Winter Lawn Care Tips

Winter lawn care is essential now that the cold has arrived — and while we’ve had a bit of rain, it’s still not quite enough to make up for Adelaide’s dry summer.

While the prime growing season is on pause until spring and your lawn isn’t actively growing, there are still plenty of things you can do to ensure it holds up well and is ready to bounce back quickly when the warmer months return.

Read on for our expert winter lawn care tips!

Understanding Winter Dormancy

First things first — let’s look at what happens to your lawn during winter.

Due to warm-season grasses’ love for warm soil temperatures, when autumn turns to winter, they go into a state of dormancy to conserve energy. This is a protection method that lawn grasses use to withstand freezing temperatures and frost, with the grass leaves thinning and drying out, and the plant’s energy being stored in the lower parts of the grass stem and root areas. No amount of fertilising or watering will make them grow — the only trigger they will respond to is heat! During their dormancy time (May to September), they can tend to lose colour and get a bit run-down, which is simply a natural part of their growing cycle.

During cooler seasons, lawns will generally be at their most vulnerable and unable to repair or maintain good health as well as they can in warmer seasons.

Whilst this is perfectly normal, there are some things that you can do now to preserve as much colour as possible for the long winter ahead.

Our Go-To Winter Lawn Care Tips

1 – Limit Water

For warm-season varieties, your lawn will generally need minimal to no watering during winter. Switch off your irrigation timers and water only as needed. You’ll know your lawn is dry if the leaves begin to curl — if this happens, give it a drink. Otherwise, it’s best to leave it alone. Avoid adding unnecessary moisture to the soil, as this can lead to compaction. If you’re particularly keen on retaining colour, you can lightly water your lawn just before sunrise to help remove frost from the leaves.

RTF Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass still require watering during dry winter periods, especially if there’s been little rain. Maintain deep but infrequent watering to support healthy root growth.

2 – Trim Your Trees and Bushes

Pruning is a proactive step in your winter lawn care routine. Overgrown trees and bushes can increase shade coverage, so trimming them back helps your lawn soak up as much sunlight as possible during the cooler months.

3 – Keep Winter Weeds Under Control

Although lawn growth slows in winter, weeds are still actively growing. Even in a healthy lawn there is a chance the occasional weed will appear, especially if the lawn is dormant.

If weeds haven’t appeared yet, applying a pre-emergent herbicide. Here’s our tip recommendations for this time of the year:

Spartan Herbicide. This is a pre-emergent product that helps control annual weeds in both summer and winter. It works by settling in the soil, where small-seeded plants — like many common weeds — absorb it as they begin to germinate. Warm-season grasses are less affected because of their strong, fibrous root systems. Even coverage is important to make sure weeds can’t grow outside the treated area.
Barricade Herbicide. It provides effective pre-emergent weed control in established turf, garden beds, and potted plants. It forms a barrier in the upper soil layer, targeting weed seeds as they germinate while keeping turf roots safe below. This great product helps prevent common winter weeds, such as Winter Grass, and offers lasting protection for up to 6 months.
Freehand Herbicide. Pre-emergent solution designed for warm-season turf varieties such as hybrid couch, Queensland blue couch, carpet grass, kikuyu, buffalo, and zoysia. It can also be safely used in garden beds. Freehand targets weed seedlings during germination—before they appear—and provides residual control for up to 3 months. Effective against over 60 common weed species.

If weeds are already present, it’s important to act quickly. You’ll need a Post-Emergent Herbicide. Each type of weed grows and spreads differently, so correct identification is essential. If you’re unsure, email us a photo — we’ll help you identify it and recommend the best solution to remove it and stop it from spreading.

The Post-Emergent Herbicide for broadweed leaf control we recommend is Bow and Arrow. Designed for effective control of a wide range of broadleaf weeds in turf—including White Clover, Plantain, Capeweed, Cat’s Ear, Cudweed, and Creeping Oxalis—all common during winter in South Australia.

Recognised as the industry standard in Australian turf care, Bow & Arrow works more slowly than some other broadleaf herbicides but delivers superior long-term results with no evidence of regrowth.

Not suitable for use on Bentgrass or Wintergrass in golf and bowling greens.

For early stages of Winter Grass on couch, bermuda and buffalo lawns, we recommend SureFire Propyzamide 500 Herbicide. This selective herbicide is used for both pre-emergent and post-emergent control of Winter Grass in turf. It works best when applied to cool, moist soil conditions—making it ideal for winter treatment.

Not suitable for use on Bluegrass, Ryegrass, Fescue, or Bentgrass lawns. Not recommended for Kikuyu, as damage may occur.

If Winter Grass has taken hold in your lawn, here are our recommendations to help eliminate it.

ProForce Duke 100 WG Herbicide. Easy-to-use soluble granular herbicide that can control a number of broadleaf and grass weeds. It is best applied using a backpack or handheld sprayer to ensure even coverage and should be used on actively growing weeds for the best results. A broad-spectrum, single-pass solution for efficient and reliable weed control.

Suitable for use on Kikuyu, Buffalo, and common or hybrid Couch grasses. Not suitable for Queensland Blue Couch or Zoysia Grass.

Bayer Tribute. It selectively removes unwanted cool-season grasses from warm-season turf. It offers post-emergent control of common winter weeds such as Winter Grass and Ryegras and also provides suppression of Kikuyu.

Safe for use on Zoysia and Couch lawns (common and hybrid varieties, excluding Queensland Blue Couch).

For best results, apply when both weeds and turf are actively growing and not under stress.

Monument Liquid Turf Herbicide. Monument provides powerful post-emergent control of key winter weeds such as Winter Grass, Ryegrass, Bindii, Clover, Mullumbimby Couch, and Burr Medic, along with suppression of Kikuyu seedheads in a variety of warm-season turf types.

Recognised as the broadest spectrum selective post-emergent herbicide for professional turf management.

Not suitable for use on Kikuyu or Buffalo lawns, or in home garden.

4 – Increase Your Mower Height

As daylight hours shorten, photosynthesis decreases. By raising your mower height and leaving more leaf on the grass, you support the lawn’s ability to produce food and maintain health. Getting the mowing height right is one of the most important steps in winter lawn care. Start by slightly increasing the height with your next few mows and then maintain it throughout winter — mow just enough to tidy the lawn without cutting too much leaf.

In addition, many lawns are still recovering from summer stress caused by heat, pests, or lack of water, which has led to thinning in some areas. For these lawns in particular, continuing a regular mowing routine — even while growth slows — helps encourage lateral growth and coverage. Focusing on just mowing the tips stimulates the leaf and can improve your lawn’s density heading into spring.

RTF Tall Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass should continue to be mowed regularly. Slightly raise the mower height to enhance photosynthesis and keep the canopy healthy throughout winter.

5 – Protect From Frost

Frost forms when early morning dew freezes, damaging the grass as the water inside the blades expands and ruptures cell walls. This often leads to visible discolouration.

One of our go-to winter products is ColourGuard from Lawn Solutions Australia. This innovative solution fertilises, protects your lawn from frost, and enhances colour with a natural, organic-based pigment that gives an instant green-up and keeps your lawn vibrant for months.

6 – Look Out for Moss & Fungus

Excess moisture and low temperatures create ideal conditions for moss, particularly in shaded or compacted areas. If moss appears, act quickly to prevent it from spreading.

For more on this, check out our blog ‘How to Prevent and Control Moss in Your Lawn’.

Winter is also a critical time for managing lawn fungus, especially since warm-season grasses can’t grow to strengthen or recover. Less sunlight, damp soil, and poor lawn health increase the risk of fungal issues.

Here’s how to reduce the chances of fungus in your lawn:

Reduce shade by regularly pruning trees and hedges.
Fertilise every 2–3 months, alternating between granular and liquid fertilisers.
Remove thatch build-up and aerate your lawn consistently.
Water deeply but less frequently to encourage strong root systems, while avoiding overwatering during cold periods.
Keep your lawn well-maintained — regular mowing, fertilising, aerating, and proper watering make it more resilient to disease.

If fungal issues do appear, consider applying a fungicide. We recommend Impala Fungicide, which is effective against a wide range of leaf, crown, and root diseases at various stages. Always follow the product label for correct application methods.

Suitable fungicides for lawns and gardens include Yates Mancozeb and Yates Tomato & Vegetable Dust.

Dal’s Gardening Tips

Don’t prune in June. Wait until July or August.
June is the ideal time to plant roses, fruit trees, ornamental trees, and shrubs. Choose a sunny spot for your new roses and prepare the site early in the month.
Some natives will start to flower, so now is a great time to feed them. We recommend feeding with Akers Organic Based All Rounder Plant Fertiliser. This balanced, complete plant food has an organic-based formulation low in phosphorus, making it ideal for all plants including natives. The blend of slow-release and fast-acting ingredients provides both immediate results and extended feeding for up to 3 months.
Add new mulch to plants to help retain moisture in the soil. Remember to leave a buffer near the stem or trunk of the plant to allow air circulation, which helps prevent fungal diseases and pest attacks.
Plant out beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, and spinach in the veggie patch for a late winter harvest. Garlic, shallot, and rhubarb can go in as well.
Snails are prevalent now and need to be controlled before they wreck young winter flowers and veggie seedlings.

Happy Winter Lawn Care! As always, any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.