October 2017 - Lawn Solutions Australia

Improving Your Soil

Your soil structure plays a vital role in the success of your lawn and in many cases some improvement work is required  to get the most out of it. But first of all let’s have a look at what makes up a soil so that you can get a better understanding of how it all works and why it’s important to carry out any improvements as opposed to just bunging down a few rolls of turf and then wondering why it’s not performing to its best. To understand soil, you need to know how it is made, and what functions its components perform. These are;

  • ORGANIC MATTER, which is made up of decomposing plants and animals. This improves the structure and also provides essential nutrients to plants and lawns.
  • MINERALS, which are derived from rocks broken down by weathering. These also provide essential nutrients.
  • AIR, that exists in pockets amongst the soil particles, which provides oxygen and also helps water to penetrate and drain quickly.
  • WATER, which contains dissolved nutrients essential to growth in a form that is accessible to plant roots.
  • LIVING ORGANISMS, which range from micro-organisms, some of which help root growth, to earthworms, which improve soil structure by creating air spaces and breaking down organic matter.

Soils vary a lot because they have different proportions of these components arranged in different ways, and this in turn affects the way they behave. It is important to know what sort of soil you have as this will tell you what you may need to do to improve it to get the most out of your lawn and of course plants. To analyse your soil, you need to have a good look at it. Dig some up and feel it in your hand. Make a note of what colour it is, and how the colour changes with depth.

RIBBON TEST

Now carry out a ‘ribbon’ test to find out what sort and size of particles your soil contains – sand, silt or clay – and in what proportion. Pick up a handful and work it together, adding a little water at a time until it is moist. Note the different textures. Sandy particles are course and easy to fell, while the smoother particles are clay, silt and humus. Now squeeze the sample and try and form it into a ball. If it contains a fair proportion of clay and humus this should be easy, but if it contains a lot of sand it will keep breaking up.

Next, gently squeeze the ball to lengthen it into a strip or ‘ribbon’ and see how long you can make it before it starts to break up. The more clay it contains, the longer the ribbon will get and the more plastic it will feel to the touch. Soil ribbons can range in length from about 5mm – 75mm, with sandy soils being shortest, loamy soils in the middle and clay soils the longest. While soils that contain a lot of clay or sand may need work to improve them, loamy soils are generally ideal. These contain a mixture of sand, silt, organic matter and clay, providing the right balance of nutrients, oxygen, water and drainage which are just what your lawn needs.

STRUCTURE

This relates to how the different soil particles are arranged, the aggregates (clumps) they form and the spaces between them. Well-structured soils will have aggregates firmly bound together, which will help maintain the structure when the soil is wet, but at the same time be loose enough for roots to move through freely in search of water and nutrients. Well-structured soil will also have plenty of air spaces to provide oxygen, allow water to penetrate and facilitate drainage. Poorly structured soils are often hard and compacted, don’t accept water easily, have few air spaces and are subject to erosion. In simple terms they’re bad news for you and your lawn and need to be improved.

SOIL pH ACID, NEUTRAL AND ALKALINE

Your soil’s pH is another important factor, but one that is often overlooked in the eagerness to get your lawn down, but it can greatly affect nutrient intake and so your lawn’s health and appearance, so testing your soil’s pH and making any adjustments plays an important role in your soil preparation stage and is best done before you lay your new lawn.

SOIL TYPES AND IMPROVING THEM

The three main soil types are sandy, loam and clay, with many soils fitting in between these three, a sandy loam or clay loam to give a couple of examples. For general gardening and lawn purposes you can’t beat a loam soil, it’s got all the good gear and the right structure. If you are lucky enough to have such a soil you won’t have to do much soil improvement work at all, perhaps just a touch of fluffing here and there, and fine tuning of the levels. By now you should have a good idea of the type of soil you have. Ideally you need around 150mm of good soil for a successful lawn, at a stretch you might get away with 100mm, but getting away with it is one thing, a good lawn is another, so in some cases you will need to bring in some new soil.

‘Turf underlay’ soil mixes are specialist soils sold at good landscape suppliers and some nurseries, containing around 80% sand, and 20% black soil. They provide good drainage from the sand and some nutrients and water holding capacity from the soil. At the same time, they are easy to spread and so perfect for fine tuning the levels before laying the turf. Even if you have a good soil, a thin layer of turf underlay really helps to get everything spot on. If your soil is pretty ordinary and/or you need to build up your levels, then this is the soil mix to order. River sand is also excellent for levelling and turfing over.

SANDY SOILS

Water drains quickly from sandy soils, which is good in some ways as you are unlikely to have any drainage issues, however as the water drains it takes essential nutrients with it. Sandy soils also dry out quickly due to their open, free draining structure and can become hydrophobic (water repellent).

ACTION

Adding organic matter and a soil with some clay content will improve the nutrient levels and help with water holding capacity due to the clay. You need to mix the organics and new soil into your existing soil thoroughly. This can be done manually with a mattock or hoe, a rather lengthy and labour intensive process, but one that’s ok for small areas, especially if you get a bit of help.

For larger areas a rotary hoe does the job beautifully. You can rent these from hire shops, but familiarise yourself thoroughly with the controls and operating techniques to avoid any accidents. Another option is a mini skid steer loader like a Dingo or Kanga Loader with the rotary hoe attachment. If you have a large area, then a Dingo or Kanga Loader with the 4 in 1 bucket will help here too. Once you get the hang of these machines they are good fun to operate and make light work of the job, especially if you need to move the gear up hill. For the bigger jobs a larger machine with an operator may be the go.

CLAY SOILS

At the opposite end of the scale from sandy soil are clay soils. These hold water and nutrients very well but don’t drain as well as sandy soils, especially if compacted, a common situation for lawns with a clay soil base. Adding organic matter and gypsum and then cultivating to mix these through the soil will work wonders, opening up the soil’s structure, improving the drainage and oxygen levels, and making the nutrients more available.

To work clay soils successfully, the moisture content has to be right. If it’s too dry it will be hard and very difficult to cultivate. If it’s too wet it becomes too slippery and boggy and you’ll probably do more damage than good, not just to the soil but also yourself as you slide around and fall over while trying to hang on to an out of control rotary hoe. A very dangerous situation to be avoided at all costs.

How much organic matter and gypsum you add  depends on the soil. For light clay about 1Kg/square meter of gypsum is the usual application rate. 2kg/meter for heavier clays. A layer of about 20-30mm of organics should be plenty before cultivating through the soil. In some cases, with a light clay soil for example, all you may need to do is spread the gypsum and then cultivate before bringing in and spreading your turf underlay soil mix.

VERY IMPOVERISHED SOILS

There are situations – particularly on new housing developments – where most, if not all, of the original topsoil has been stripped away, leaving hard clay that is pretty much useless. You might get some kikuyu to grow in patches, but you’ll have all sorts of problems for years. The best way to deal with this is to bring in new soil and raise the entire area at least 100mm but preferably 150mm. Drainage is a major concern here, so before introducing the new soil, contour the existing clay, sloping it in the direction you want any water to go which will hopefully reduce any pooling and bogginess. It’s important also to mix a layer of the new soil into the existing to facilitate drainage before building up the levels further. Raising the levels may well require some edging or retaining to keep everything in place.

COMPACTED SOILS

A common scenario is to have a decent depth of good soil that has become compacted due to heavy foot traffic over time, or in the case of newly built houses, been neglected and abused during the construction process. Often, all that is needed here is to cultivate the base, perhaps with some gypsum, and then level with a thin layer of underlay.

ADVICE FROM THE PROS

Like with anything around the home and garden, if you have concerns or are unsure about things, get some advice from a professional landscaper or turf grower before going ahead.

Spring Lawn Care

Thank …. It’s Spring!

Fantastic! The winter colds are done and the weather’s warming up … but your lawn needs a little nursing through the next few weeks and months to achieve peak health for summer. In this blog, we take a look at what lawn care activities you can do this spring.

Test, test, test

Check your soil pH. An incorrect pH means your lawn can miss out on important nutrients and lead to overall poor performance. Test with a basic soil pH testing kit or soil probe. The optimum pH is 6.5.  If your pH is higher, use sulphate of ammonia to lower it.  If it’s lower, a 50:50 mix of lime and dolomite lime will help to raise it, while adding calcium and magnesium, which are often leached from acidic soils.

pH Testing – Lime for Healthy Lawns

Apply a Wetting Agent or Soil Wetter

If you have a clay base, even if you put in new soil when you laid your lawn, the clay will, over time, work its way up through the soil profile to the topsoil through a process called bioturbation. You’ll need to break up the clay by aerating and applying gypsum, else your soil will suffer compaction and not supply adequate oxygen to your lawn’s roots. If your soil is sandy, you’ll need to ensure your soil can hold moisture. Correct this by regularly applying a soil wetting agent like Lawn Soaker. This coats the sand grains and enables them to cling to moisture and nutrients.

Treat the bacteria in your soil as well. Your soil is full of nitrogen-fixing bacteria such as mycorrhiza and rhizobia, and they turn the nitrogen from the atmosphere and fertilisers into a usable form of nitrate for your lawn. During winter they’re dormant, but once soil temperatures rise, they’re ready to work. They love a boost of carbohydrate, so apply a soil conditioner that contains seaweed extract like Lawn Rescue or Lawn Kelper.

lawn rescuelawn kelper

Aerate Your Lawn

Aerate your soil to increase the amount of air, water and nutrients it receives. This strengthens grass roots and helps create a healthier lawn. Use a garden fork to do this yourself before fertilising. Aeration decreases thatch and compaction and should be carried out annually in high traffic areas and on hard lawns. Lawns with poorer soil can benefit from aeration too. Aeration can be hard work on some soil types. A garden fork may work well, however sometimes a lawn contractor with specialist equipment may be required. More information about aerating your lawn here.

aerating

Apply Fertiliser

Fertilising in your spring lawn care regime can help speed up new growth and establish strong roots for summer.

If you live in a cooler climate, you might need to use a liquid fertiliser like Exceed, as your soil temperature may not be quite warm enough for the bacteria to work its magic for a soil borne reaction using a granular fertiliser. As liquid fertilisers are ingested through the leaves of your grass, you’ll only need a little growth occurring for the liquid fertilisers to give an instant boost. Once the warmer weather really kicks in you can feed your lawn with a granular NPK fertiliser like Lawn Solutions Australia Premium Fertiliser.

best lawn fertiliser

But don’t get carried away! You want to be rid of weeds first before feeding them as well. Overfeeding at this time of year may not produce the desired results, with the warmth and light intensity not quite there yet for your lawn to perform its best. A light dusting of either organic or inorganic fertiliser at the specified label rate will give your lawn the boost it needs. It’s a good idea to mow a few times first, assess the weed and lawn growth situation and then further address fertiliser needs.

lawn fertiliser

Remove Weeds

Another important activity you can implement into your spring lawn care plan is weed removal. You can remove most single weeds by hand, preferably before they go to seed. Mow over flat weeds; a healthy lawn will choke most weed types. If you’ve got many weeds or a persistent type, it may be worth calling on your local nursery or local lawn care specialist for advice on the best herbicides to use. Check out our lawn weed removal guide for more information here.

weed control

Remove Thatch

If your lawn is “spongy”, this is due to a build-up of thatch. Thatch can be removed by mowing your lawn back to its runners, nice and low. This may take a couple of mows to do so safely and effectively and is best undertaken only during the warmer months when your lawn is growing quickly. Once this is done, fertilise and water it well, to promote speedy regrowth. Scarifying and dethatching machines are also available which in some cases can be the preferred method. For more information on dethatching your lawn visit our blog here.

Top Dressing

It’s also a good time to top dress your lawn if you wish to reduce any unevenness. Mow and fertilise your lawn first and then top dress with coarse river sand, remembering not to cover the entire leaf tip. Once you have your lawn growing at its peak, it will be ready to take on the heat of summer. More information on top dressing your lawn here.

top dressing

Watering

This time of the year requires minimal additional top-up watering other than natural rainfall, depending on your soil and location. You can increase water application if it’s dry over coming weeks, but a minimalist approach will often be rewarded with a healthier lawn, with stronger, deeper roots.

A deep soaking once a week will train your lawn’s roots to grow deeper into the soil, which will improve your lawn’s drought tolerance.

Just starting your spring lawn care plan now? Here’s a video with some tips…

Installing a New Lawn

Lawn Solutions Australia is a national network of Australia’s best turf suppliers, who supply Australia’s best turf varieties. If you are looking for an expert’s opinion on the right grass type for your space, or a quick and easy online quote, you have come to the right place. Lawn Solutions Australia turf suppliers can help with site preparation, turf supply and installation and provide expert advice for your new lawn all with contactless delivery. Get in touch with your local Lawn Solutions Australia turf supplier today.

how to lay lawn

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Check out our other lawn care blogs for more lawn care activities you can do this spring here.

Dethatching Your Lawn

If you’ve got a thatch issue going on, it’s a great over the next month to get in a couple of low-mows in the other best time of year is at the end of spring. A study carried out by the University of Western Australia a few years’ ago, compared different types of renovation for turf and they found that the results from a ‘hard-mow’ or ‘scalping’ was just as good as scarifying, coring, or grooming when it came to dethatching a lawn. This should only be done a couple of times a year and works only for warm-season grasses (Buffalo, Kikuyu, Couch and Zoysia) and should be avoided for cool-season types – fescue and the likes as this practice will probably spell the end of your lawn. If your lawn feels ‘spongy’ to walk on then it may be time for such drastic action, but keep in mind that for much of the country you’ve only got a few weeks to ‘get-stuck-into-it’ before it starts to cool off and your lawn doesn’t grow.  Attempt it too late and your lawn won’t recover over winter, so if you’re unsure, seek some good advice from your local Lawn Solutions Centre or similar.

This will make your lawn a ‘weed-no-go-zone’

Pre-emergents are used extensively in agriculture and commercial turf applications The new pre-emergents available for domestic use are a combination fertiliser and herbicide Pre-emergents won’t get rid of your current weeds but will help prevent any more

New for the Australian homeowner, a pre-emergent herbicide and fertiliser blend is now available to help prevent weed-seed germination in home lawns. Something that has long been available in commercial situations, this new pre-emergent herbicide product will give homeowners some added ‘kick-in-their-arsenal’ when it comes to tackling hard-to-manage-weeds; before they can get a chance to take-root and take-hold. These type of controls have been widely used overseas for many years and their use is well understood yet in Australia there is still some confusion on what they can and cannot control.

The idea of using a pre-emergent herbicide is to target weed seeds before they take hold by forming a barrier at soil level that affects the germination of any new seedlings. The new combination fertiliser and pre-emergent product provides an ideal mechanism to take the herbicide to just under the soil and the fertiliser helps give a quick boost to your lawn. Controlling both broadleaf and annual grass-type weeds, the pre-emergent herbicide works by stopping any new seedings in their tracks – yet won’t inhibit any root growth of your established turf. The herbicide active ingredient has a residual effect for around three months, so is ideal to apply seasonally to coincide with the different weed types throughout the year. It’s a lawn care practice that will take some time to get used to as there won’t be any results in applying to already weedy lawns – it will only prevent any new ones from forming. So, it’s a use beforehand type of remedy and if you’ve got a lawn full of weeds now then try and use a control now to get them under control and then look at applying the pre-emergent on a regular basis to keep them under control. Keep in mind however, that keeping a good performing lawn in good condition through regular maintenance and fertilisation will help keep weeds at bay and is a better option than trying to control weeds by spraying all the time. Lawn Solutions OxaFert Herbicide & Fertiliser is a pre-emergent herbicide for control of many annual grasses and broad-leaf weeds in warm season turf.

Lawn Solutions OxaFert is registered for use in a variety of recreational turf situations including lawns (domestic & commercial) sports fields, fairways and golf tees. Lawn Solutions OxaFert Herbicide & Fertiliser is a convenient ready to use formulation for the pre-emergent control of certain annual weeds in turf and also for fertilisation of turf where nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are required. The product should only be used when both functions are required. The product should be applied dry with a hand spreader or similar and  to control weeds the application must be made before weeds have begun to germinate. The blend needs to be watered-in by irrigating with 10mm of sprinkler water after application and if longer pre-emergent control is required a repeat application should be made 7-10 weeks after initial application. Ensure you read the product label prior to application for purchase visit our Lawn Store