then it is highly possible your lawn will make a recovery after a few areas have been replaced. However, if only 40 percent or less is recovering then it is best to replace all of your lawn with new turf.
If you need to replace your entire lawn with new turf you can till your dead grass into the soil as deep as possible. Ensure to get your soil tested so you know what is needed to bring it back to health and avoid future grass death from bad soil.
After you’ve made it through one flooded lawn, you will want to avoid future problems. You may need to look at raising your lawn. Once the floodwater has subsided, you can cut the grass where the water was pooling loosen the soil. You can then raise the lawn by adding screened topsoil and relaying new turf in the area.
This will help push the water somewhere else; however, ensure it doesn’t just go to another spot on your lawn. If so, you may need to look at upgrading or installing a proper drainage system.
For more information or whether you would like a quote on new turf please don’t hesitate to contact our friendly staff on 07 5448 6398 or alternatively via email using our online contact form.
We understand that COVID-19 (Coronavirus) is having a significant impact on all Australians and that it is a difficult and unprecedented time at the moment. We wanted to assure you that health and safety are the top priorities for Rosemount Turf management and staff. There are certain measures that we have put in place to ensure that our customers and employees are safe. We are being vigilant with our office and ensuring all surfaces are sterilised and cleaned regularly.
We would like to remind you that orders can be made online or over the phone and paid for via credit card, so no cash handling is needed. We can arrange delivery and the placement of your turf over the phone with our administration staff when you purchase. You don't need to be home when it is delivered.
If you have any further questions regarding any of our safety policies that we have in place during this time, or would like to discuss some new turf, give us a call on (07) 5448 6398.
Rosemount turf along with Lawn Solutions Australia is reaffirming our commitment to consumers with our ability to produce and deliver high quality turf products to consumers. No contact is required during the ordering or delivering process.
