Perth’s Mediterranean climate creates distinct challenges for lawn care that most national guides simply don’t address. Knowing what each grass type needs — and when — is the difference between a lawn that thrives and one that limps through summer and never really recovers.
Know Your Grass Type First
The three warm-season grasses covering most Perth lawns are kikuyu, buffalo (Sir Walter, Palmetto), and couch. Each has different recovery speeds, mowing tolerances, and watering needs.
- Kikuyu — fast-growing, aggressive lateral spreader, drought-tolerant once established, loves heat
- Buffalo — softer leaf, shade-tolerant, slower growing, needs less mowing frequency
- Couch — fine-bladed, loves heat and full sun, goes fully dormant (brown) in winter
Understanding which grass you have is the first step to caring for it correctly.
Mowing Heights by Season
Getting mowing height right reduces heat stress, retains soil moisture, and keeps grass disease-resistant.
| Season | Kikuyu | Buffalo | Couch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | 40–50mm | 40–55mm | 25–35mm |
| Autumn | 30–40mm | 35–45mm | 20–30mm |
| Winter | 30–40mm | 35–50mm | 20–30mm |
| Spring | 25–35mm | 30–40mm | 15–25mm |
Raise height in summer — longer blades shade the soil, reduce moisture evaporation, and tolerate heat better. Never remove more than one-third of the blade height in a single mow.
Watering Schedules That Actually Work
Perth’s Water Corporation guidelines restrict reticulation to two days per week in summer for most systems. Here’s how to work within those restrictions effectively.
Summer (Dec–Feb): Water twice per week, deep and slow. Run each zone for 15–20 minutes rather than 8–10. Shallow watering keeps roots near the surface where they’re most vulnerable to heat. Water before 9am to minimise evaporation.
Autumn (Mar–May): Step down to once per week as temperatures drop. Check rainfall before running reticulation — Perth’s autumn rains are unpredictable and overwatering in this period causes fungal issues.
Winter (Jun–Aug): Turn off reticulation entirely or reduce to once per fortnight at most. Perth’s winter rainfall should supply adequate moisture. Running retic in winter wastes water and can create waterlogged, disease-prone conditions.
Spring (Sep–Nov): Gradually increase to twice per week as temperatures rise and growth surges. This is also the best time to check and service your reticulation system before summer.
Fertilising Windows by Grass Type
Kikuyu: Fertilise in mid-October (spring surge) and again in late February or early March (post-summer recovery). Use a slow-release nitrogen product. Avoid fertilising in peak summer — it pushes growth the lawn can’t sustain.
Buffalo: Fertilise in October and again in April. Buffalo is less nitrogen-hungry than kikuyu — overfertilising causes excessive thatch build-up. A balanced NPK fertiliser works well.
Couch: Fertilise in early October when growth resumes, and again in late November. Couch responds well to higher nitrogen products. Do not fertilise from May onwards — winter fertilising on dormant couch causes soft, disease-prone growth.
Quick Seasonal Checklist
Autumn (Mar–May): Aerate and scarify compacted areas, fertilise as growth resumes, check retic heads for summer damage, address bare patches before growing conditions close.
Winter (Jun–Aug): Raise mowing height, reduce mowing frequency to fortnightly, switch off retic, watch for fungal disease (circular discoloured patches).
Spring (Sep–Nov): Scalp warm-season grasses mid-September to encourage green-up, fertilise, service reticulation system, increase mowing frequency.
Summer (Dec–Feb): Raise mowing height, water deeply twice weekly before 9am, reduce nitrogen fertilising, spot-treat dry patches by hand rather than flooding entire lawn.
If your lawn needs professional attention, West Coast Greenscapes provides regular lawn mowing and maintenance across all Perth Metro suburbs. Request a free quote or get in touch.