A lawn care specialist has issued a warning regarding a trendy hack involving toilet paper that could potentially damage your grass rather than help it thrive.
Maintaining an immaculate lawn can be quite a challenge for homeowners, particularly when unsightly patches and bare spots seem to emerge out of nowhere.
According to Nathan Edwards, a representative from Lawn Solutions Australia, there are numerous factors that can contribute to the development of these frustrating patches, which include normal wear and tear, heat stress, pest infestations, and inadequate lawn maintenance practices.
However, there’s good news! There are straightforward strategies you can implement to prevent those dreaded bare patches from spoiling your beautiful lawn.
"Consistent lawn maintenance is crucial in avoiding the occurrence of these bare areas," Mr. Edwards explained.
Often, the simplest approaches yield the best results when it comes to caring for your lawn. Regular mowing, adequate watering, aerating the soil to relieve compaction, and fostering a healthy soil environment are all essential steps that support your lawn’s growth and ensure that water and nutrients can permeate effectively.
Moreover, selecting the appropriate type of grass for the specific conditions in your yard is vital for achieving long-term success.
One solution that has gained traction on social media platforms involves a common bathroom item that many of us have at home: toilet paper.
Countless videos showcase individuals using toilet paper to create a mulch-like mixture combined with grass seeds, and this method has been celebrated as an innovative way to repair holes and improve patchy lawns.
Many of these posts boast that users have successfully revived their lawns in just two to three weeks by employing this technique. People excitedly share their experiences of mixing toilet paper, grass seeds, and water to form a slurry, which they then use to fill in the dead areas of their lawns.
Mr. Edwards pointed out that this toilet paper trick attempts to mimic a process known as hydro-mulching or seed germination.
"The idea is that the toilet paper serves to protect the seeds from birds and wind while also keeping them moist and creating an ideal environment for germination," he noted.
Despite its popularity, Mr. Edwards cautioned that this method may not be effective for most types of turf found in Australia.
"The issue is that in many cases, the variety of grass in your lawn will differ from what you are trying to grow," he explained.
"Seed germination can be unpredictable, and if the patches are small enough, you may achieve much better results by encouraging recovery from your existing grass or by laying new turf instead."
He further warned that this method could result in a patch of grass that is inferior in quality.
"Many commonly used warm-season grasses in Australia, such as Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo grass, are not available in seed form, making it impossible to repair them using this hack," he said.
"This means you could end up with a mix of different grass types that do not perform well together or exhibit varying growth habits. The best grass varieties suitable for Australian climates are typically not sold as seeds, so using random seeds may lead to disappointing results."
Most Australian lawn types are warm-season grasses that can naturally recover over time.
"These grasses can spread laterally across the surface and fill in bare areas during the warmer months," Mr. Edwards said.
For larger patches, the quickest and often most economical solution is simply to cut and lay fresh turf from a reputable turf supplier, he suggested.
If the patches are on the smaller side, you won’t need drastic changes to your usual lawn care routine to promote recovery.
"Enhancing your soil, coupled with regular watering, mowing, and fertilizing, will significantly aid the recovery process, helping your grass to thicken and fill in again," he advised.
