Preparing Your Garden For The Wet Season In Cairns
During the wet season in Cairns, gardens can go from neat to wild overnight. The humidity invites weeds, the rain compacts the soil, and tropical plants either thrive or drown (depending on how prepared you are).
Why Preparation Matters
In the tropics, it’s not just about surviving the wet, it’s about setting your garden up to thrive when the sun returns. Preparing early saves money, time, and heartache later.
Step 1: Clear and Prune
Trim trees and shrubs to reduce storm damage. Fallen fronds and branches can block drains or smother smaller plants. Our team spends November pruning for clients across Cairns to keep gardens tidy for the wet season (and during it!)
Step 2: Mulch and Feed
Mulching locks in moisture while preventing weeds. Trust us, you’ll be thankful 3 months later when your garden beds aren’t full of weeds because this is prime time for it to flourish, especially all the common vine weeds that take over your gardens. We recommend 5–7cm of mulch (like Aussie Bush Mulch from Cairns Raw Materials). Before you lay it, feed your soil with LawnPride Kelp-ER. Kelp-ER boosts root resilience and encourages microbial life.
Step 3: Drainage Is Everything
Cairns clay-heavy soil holds water. Check that your garden beds slope away from the house and that your drains are clear. Poor drainage is one of the biggest causes of plant death during the wet.
Step 4: Protect Lawn Areas
Wet lawns compact easily. Avoid mowing or walking on saturated ground. If you’re expecting long rain spells, apply LawnPride HydraMaxx — it helps with water penetration and recovery.
Behind the Scenes
Our crew spends December working fast between showers, ensuring we’re taking care of our regular clients and their gardens, as well as helping as many new clients as we can. We enjoy seeing a tidy, prepped yard before the rains hit — that’s a feeling we never get tired of.
Need a hand getting ready? Book a garden maintenance visit or lawn mowing service before the rain sets in.