Last summer's record drought may have had a huge environmental and economic impact on the Mid Coast, but it also contributed to the bumper season weeds are enjoying in people's yards around the region.
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MidCoast Council strategic weeds biosecurity officer Terry Inkson says the proliferation of common weeds in people's lawns at the moment is directly related to last summer's prolonged dry spell.
"The drought reduced the capacity for grass to out-compete things," he said.
"It's the same situation on people's lawns as it is in the bush and on the side of the roads."
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Mr Inkson said species such as trampweed, dandelion and other broadleaf varieties were all abundant because, like most weeds, they were equipped to bounce back quickly from environmental disruptions such as drought.
He said the climatically unseasonal warm weather the region experienced through early spring had also helped them come to the fore.
"It kicked them on earlier and promoted growth."
It's been an exceptional year for bindis.
- Terry Inkson
Mr Inkson said one dreaded weed was enjoying a particularly strong season for those reasons.
"It's been an exceptional year for bindis," he said.
But while Mr Inkson admitted the weeds could be unsightly and a nuisance, he explained that they weren't necessarily doing any harm.
"They're not detrimental to the environment per se," he said.
For this reason, he encouraged residents to pull the weeds out by hand rather than using herbicides.
He said this was the best way for people to rid their lawns of weeds without unnecessarily exposing their grass to chemicals.
"What it's going to do is stop those plants utilising nutrients and water," Mr Inkson said.
Kai Stanley from Taree-based lawn supplier Earl's Turf said there was a number of ways people could help their lawns recover from the effects of the drought.
"What we're doing now is encouraging people to fertilise to get the grass cover to come back," he said.
Mr Stanley also advised regular mowing as a way to promote healthy regrowth.
In regards to a longer term strategy to get your lawn looking tip-top, he said a new product called Oxafert was a fairly good option.
"If you were to use this product at the start of every season, you'd probably have a nice healthy lawn," Mr Stanley said.
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"It won't kill existing weeds, but it'll prevent any weeds from germinating."
More immediately, he believed some natural intervention would probably do everyone's lawn a big favour.
"If we get this wet summer, everyone's grass should bounce back," Mr Stanley said.
"There's nothing as good as rain."
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