Soursob

You don’t need to fight over grass space at a camping ground if you’re backyard camping, you have everything you need at home! Plus, if you have grass, you have natures air mattress! Good thing with camping at home is if you forget anything, it is only a short walk away to grab forgotten supplies – with toilets and a shower also not far away!

Things you’ll need:

Tent
Blankets, sleeping bags
Friends and family
Torch or camp lighting
Bug spray
Wood for a campfire
Food (don’t forget marshmallows!) and drinks
Warm, layered clothing
Pillows, cushions
Air/camp beds (if your grass doesn’t quite fulfil the role of a mattress)

First thing you will want to do is choose a location for your tent. Make sure you clear the grass area of any debris or waste from your pets and keep an eye out for any insect pests like ants or spider holes.

You will need a nice flat area for the tent and room for a seating area out the front where you don’t have to constantly walk past any tricky ropes that may cause you to trip over. Once the tent is set up, deck out your sleeping quarters with your bed and blankets and put up a light so you aren’t struggling to find your way around once its dark. Setting up your camp site at home is half the fun, so create a space that is like a home away from home, remember there’s no limit on how much you can pack!

Things to do:

Light a campfire to keep warm and roast marshmallows
Tell camp stories
Gaze at the stars
Cook food on a bbq or on the camp fire
Play some games, maybe some cards or a board game
Enjoy the peace and quiet you don’t normally get at campgrounds!

Don’t forget to help your lawn recover after your camping adventure. Water your lawn if it is dry, rake the leaves to stand back up again and give your lawn an aerate if the increased traffic has caused some compaction to the soil beneath. Check out this article on bringing your lawn back to life for some more helpful tips.

For more backyard tips check out the Lawn Care page here.

What is nesting under my winter lawn?

Posted on July 26, 2018July 27, 2018 by nathe

What is nesting under my winter lawn?

Beetles are semi dormant in your soil in winter, just like our lawns. The damage to your lawn generally won’t occur this time of year, but it is important to understand their lifecycle and signs of infestation, so that you can take prompt action when they become active. Being aware of what’s under the soil will keep you one step ahead of the game and better equipped to deal with these uninvited guests.

Root feeding grubs are sometimes known as white curl grub, scarab beetle larvae, lawn beetle larvae or cockchafer. These are the common names for the juvenile stage of lawn beetle that feed on the lawn roots. White curl grub, however, is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a ‘witchetty grub’.

To best understand how to control and prevent root feeding lawn grubs it is best to chart their lifecycle.

This is explained below.

These beetles – adult lawn grub – feed on the roots and can be a serious problem for some lawns. Cool season varieties like fescue and warm season varieties like kikuyu and couch can experience major damage from a nasty infestation, but they are not usually an issue for buffalo varieties. Stressed, under-nourished lawns are also particularly prone to damage.

Adult beetles are black and shiny, about 15mm long with brown serrated legs. The eggs are laid in Spring and early summer, developing into larvae that then feed on the roots. The pupal stage causes no damage, but the emerging grubs in late spring/early summer do. The beetles are dormant or semi dormant in winter.

A small infestation of black beetle can provide benefits to some lawns, for instance buffalo grass varieties help the soil with tunnelling activity and stimulating new root growth, but if you see damage, it’s best to send them packing.

Check out the Lawn Solutions Australia lawn care page for more helpful tips and advice here.

How to manage salt levels in your lawn

Posted on July 26, 2018August 29, 2018 by nathe

Salt and Your Lawn

If you’re lucky enough to live by the beach, your lawn will cop a fair serve of ocean spray. In some cases it can be completely under water at high tides, so a tolerant variety is a must.

Salty soils prevent your grass from absorbing nutrients and retaining moisture. Salt spray on the blades of the grass can cause burns. Salt in soils are not uncommon and will usually be found in small amounts. It is only a problem when the levels increase, preventing nutrient absorption.

High levels of sodium in water can cause compaction in clay soils which makes it difficult for root development and for the salt water to leach away. In these soil types, you will need to apply gypsum to break down the compacted clay and allow the water to filter through easier.

How to prevent salt damage

Fresh water is your friend when it comes to reducing the salinity in your soil. If you suspect that there has been some damage caused or you have experienced strong coastal breezes, watering your lawn is the best course of action. The sodium will remain on the grass and within the soil until you do this. When watering, make sure you do so for a couple of hours to leach the sodium out of the soil, washing it away from the soil where it is affecting your lawn. Deep, long watering like this will also wash nutrients away from your soil, so it is a good time to follow up with a fertilise.

Choose a salt tolerant turf variety

Compared to most other varieties, buffalo lawns, like Sir Walter DNA Certified, are very salt tolerant. Some types of seashore paspalums are now available and while salt tolerant, they lack other qualities, such as drought tolerance.

For turf suppliers in your area click here.