Must Have Maintenance changes lawn and irrigation advice after storages
Must Have Maintenance has changed its routine garden care plan after Melbourne water storages fell from 86% to 75.1%. The 29 July 2026 update linked the drop to the steepest annual decline since the Millennium Drought.
Inflows also ran 36% below the 30-year average. According to Must Have Maintenance, crews across Melbourne now see lawns and garden beds maintained in ways that waste water in drier conditions.
The Melbourne company has completed more than 3,000 jobs since 2018. It works on residential and commercial properties across the eastern and south-eastern suburbs.
For new lawns and lawn replacements, Must Have Maintenance now defaults to warm-season turf. Couch, buffalo and kikuyu can cut household water use by up to 70% when they are maintained correctly.
That advice also fits Victoria’s permanent water-saving rules. Those rules require watering systems to run only between 6pm and 10am, and warm-season turf performs better than cool-season grass in those hours.
Must Have Maintenance irrigation and mulch changes
For established gardens, the company now applies a 75mm mulch layer to beds during routine visits. Previously, clients could order mulch as an add-on service.
A 75mm layer slows moisture loss from the soil surface and cuts watering frequency. As a result, beds can hold water longer through Melbourne’s warmer periods.
Must Have Maintenance described common problems in local gardens: cool-season grasses in full sun, irrigation in the middle of the day, and bare beds with no mulch. The company says those setups struggle in dry weather and use more water than needed.
Crews also review irrigation schedules for clients and move watering to the early evening. Because evaporation is lower then, more water reaches the root zone.
Meanwhile, older systems are being upgraded to drip and subsurface irrigation. Those systems deliver water directly to roots instead of spraying it across paths or open soil.
Must Have Maintenance also holds approvals as an NDIS Home Help Services Provider and a WorkSafe and TAC Services Provider. Those approvals cover work across Melbourne homes and other properties.
