February 2020 - Lawn Solutions Australia

Month: February 2020

What You Need to Know About Cylinder Mowers

Posted on by nathe
By Ben Sims from Lawn Tips

Cylinder mowers have become surprisingly popular among homeowners over the past couple of years. Originally these mowers were primarily designed for golf courses and sports fields. Now your average Joe invests their money in a cylinder mower to mow and show off their pride and joy.

What Cylinder Mower Will Work for You?

Choosing a reel mower can be quite daunting when you first think about purchasing one. There are a lot of options to choose from and different mowers will suit different situations. Let’s break down the most important things to look for when choosing your first cylinder mower.

Identify what grass type you have so you know what height to cut it at and what mower will suit this height.

Cylinder mowers generally can cut anywhere from 35mm down to 2mm. It’s important to know what height you want to cut your grass at so you can select a mower that cuts in this range.

• Buffalo and tall fescue like to be a little taller, so you’ll need to find a mower that cuts in the 30 to 50mm bracket. A secondhand Scott Bonnar 45 is a great option for these grass types because you can get custom rollers that allow you to cut up to 50mm. It’s hard to find a reel mower that will cut at this height without modification. You can get these grass types below 30mm, but it just takes a lot of time and commitment.

• Kikuyu and zoysia like to be cut in the middle; about 15 to 30mm is the sweet spot for these lawns with a cylinder mower. This opens a lot of options when it comes to selecting what mower you would like.

Mowers available include:

  • Scott Bonnar 45 / Rover 45 (secondhand)
  • Protea
  • Swardman
  • Masport Olympic Series
  • Bushranger cylinder mowers
  • Supaswift 17inch cylinder mower
  • Push reel mower, e.g. Victa 16″ Razor Cut

These are the most popular mowers on the market for homeowners.

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• Couch grass prefers to be cut a little lower – anywhere from 5 to 20mm. If you have a hybrid couch like TifTuf, it will take the lower cut even better than common couch because of the thinner leaf blade. You can use any of the mowers above, or you can take it to the next level and select something like a greens mower, such as a Toro Greensmaster 1000 (preferably secondhand).

• Perennial ryegrass and Kentucky blue grass like to be cut in the middle as well; 15 to 25mm is the sweet spot with a cylinder mower, but you can take these grasses lower if you desire. All the mowers listed above will suit these grass types.

Why does a cylinder mower cut better than your average mower?

Cylinder mowers are known for giving a cleaner cut and not tearing grass blades.
These mowers have a rotating cylinder equipped with blades and a stationary bedknife. The reel blades guide the blades towards the bedknife, where they are cut by a shearing action.

The lawn needs to be cut at least weekly when using a cylinder mower. Cylinder mowers aren’t designed to mow overgrown grass. If the lawn is too long the mower will get bogged down and won’t cut the lawn properly.

The key is to regularly mow the lawn and change the direction you mow each time you cut. This will stop the lawn laying over from the rear and front rollers and allow it to stand up for a cleaner, more precise cut.

This is especially true if you buy yourself a manual reel mower. If you try to take off any more than 10mm of grass with these mowers, they won’t cut the grass.

Quick Tip: The lower you mow, the more often you must mow your grass. If you are mowing at 25mm for example, you should only need to mow once a week.

If you are mowing at 5mm, you will need to mow your lawn nearly daily, like they do on golf courses.

How to maintain a cylinder mower

There are a few steps to maintaining a reel mower and it’s important that you do this regular maintenance to keep the machine cutting cleanly.

  1. Make sure the reel can cut paper against the bedknife (bottom blade).
    Before every mow, you need to check if your mower is cutting properly. This involves checking your reel against the bedknife. The best thing to do is to get some strips of paper and see if the reel will cut paper. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to adjust the reel so that it cuts properly and doesn’t cause damage to your lawn. It’s important to note that the reel should never be tight against the bedknife. If should be quite loose and only just making contact.
  2. Make sure to clean your mower down after every few mows. This will help to keep the reel and bedknife clean, so your mower continues to cut properly.
  3. On some mowers you need to engage the cylinder (Scott Bonnar 45’s). When you engage them with the lever, make sure you do it slowly or you can cause damage to the mower.
  4. Get your reel professionally ground every two seasons at least.
    Reels in cylinder mowers wear down after a season or two of regular mowing. You’ll know it’s time to send away your reel when you can’t make it cut paper unless it’s tight against the bedknife.
    You’ll need to send your reel and sole plate (this is what the bedknife sits on) away to be ground together.

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Height of Cut and Bringing it down

Cylinder mowers are great at getting a nice low cut on lawns and can help you achieve that golf course look.
You will need to train your grass to be mown low though.

Here is the process I take when taking my lawn from something like 30mm, to 10mm:

1. Make sure you never break the 1/3 rule unless you have no choice
You never want to cut more than 1/3 of the grass blade off. So if you are cutting at 30mm, only take off 10mm, which obviously will make your height of cut 20mm.

Following the 1/3 rule, to bring my lawn lower, I would cut from 30mm to 20mm. From there, I would cut at this height every couple of days for at least two weeks to train the lawn to get used to this height. Once it’s trained to this height, you can then do the same process to get to the next level down, making sure you stick with this 1/3 rule. Repeat this process till you get to your desired height.

Quick note: You will sometimes get some scalped spots and yellowing. This is normal and the lawn will adjust over time. If you have high or low spots though I’d recommend that you level your lawn with some topdressing, but only do this in your lawn’s growing season.

2. Scalping straight down to your desired height.
Another way to take your height down is to scalp it back below your desired cutting height, then raise the mower to where you want it to be. This process is a lot quicker, but your lawn will look sick for quite a few weeks, depending on the season. I recommend you only do this when your lawn is actively growing, and you can keep water up to it to baby it back to full health.

Special thanks to Ben Sims from Lawn Tips

A Complete Guide for Watering Lawns

Posted on by nathe

Advice on watering lawns can differ substantially depending on who you ask, and more often than not, more water is used than is required.

How do you know if you are watering your new lawn enough?

Providing water to your new lawn is so important to ensure that it gets off to the best possible start. A new lawn that has been correctly watered will have deep roots, consistent colour and health. This will ensure that you create a lawn that is resilient, hardy and drought tolerant. Once established, in times of low to zero rainfall over an extended period, your lawn will survive to thrive again when it receives the moisture that it needs.

Watering New Lawns

Only freshly laid turf needs to be watered a couple of times a day, every day, for the first couple of weeks. Once your lawn sets root into the soil, it is starting to become established.

Important tips for new lawns:

  • Water a few times a day, every day for the first couple of weeks
  • Water in the mornings and throughout the day as required
  • Keep the ‘feet’ of the turf damp at all times to help the roots establish into the soil
  • Water the new turf evenly using a sprinkler or irrigation system

The key thing you are trying to achieve is moisture in the soil down to a depth of 150mm. This will ensure your roots establish into soil easily and it provides the moisture it needs as it goes. Keeping the ‘feet’ of your new turf wet is paramount. This will mean checking on your new turf a few times a day to make sure that the soil is still damp and hasn’t completely dried out. Reacting to this and adjusting the frequency of watering to coincide with the current weather conditions will help to give the lawn every possible chance of staying healthy and robust.

A common problem that we see is where new turf simply hasn’t been watered enough. The lawn stunts in growth and doesn’t establish its roots into the soil. From there it is an uphill battle to get it where you need it. Signs that your turf isn’t getting the water it needs include yellowing across the entire roll, curling or wilted leaves, no lateral growth or when lifted there are no visible white roots establishing into the soil.

Turf Installation & Initial Care – Best Practice Guidelines

How do I know if my new turf is getting enough water?

Ask yourself how much water is my lawn getting? If your answer is plenty or a lot, you probably need to delve a little deeper into the specifics. What are you using to water? When are you watering? For how long and at what time of day? Putting a few catch cups around the area when the irrigation is on will give you a good idea of how much water your new turf is receiving and how evenly.

If you notice consistent discolouration across the entire turf roll or slab, it is likely you are not watering enough. If the discolouration is limited to the edges where the turf was cut, this is considered normal. This part of the turf is more likely to dry out quicker and be in more stress from being cut. You can top dress the joins of your new turf to limit this. Ultimately as long as you provide the turf with enough water for it to stay green and hydrated, as the turf begins to grow laterally the dry edges will disappear and look a lot healthier.

Once establishment is happening you can start to back off the watering, depending on the weather and the climate in your region. Signs that your turf is establishing include turf becoming less easily lifted, colour across the turf remains green, vertical leaf growth is consistent and lateral growth is slowly reducing the visibility of the lines between each roll.

Perform spot checks after three weeks to determine if the turf can be lifted. If it can in certain areas and not others, chances are its roots are shallower in those areas; these spots will need to catch up with the assistance of additional deep watering during establishment.

Watering Established Lawns

Water is an important element in your lawn care and maintenance program. With a clever choice of lawn and the correct preparation you can keep watering to a minimum once your lawn is established.

Choose a drought tolerant turf variety

The easiest way to limit the amount you need to water your lawn, is to put in a drought tolerant turf variety in the first place.

TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda has recently received certification and is the first and only turfgrass to ever receive the Smart Approved WaterMark in Australia and across the world. In the US, TifTuf will now automatically be approved for the ‘Water Sense’ program. This means TifTuf is the first turf grass not just in Australia, but throughout the world, to receive recognition to this level of water saving efficiency.

Click here to learn more.

A common question we get asked here at Lawn Solutions Australia is, “how do I know if I am watering my lawn enough?” – The answer to this question can be quite different due to a variety of factors.

Some of these factors include:

  • The climate in your area and the season
  • Water restrictions
  • Access to and cost of water
  • Your soil type and its ability to absorb and hold water
  • Lawn variety and its drought tolerance
  • Environmental factors such as how much sun, shade, wind or heat there is in your garden and your area
  • The health of your lawn

Make sure your sprinkler can cover the lawn evenly, regardless of whether it’s a manual shift or automatic sprinkler system. Be sure that no areas hold water and they are all drained well.

When should I water my lawn?

The simple answer is – when your lawn needs it. It is important that you only irrigate when there is not enough rainfall to meet the needs of your lawn. When you do water, do so within the rules outlined by local water restrictions.

If you water your lawn 3 times a week at 8am every single week regardless of the weather or moisture content of the soil, it’s very likely you are overwatering your lawn. This will lead to shallow roots and a lawn that has been taught to expect regular watering, so without it, it will turn its ‘toes’ and begin to struggle during even the shortest of periods without moisture.

Most common lawn types in Australia can survive extended periods of drought. They will lose colour, becoming brown and dry, with little to no leaf growth, but they will generally sit dormant until the next rain or irrigation event.

A common misconception is that a drought tolerant lawn won’t go brown. Drought tolerance relates to a turf varieties ability to recover after extended periods without irrigation. Some grasses will survive in extreme conditions with minimal water, but not look their best, while others will look better for longer, but can die without adequate water.

How do I know if my lawn needs watering? Just look for the tell-tale signs:

  • Leaf is wilting or losing colour.
  • If you walk across your lawn and leave a footprint behind, then your lawn is likely lacking in water. If it bounces back, your lawn should be well hydrated. This is known as the footprint test.
  • During hot weather, if it’s dry and crusty, taking on a brown colour, there’s a good chance it needs water.

The best time to water your lawn is early morning or late in the afternoon/early evening. This is when there is no wind and less chance of water loss due to heat related evaporation. In humid areas, avoid late afternoon or early evening watering as this can increase the chance of fungal diseases. Early morning is best.

By utilising these tips, you can ensure your freshly laid turf or fully established lawn have the ideal amount of moisture and all water consumption is limited to what is required and effective.

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Ever wondered how football stadiums look so good on tv?

Posted on by nathe

Professional football grounds look fantastic and are superb to play on. There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing the surfaces of these grounds and much underground as well. What grasses are used on football fields, how are they prepared before a game and how is a typical ground usually constructed prior to the installation of turf?

Australian sports fields generally fall into three categories:

  1. Major stadiums, such as AAMI Park, Adelaide Oval, ANZ Stadium, Bankwest Stadium, Gabba, Marvel Stadium, the MCG, Optus Stadium, Suncorp Stadium and SCG.
  2. Tier 2, which are 10- to 20,000-seat venues, such as Sydney’s Campbelltown Sports Stadium, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, Panthers Stadium and New Era Stadium. These are usually council or club-owned and managed by full-time ground staff.
  3. Tier 3, which are less than 10,000-seat sites, usually local council grounds, such as Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval and Bankstown Oval.

Turf type and installation

Many grounds have kikuyu or couch. All major stadiums in Australia are couch. A lot of the tier two and three grounds vary from couch to kikuyu throughout the country. Depending on the age of the grounds and what the specifiers’ preferences are if the ground is under construction.

The preparation prior to turf installation also varies depending on the situation.

Major stadiums have million-dollar, USGA-specified (United States Golf Association) sand profiles. These profiles include a lot of work for drainage, such as drainage pipes, gravel and sand that needs to be settled and graded to ensure run-off. The grass is obviously the uppermost layer of the profile.

Most tier 2 grounds are sand profiles, but some are not.

Tier 3 arenas are generally existing sites with some improvements added or blended in. The soil profiles are levelled and then grass is sprigged or turfed.

Tools of the trade

Football stadium groundsmen use a lot of maintenance equipment – mowers, blowers, rakes, tractors, snippers, edgers, line marking machines, etc. Two of the more interesting renovation machines are the scarifier and verti-drain. A scarifier is used to dethatch the ground and remove old grass, while a verti-drain is a coring machine that’s used to aerate the surface.

Before kick-off

During the week leading into a televised game a major stadium curator may:

  • Install and/or change the sports posts.
  • Spray the surface with iron and magnesium to enhance grass colour.
  • Cut the pattern, depending on the sport, 10 to 30 times.
  • If unmarked, measure and mark the field out ready for marking the night before or day of the game to ensure the best colour of the lines. If marked, the lines will need to be washed out immediately after the previous sport has been played to ensure that paint doesn’t stick to grass.
  • Roll the surface pattern with a light fairway mower without the cutting reels engaged just before the game.
  • Perform any last-minute touch-ups to lines.
  • Wet the surface. If it’s a soccer match most teams like the surface wet prior to warm-up, kick-off and half-time. This assists players’ sliding and affects the speed of the ball.

Post-game recovery

After football games grounds staff will walk over the surface with buckets of sand and a screwdriver, filling holes and using the screwdriver to turn divots back out. They may plug deep divots with grass from a turf nursery. They’ll then cut the surface. Depending on the stadium and available resources, different green keeping practices may follow from here, such as wetting the surface, vacuuming or blowing.

Substitutions

Depending on the variety of turf used and amount of play, most major and tier 2 venues would need to replace their goal squares and centre square annually. Most surfaces, if maintained correctly, can last up to 10 years.

Do you want a stadium finish?

The number one tip to achieve a sports field look is to cut your lawn regularly (minimum of three times weekly during your lawn’s growing period), at your desired height. Following a fertiliser and pest management program is a good idea too.

Now you know a little about how the experts achieve fantastic surfaces at their stadiums you can take a little from their playbook and apply it to your own lawn.

Enjoy the footy.

For more on soil preparation, check out this article.

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What’s hidden in the label?

Posted on by nathe

Get the most out of your product

When it comes to gardening products, it’s easy to assume they are all the same, just with a different label. But if you look a little deeper, there can be loads of information nuggets hidden in the label that will make sure you’re getting the best out of your product and the best bang for your buck.

Save money!

It goes without saying that if you have dished out your hard-earned cash, that you want to ensure the product will provide the function that you intend to use it for. Quite often we see people applying products willy-nilly in desperation to resolve an issue, when the solution was one that didn’t require the purchase of a product at all. Lawn Solutions Australia doesn’t actively encourage the application of products like herbicides or pesticides unless necessary.

If you don’t read the whole label, you might also miss some important information relating to use in your garden beds or with some types of plants – This could save you the heartache of accidentally destroying all of your hard work!

Common label categories

Safety and First Aid

This area of the label is one of the most important and relates to how to personal protective equipment required for use and what to do if the product is ingested or splashed in the eye for example. It’s unlikely you’ll need to act on this, however if you’re aware of what needs to be done, you’ll be much quicker to react if an adverse situation does arise.

Precautions for Use

This information can sometimes determine whether you proceed with the use of the product or wait until a more suitable time for application. There may be environmental factors to consider, or precautions that relate to the use around pets and other living organisms.

Understanding the information in this part of the label could also separate a good job from a poor one. If this part of the ColourGuard label went unread for example, a user might apply the product when their lawn is wet and end up with poor results.

Directions

Safety aside, which is obviously of critical importance, are the directions for use. Following the steps provided on the label closely will ensure you don’t miss an important part of the process. This information should also tell you what to do before, during and after applying the product, which can all affect how the product performs.

Application Rates

It’s important to avoid over applying products, for several reasons. These rates are particularly important for fertilisers and herbicides. Applying ‘off-label’ rates, that is, the over application of these products, can be harmful to your lawn and the environment. It’s a wasted effort as well because the products perform their best when they’re applied at the specified rate.

Take fertiliser as an example. Some turf varieties require less fertiliser than others. You will prevent wasting product (and money) if you make sure that you are sticking to the application rate recommended. Sir Grange Zoysia and TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda only require 1/3 of the amount of fertiliser compared to other common varieties. A bucket of fertiliser on these lawns will go a lot further.

There are regulations in place that prescribe the maximum dose of chemical application allowed. This is considered when a manufacturer lists rates of application.

Clean-up

Knowing how to go about cleaning after you’ve used a product can also make a big difference to the result. This may also include advice on what to use and do in the case of an accidental spill.

Storage and Disposal

Some products need to be kept cool and out of direct sunlight; many need to be kept out of the reach of children, so it’s vital this information is known when using these products so it’s ready to be used again when required.

 

Reading lawn care product labels has many benefits. You not only gain knowledge about the use and application of a product but broaden your expertise in lawn care.

By understanding what a product does and how to use it, you will get the best results for your lawn.

The Lawn Weed Removal Guide

Posted on by nathe

If you mow your lawn correctly and frequently, you should manage to avoid the invasion of most weeds. But if you have found that some of these undesirable weeds have infiltrated your lawn, then there is a few methods for weed removal.

Weed Removal Options

Hand Removal

Many small weeds can be carefully pulled out by hand; however, you will need to make sure you have removed the roots. Using a weeding trowel or long handled mechanical device and prizing around the roots will help ensure total removal. The bigger the weed, the bigger and stronger the roots.

To make this job a little easier, you might want to try a standing weed puller like the Fiskars Xact Weed Puller.

weed puller

Herbicide Treatment Options

There are various herbicides available, including selective and non-selective types.

Non-selective products like Round Up (Glyphosate) kill most plants including your lawn; selective herbicides target specific weeds only.

It is strongly recommended that you consult your local nursery or turf expert to properly identify the weed in question first, so you can treat it with an appropriate and effective spray.

Post-emergent Broadleaf Herbicides

For common broadleaf weeds like cudweed, clover, bindii or creeping oxalis, you can use a broadleaf herbicide like Amgrow Bin die or Lawn Solutions All Purpose Weed Control.

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Some other weeds require a particular herbicide for treatment, so identification is very important.

Quick selective weed killer solutions guide

sedge control herbicide for nutgrass

  • Paspalum, Crabgrass, Summer grass – Paspalum herbicides contain the active DSMA. Make sure it’s safe to use on your turf as many varieties like buffalo and kikuyu are spot treatment only.

Prevention – Pre-emergent Herbicides

There is also a way to prevent some weed types from appearing at all.

A pre-emergent herbicide like Oxafert targets weed seeds before they take hold. It works by forming a barrier at soil level that stops the germination of any new seedlings. Pre-emergents can be used in the prevention of Winter Grass, Summer Grass, Crowsfoot and Crab Grass.

pre-emergent

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Organic options

If your preference is to avoid the use of herbicides on your lawn, then there are some organic weed treatments which may work against particular weeds.

Some of these options include boiling water, salt, vinegar, cornmeal gluten and nonanoic acid – but keep in mind that these will almost always be non-selective and will harm your lawn as well, so spot treating is the way to go. Read more here.

With the use of any herbicides, always make sure you wear the appropriate protective equipment including gloves and a mask, follow the label instructions and make sure that the particular product is safe to use on your turf variety.

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The Lawn Mowers Guide

Posted on by nathe

When you think of grass, the first thing you probably think of is mowing. So we’re going to give you a brief run-down of the different types of lawn mowers that are available, what types of lawns they are useful for and some key tips to ensure you get the perfect cut.

Rotary

Most of us use a standard rotary lawn mower. It has spinning blades rotating on a vertical axis under a cutting deck. This deck can be adjusted up or down depending on the height we need to cut our lawn.

The blades chop at the grass as they rotate and work best on a medium to high cut. Rotary’s can be petrol or battery powered, with the battery versions increasing in popularity recently due to zero emissions and more advanced battery systems.

Newer models are able to generate nearly as much power as the petrol versions.

For larger areas, you have the option of stepping up to a ride-on lawn mower to get the job done quicker and easier.

Reel Mowers

But rotary mowers aren’t the only way to cut your lawn. The alternative cutting mechanism is a reel-based system like on a cylinder mower, which has blades that cut your grass on a horizontal axis.

There are petrol or battery-operated reel mowers, or push reel mowers which require a little extra grunt work as they are manually driven by human force only.

Reel mowers generally have somewhere between five and twelve exposed blades at the front of the mower that rotate around trapping and slicing the grass against a fixed bottom plate called a bed knife, much like a pair of scissors. The more blades there are, generally the better the cut and the lower you can go. This cutting action works best on a low or short cut and will struggle if the grass is too long.

When using a reel mower, you will need to mow more frequently, as many as 2-3 times a week during the growing season to ensure a nice clean cut.

So, which one cuts your lawn the best?

Reel mowers, cylinder mowers in particular, will have a better quality of cut due to the slicing ‘scissor’ action. This action is superior to that of of a rotary mower, when comparing both with sharp well-maintained blades.

Having said this, a rotary mower with sharp blades and decent power produces a good enough cut that most people would be happy with. The versatility that rotary mowers have over large lawns with more debris will generally make them more practical for most homeowners. If you are someone who enjoys regular mowing and a fine cut well-manicured lawn though, then a cylinder mower would be the go.

Automower

There are a few other options when it comes to lawn mowing options, but one that is particularly exciting is the robotic lawn mower – like the Husqvarna Automower.

Generally, these machines have sharp blades that spin and cut your lawn in a random pattern before returning to charge. These machines are a great way to maintain a perfectly manicured lawn without the effort that is required with a traditional push mower, they do the job for you!

Whichever lawn mower you have the basic principles for mowing correctly are as follows…

  • Don’t allow it to get too long

Mowing regularly promotes lateral growth and allows more of the sun’s rays to get amongst the leaf of your lawn. Never cut more than 1/3 of the leaf blade of your lawn at any one time. If your lawn is out of control and needs a more severe cut, take it down over a few mows.

  • Mix it up

Mowing in different directions minimises monotony, it also contributes to a healthy lawn by encouraging the blades to grow straight. This in turn provides more space for new blades to grow.

  • Don’t mow when the lawn is wet

Rain is great for fertilising, but not ideal for mowing. Mowing when the grass is wet can damage leaf blades as they tear rather than cut, leaving an uneven edge.

  • Keep your blades sharp

To get a beautiful cut, it’s important to keep your mower blades in peak condition.

It’s also important to understand the type of turf variety that you have as they do perform differently. The height that you mow one type of grass may not be ideal for another. Above all else, try and respond to your lawn specifically, as different conditions and lawn care programs can influence what height you can comfortably manage your lawn.

Guideline for ideal mowing heights

(Rule of thumb: shorter for summer, longer for winter)

Green couch:                                       5 to 30mm

Buffalo grass (Sir Walter):               30 to 50mm

Kikuyu:                                                 30 to 50mm

Zoysia matrella (Sir Grange):          5 to uncut

Queensland blue couch:                   5 to 30mm

Broadleaf carpet grass:                    30 to 50mm

Hybrid Bermuda (TifTuf):               5 to 30mm

Fescue:                                                 30 to 50mm