Lawn mowers are blaring during nearly every inch of daylight across as contractors and home owners struggle to win the war against lush grass growth.

While the El Nino weather pattern was predicted to deliver a long hot dry summer, surprise humid wet conditions have instead got lawn mowers and contractors clipping round the clock.

Lawns are growing fast with the El Nino weather we have been having. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council's contractor has taken on extra teams and extended working hours, Tauranga City Council contractors are working extra, including mowing some reserves on Saturdays, and one lawn-mowing franchise is going like the clippers.

WBOPDC group manager infrastructure services Gary Allis says several bursts of rain this summer, coupled with hot and humid conditions, has meant a lot more mowing for most of the district.

'Recent warm weather and regular rain has created an unexpected growth flush across the Western BOP, particularly in north of Katikati where rainfall is generally higher.

'As result, our roading contractors are completing additional mowing and spraying,” says Gary.

'For the last month WestLink has taken on extra teams and extended working hours by about 20 per cent to cope with the growth increase. They've been dealing with high traffic volume roads first and are now working out into the local areas.”

WBOPDC's sports fields, cemeteries and pensioner units are priorities, being mown on a more frequent basis to keep grass height down.

'Contractors are struggling to keep up with the grass growth and at times some areas will have longer grass than the specification,” says Gary.

And Tauranga City is the same, with group communication advisor Rachel Schicker saying the city council's contractors have been very busy maintaining lawns and kerbside grass.

TCC's maintenance contract specifies a grass height range that contractors maintain.

'They've been working additional hours to keep on top of the growth, including mowing some reserves on Saturdays.”

Crewcut Franchise owner Bernard Satherley has 23 franchisees from Te Puke through Tauranga to Katikati looking after customers 'and trying to keep up at the moment – they are extremely busy”.

Bernard says this is the third wet summer in a row. 'But this one has been extremely wet – it's rained every week this year.

'So keeping on top of extra grass growth – added to the days we can't mow due to rain – makes it very hard for these guys to get their jobs done.”

Bernard says some customers are requesting more frequent mowing – and new clients are calling for help.

'It's just crazy. February is known as the driest month of the year and grass growth normally is quite slow – it can even burn off.

'But I'm looking out my window now and all I can see is lush green grass.”