Why ‘painting’ your dead lawn might be the best thing for it

A Perth woman has caused a stir on social media after she claimed she posted a video of her “painting” her front lawn green after it had turned “yellow and dead”.

Perth has already experienced a relentless dry summer and has strict water restrictions, a nightmare scenario for homeowners wanting idyllic, lush, green grass.

One local woman took a new approach to revive her grass that has caused both praise and criticism on social media.

The TikTok user based in Perth, who goes by the username Mariah Elaine, recently posted a video of her “painting” her grass after it had turned yellow and appeared dry and dead.

The video read: “When your lawn is yellow and dead so you just paint it.”

She captioned the post: “Just make sure you do it quickly before the neighbours see.”

She instantly received criticism from other users for her unique tact.

A woman posted a video of her “painting” her lawn on social media. Picture: TikTok

The before and after of Mariah’s lawn after painting it with ColourGuard. Picture: TikTok

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“It’s dead, not yellow, water it,” one user wrote.

“Need this for my next inspection,” another said in the comments.

“Good way to ruin the soil and kill the grass,” a third commented.

Turns out the experts say “painting” your lawn is not the worst thing you can do to your turf.

While many assumed Mariah was using ordinary paint, she revealed she was using a specific Lawn Solutions Australia product called ColourGuard that is a lawn fertiliser combined with a green pigment.

Aussie woman Mariah made a bold decision when it came to her dry lawn. Picture: Supplied

Although using ordinary paint on your lawn is not recommended, Lawn Solutions Australia spokesman Nathan Edwards said using the ColourGuard product was completely safe and could actually help revive dry or browned lawn.

“It’s a pigment and lawn fertiliser so when it looks discoloured it can be a good way to give a lawn a quick green up,” he said.

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“But it’s not just for aesthetics, it gets absorbed into the leaf rather than sitting on top, and keeps the moisture in the grass … in the US they call a sunscreen for the turf, it’ll keep it warmer during the winter but also protect it from the sun and heat.”

There were other ways homeowners could help their lawn – particularly during a hot summer and with water restrictions across many states, Mr Edwards added.

“When things are really dry, like at the moment, and you’re worried about browning or you’re unable to access a water supply, you can use soil wetter products which will stop your lawn from being hydrophobic,” Mr Edwards said.

There are ways to keep your lawn healthy during hot summers even during water restrictions. Picture: Lawn Solutions Australia/Supplied

Soil wetting products, also known as Lawn Soaker, is a soil wetting agent that helps improve the penetration of water, which can be a great addition or substitute for those with water restrictions or wanting to cut back on their water usage.

Mr Edwards also had some tips for watering, particularly for those states with water restrictions.

“It’s best to water before the heat of the day, so there is less chance of loss of moisture,” he said.

TifTuf Hybrid Berumda, a drought tolerant lawn. Picture: Lawn Solutions Australia/Supplied

He recommended watering your lawn two to three times a week and doing a proper soak rather then lots of smaller stints.

“Lots of short, sharp stints (of watering) can actually make the lawn thirstier.”

For those struggling with water restrictions and hot summers, new turfs were also being developed through Lawn Solutions Australia that were better suited for drought and hotter environments, like much of Australia’s climate.

“We are bringing out new turf varieties that are more drought tolerant. Installing something like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is one of the best types of grass for that environment.”

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