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

A Perth woman caused a stir on social media after she posted a video of herself “painting” her lawn green after it was “yellow and dead”.

Perth has already experienced an unrelenting dry summer and has severe water restrictions, a dire situation for homeowners looking for green, green, green lawns.

A local woman has taken a new approach to rejuvenating her lawn which has drawn praise and criticism on social media.

A Perth-based TikTok user, who goes by the username Mariah Elaine, recently posted a video of herself “painting” her lawn after it turned yellow and looked dry and dead.

The video reads: “When your grass is yellow and dead then just paint.”

He captioned it: “Make sure you do it quickly before the neighbors see.”

He quickly received criticism from other users for his unique wit.

Before and after of Mariah’s lawn after painting it with ColorGuard. Photo: TikTok

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“It’s dead, it’s not drinking, it’s dry,” one user wrote.

“I need this for my next test,” said one in the comments.

“A good way to destroy the soil and kill the grass,” commented a third.

It turns out that experts say “painting” your lawn isn’t the worst thing you can do to your property.

While many thought Mariah was using regular paint, she revealed that she uses a specific product from Lawn Solutions Australia called ColorGuard which is a lawn fertilizer mixed with green dyes.

Aussie woman Mariah made a bold decision when her grass got dry. Photo: Provided

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While using regular paint on your lawn is not recommended, Lawn Solutions Australia spokesperson Nathan Edwards said using the ColorGuard product is completely safe and can actually help revive dry or brown grass.

“It is a pigment and lawn fertilizer, so if it looks different it can be a good way to make the grass greener faster,” he said.

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“But it’s not just for beauty, it goes into the leaf rather than sitting on top, and it keeps moisture in the grass … in the US they call it sunscreen for turf, it will keep you warm in the winter but also protect from the sun and heat.

There were other ways homeowners could help their lawns – especially with hot summers and water restrictions in many states, Mr Edwards said.

“When things are really dry, like right now, and you’re worried about browning or you can’t get water, you can use wetting products on the soil to keep your grass from being hydrophobic,” Mr Edwards said.

There are ways to keep your lawn healthy during the hot summer and even during a water restriction. Photo: Lawn Solutions Australia/Supplied

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Soil wetting products, also known as Lawn Soakers, are soil wetting agents that help improve water infiltration, which can be an excellent addition or replacement for those with water restrictions or who want to reduce their water use.

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

“It is better to water before the heat of the day, so that there are less chances of losing moisture,” he said.

TifTuf Hybrid Berumda, a drought tolerant grass. Photo: Lawn Solutions Australia/Supplied

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He recommends watering your lawn two or three times a week and soaking it thoroughly instead of sparingly.

“A lot of short, sharp (drinking) holes can actually make the grass very dry.”

For those struggling with water restrictions and hot summers, new turfs were also developed by Lawn Solutions Australia that were better suited to drought and tropical climates, such as most of Australia’s climate.

“We’re putting out new grass varieties that are drought tolerant. Putting in something like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is one of the best grass varieties for that area.”

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