September 2019 - Lawn Solutions Australia

Month: September 2019

Dynamic Lifter – Good for your lawn?

Posted on by nathe

A staple product in many backyard sheds around the country, Dynamic Lifter is an organic product packed with good stuff for your garden.

If it’s good for your garden, then it must be well suited to your grass as well, right?

Well, you would be right.

Dynamic Lifter is an organic, poultry manure-based product. Chicken manure just so happens to be a common fertiliser used on turf farms. Your standard Dynamic Lifter products are 100% chicken manure in an aged and pelletised form. Poultry based manures are great for promoting growth due to the high amount of nitrogen they contain. Not only does Dynamic Lifter contain nitrogen, it also contains a good amount of phosphorus. Phosphorus supports strong root growth and development.

There are also Dynamic Lifter plant foods, which along with chicken manure, contain fish meal, blood and bone, and seaweed. In the form of a pellet, these ingredients slowly release into the soil for your lawn to take up nutrient.

Chicken Manure

When using an organic based fertiliser like chicken manure, it’s important you don’t use raw manure. The manure should be at least six months old. It will contain less contaminants and ammonia and have a much less offensive odour. Buying this ready to go from your local nursery will ensure it is aged and ready for use.

One of the key benefits you will find with Dynamic Lifter is its ability to improve soil structure through its organic composition. A good percentage of organics in your soil helps it to hold moisture better. Micro-organisms and earthworms will go to work, turning it into processable nutrient for the grass to take up through its roots.

Dynamic Lifter pellets can be difficult to manage if you are mowing your lawn regularly during the warmer months. It is best to apply it in early spring or autumn when the grass isn’t growing as quickly. This will give it more time to break down for a longer period of time before mowing. If you do need to mow and the pellets are still visible, leave the catcher off the mower. There are liquid versions available, but as a result of this there isn’t the same long-lasting benefit that you would get from the break-down of pellets over time.

Conclusion

We will stop short of saying that you should use Dynamic Lifter on your lawn as your primary fertiliser, but there are definitely some benefits and times when your lawn will respond well to a treatment. Slow release granular fertilisers like Lawn Solutions Fertiliser are specifically formulated with the amounts of nutrient recommended for turf grasses. Additional micronutrients and trace elements are also added to the composition which ensure a consistent slow release of nutrient over a long period.

If you would prefer an organic fertiliser for your lawn and garden or are looking for a way to improve the organic structure of your soil, then Dynamic Lifter is certainly a good option as part of a broader treatment program.

5 kids’ lawn activities for the holidays (4 that benefit you)

Posted on by nathe

“I’m bored!”

Solve the exhausting chant of the school break with these great gardening projects for you and your kids.

Weeding

Grab some gloves for your kids and make a game of this. Reward your kids with a treat for every ten weeds pulled, say. Set a time limit for a bigger reward. You could also give prizes for the largest or heaviest weed of the day. Hand out bonuses for finding out the types of weeds; then you’ll know what pre-emergent herbicide to use in the future to prevent them popping up.

Cricket pitch

This one’s for spring or summer, as mowing your lawn really low when it’s not actively growing is not a good idea.

First, get your kids to pick the most appropriate spot in your back or front yard – preferably in front of the garage, a fence or wall, so they can have an automatic wicketkeeper for one-on-one games. They need to keep in mind the rules when they’re marking out the pitch – where will four runs or six and out be; where is it best to bowl from, etc.

Once they’ve picked a spot, have them mark the length of the pitch they want. If you have older kids, have them build a pitch as long as your yard allows. Younger kids may want to make a pitch a bit shorter.

Get the mower out and drop the height lower than usual. You need to mow the pitch into the existing lawn, nice and short so you’ll get more bounce. Plus, it will look more like the pitches you see on the TV, with nice contrast to the rest of the yard. Don’t mow right down to the dirt so the grass doesn’t come back, though. It may have to be mown a few times, depending on how thick your grass is. Remove all of your clippings if you don’t have a catcher so there is nothing left on the surface.

Select your stumps. If you have wooden stumps and bails, hammer them into the ground. If you don’t, metal stump sets are perfect. If you want to get even more creative, try a council bin, Esky, stack of buckets or even tape a set of stumps onto the wall or the fence (these require a bit more honesty from the bowler!). After this, get some marking paint out and mark the crease at either end so you know where to bowl from and the batsman knows where to stand. Make the crease as long as the length of your bat plus its handle.

You’re set for play. To get even more creative, and if you’ve got the room, you can mow a strip for the boundary. Remember, on really hot days, give the pitch a drink of water so it doesn’t dry out for the next day’s play.

Plant a tree

Firstly, hide your sapling somewhere on your property and make a treasure map or play ‘hotter and colder’ for your child to locate it.

This is a chance for your child to do something great for the environment. Perhaps one day their own child will swing from its branches!

To set up for this one and to add an incentive, pre-dig your hole and bury a prize with a mobile phone in a sealable, lockable container. Set the mobile on its loudest ringtone and don’t bury the container too far down! Dig a hole at least twice as wide as the root ball of your tree and as deep as the root ball. Remove any rocks from the earth you dig up.

Have your child locate the planting spot by ringing the buried mobile phone. Let them unlock the container once they’ve helped you plant your tree.

Take the tree from its container and inspect the root ball. If the roots look pot bound, tease them out carefully.

Place your tree in the hole so that the root flare sits just above the ground. Back fill some of the earth you set aside earlier, patting it down as you go. Stake your tree so it doesn’t topple over in strong wind. Water your tree in well after planting.

A word about your lawn: Trees and lawns compete for water and nutrients and thin grass at a tree’s base is common. A shade tolerant grass can help, but all lawns have their limits. Deciduous trees can help in winter, though the trade-off is you’ll have to rake up leaves each autumn.

It’s often best to leave an area at the base of the tree free of lawn and spread mulch instead. This reduces competition, stops ring barking from whipper snipping, and damaging roots from mowing. For better lawn health, keep it a bit longer under the tree’s canopy.

Science experiment (pH test)

Kids love a bit of science.

Grab a pH testing kit from your local hardware store, nursery, or Lawn Solutions Australia’s website. A kit should cost less than $30. Have your child collect a few soil samples from a number of locations in your lawn by digging down about 10 to 15 centimetres with a hand spade. This could also be marked on a map for your child, to make it a bit more like a game. You could incentivise it by offering prizes following each completed stage. Pull out any grass or root matter, then mix the samples in a bucket to get an average reading of your soil’s pH. Take a little soil and follow the instructions in your test kit.

Tent / teepee (disguised compaction test)

Here’s how to determine if compaction is a problem in your lawn – the fun way. Grab a kids’ tee-pee or tent and get your child to set it up. If they have trouble driving the pegs into the earth check how far the pegs penetrate your soil (ensure you avoid irrigation or electrical wiring). They should be able to push the pegs in 10 to 15 centimetres without much effort; if they can’t, it’s time to aerate your lawn. Kids love setting their things up in tents – the bonus for you is you’ll have a few hours free of hearing ‘I’m bored’.

Alien space invaders in the form of weeds are lining up to attack!

Posted on by nathe

Who doesn’t want a piece of your lawn party? Alien space invaders in the form of weeds do too, but you can catch them out before they poke their heads up with a pre-emergent herbicide.

A pre-emergent herbicide targets weed seeds before they take hold by forming a barrier at soil level that affects the germination of any new seedlings.

OxaFert is in granular form, and when applied forms a film at the base of the turf. This film kills new weed seed germinations, leaving your lawn free of crow’s foot, summer grass, winter grass, creeping oxalis, and others.

When do you apply it?

Apply OxaFert year round to control the abovementioned weeds. If you are looking to target a certain weed, look at when that seedling normally germinates and apply OxaFert a few weeks prior. For example, if you wanted to control winter grass in your lawn, you’d apply OxaFert from March onward, as soil temperatures begin to decrease and winter grass seedlings then begin to germinate.

How often do you apply it?

Again, this depends on what you want to control. If you want year-round control, apply OxaFert every eight to 10 weeks to keep your lawn weed free. If you are just controlling a certain weed, use OxaFert every eight weeks until the conditions no longer suit the germination of that weed.

How long does it last?

OxaFert controls the emergence of weeds for up to 12 weeks, however it is recommended to reapply every eight to 10 weeks.

Your lawn still needs a feed

While OxaFert has a fertiliser component, you should still fertilise your lawn with a regular NPK fertiliser during the transition seasons.

Note well

Applying a pre-emergent herbicide is a lawn care practice that takes time to get used to as there is no visible result from applying it to already weedy lawns. It only prevents new weeds from forming. If you’ve got a lawn full of weeds, then get them under control first and then apply a pre-emergent regularly to keep them under control.

Keeping your lawn in good condition through regular maintenance and fertilisation helps keep weeds at bay and is a better option than controlling weeds by spraying all the time.

Spring cleaning: here’s your to-do list

Posted on by nathe

Want your lawn and yard looking their best now the warmer days have returned? Smash through this list in the glorious sunshine and reward yourself with a barbecue.

(Tip: To help get you into gear turn on your favourite playlist and rock out at the same time!)

Aerate Don your aerating sandals. Loosen up your compacted soil and allow water, nutrients and air to get to your lawn’s roots.

Barbecue Dust off the cover. Check you’ve got gas (after your tidy up, you may want to fire your barbie up). Clean the grill and plates. Don’t forget to clean the fat catcher.  

Compaction Bonus. If you’ve already aerated, you’ve taken care of compaction. If not, see Aerate.

Decks Clear them and scrub them. If you’ve got to reseal, then you’ve got a little more work to do.

Dethatch What’s thatch? If your lawn is really spongy, you’ve got a build-up of thatch. If you can wait (or want to skip a job, because you’re keen to prepare your beef for a barbecue), hold off until the end of spring, as this is the best time to dethatch. Mow low to remove the thatch, but always only on warm season grasses.

Fertilise If your soil’s consistently above about 14 degrees, then it’s time to give your lawn a feed. A slow-release granular fertiliser, such as Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser is recommended.

Furniture Knock off the cobwebs. Dampen a rag and wipe off the dust and debris. Your wood furniture may need a reseal.

Leaves Rake up your leaves and place them in your compost.

Mower Now’s the time to service or get it serviced. If you’re doing it yourself, sharpen the blades and discard your old fuel.

Pre-emergent herbicide If your lawn is free of weeds, good job! To keep it that way, apply a pre-emergent herbicide, such as OxaFert to combat potential infestations of, for example, oxalis or summer weed.

Soil If you’ve aerated and taken care of compaction, you’re almost done. You can consider using wetting agents or water storage crystals to maximise water efficiency.

Top-dress If your lawn’s a little uneven, throw a bit of soil on top. Make sure the leaf blades are still poking through. Top dressing helps to reduce thatch and improves drainage, too. You can delay this task, too, as the best time to top dress is in late spring/early summer.

Umbrella Hopefully you have no more than a little dusting to do here.

Weeds If you’ve got any, then pull them out by hand. If you don’t have any, apply a pre-emergent herbicide so you don’t get any!

Water Water your lawn as little as possible and when you do, water deep. Long, infrequent soaks are better than light, frequent applications.

Zoysia If your lawn is beyond repair, then take a look at Sir Grange (Zeon Zoysia). It’s great in the shade and drought tolerant too. Or for a more affordable option, consider the ever popular Sir Walter.

Congratulations on making it to here? Celebrate and get on to sizzling your steaks for your first barbecue of the season.

Does your lawn have water views? It can!

Posted on by nathe

Have you thought about installing a water feature in your lawn?

A water feature or small pond can make a beautiful addition to your lawn. Either one could also double as a bird bath or a sanctuary for native wildlife. Spring is a great time to undertake these sorts of backyard spruce ups, which may even add value to your home.

The key with any backyard landscaping is to limit the damage you cause to the existing surroundings. There’s no point in putting in a beautiful water feature if you destroy your lawn, shrubs, pavers or garden beds in the process. If you do damage part of your lawn in the process, you can buy turf rolls to patch up the area. A good idea to help it establish quickly will be to spread a starter fertiliser like Lawn Launcher on the soil prior to laying the turf over the top. Make sure you lay the turf neatly with no gaps in between and have good soil contact to help the roots from the turf easily establish into the soil.

If the damage isn’t too bad and new turf isn’t required, you can simply give the grass an aerate, fertilise and give it time to recover.

One of the easiest ways to install a water feature is to buy a waterproof planter, bird feeder, pond or fountain. This will save you from too much digging or site preparation. There are many options available from your local nursery, gardening centre or Bunnings store. The important thing is to make sure your feature of choice is built to last and is watertight. If you intend on having fish, frogs or other water-based animals or if you just want to add a bit of pizazz to your water feature, you’ll need to consider a pump as well.

If you need to remove some turf in the area where you are installing your water feature, you have a couple of options. Firstly, if the area isn’t overly large, you should be able to remove the grass with a shovel. This might also be a good time to use the grass to patch up another area of your lawn. If you need an easier way to remove the turf, you can hire a turf cutter for the day from most landscaping or hire companies. This turf cutting machine is relatively easy to use and will do all the back breaking hard work for you.

As a general guide, here is what you’ll need to do…

Step 1: Install Power

If you are installing a pump, you will need to have an electrician install a water-proof power outlet nearby. Alternatively, you can disguise an extension lead provided you keep it dry and it doesn’t become a hazard.

Step 2: Connect your pump

Drill a hole for your power cord if there is no drainage hole at the base of your water feature. This will allow you to run the power cord through the hole from your pump to the outside.

Step 3: Make it watertight

Plug the hole with water-proof filler, like Knead It Aqua. Be sure to firmly press the filler in and around the cord to ensure there won’t be any leaks! This should harden within half an hour or so, then you can then test to see if everything is watertight.

Step 4: Create your water environment

This step is really up to you. Add some water plants, rocks or other interesting features. There are endless options here. Making sure your water feature blends in with the environment and lawn will be key.

Step 5: Fill with water

Turn on the hose. Once the feature is full to your required level, switch on the pump and enjoy!

If you are unsure of any of these steps, ask your local nursery for advice before you get yourself in-to deep water.

In most cases, depending on what you are wishing to achieve, you could have your backyard water views sorted all in a weekends work!

Your lawn is a feature of your backyard as well. So make sure you are able to keep your grass maintained easily without the water feature becoming a difficult obstacle to navigate around. Best to use a whipper snipper or brush cutter around the water feature. Then mow your lawn afterwards for a clean and tidy finish.