June 2020 - Lawn Solutions Australia

How to keep your grass green

With ColourGuard Plus

What is ColourGuard PLUS?

ColourGuard PLUS is a liquid fertiliser as well as a natural grass pigment that helps to keep your grass green.

The formulation consists of natural ingredients that will not harm the health or growth of the turf. ColourGuard Plus delivers micron sized organic pigment solids into the tiny pores of the leaf, issued via water delivery spray applications.

Apply this 100% natural grass colourant to keep your lawn looking fantastic year-round. Easy to use, works on all lawns, in all climates. Plus, you will reduce the amount of fertiliser and water your lawn requires. Just one application can give your lawn up to three months of great colour. Make your neighbours green with envy!

  • Can use all year round
  • 100% natural ingredients that won’t harm the health or growth of your lawn
  • Available in a ready-to-use bottle and 100ml concentrate
  • Lasts up to 3 months!

How to use ColourGuard PLUS

ColourGuard PLUS is easy to apply and will stay green for up to 3 months per application. By combining a robust blend of vital micronutrients with organically derived pigment, ColourGuard PLUS functions as a colourant and a fertiliser at the same time. Attach your hose to the ready-to-use bottle or mix from a concentrate with water in a pressure sprayer as per the bottle instructions.

3 reasons to use ColourGuard PLUS

Green-up before your lawn goes brown

ColourGuard PLUS has been developed to give you the best lawn in the street on drought, frost affected or dormant grass. Best applied before your grass goes brown to retain colour, while at the same time increasing your grass health. ColourGuard Plus also acts a blanket for your grass allowing it to retain an internal leaf temperature 2 degrees higher than untreated areas.

Selling your property?

As any real estate agent will tell you, kerb appeal is essential for getting your property sold for the highest price possible. ColourGuard PLUS means you can maximise your kerb appeal with a lush green front lawn, nature strip and backyard to show off your property at its best. Make sure you apply ColourGuard PLUS before your real estate agent takes photographs of your house for marketing your property!

Important party/event

Do you have an important party coming up and you want to have a lush green lawn for your guests? ColourGuard PLUS is so fast and easy to apply, your lawn will be party-ready in no time.

ColourGuard PLUS is available in 4 sizes

2L Ready-to-use Bottle

Simply attach your hose to the bottle and spray as required. This ready-to-use bottle will cover up to 150m2.

 

100ml Concentrate

Just mix with water in a knapsack following the application rates on the bottle for your required area. This 100ml concentrate will cover up to 200m2.

 

ColourGuard Plus 2.5lt Concentrate

Just mix with water in a knapsack following the application rates on the bottle for your required area. This 2.5ltr concentrate will cover up to 6,250m2 (0.625Ha)

ColourGuard Plus 10lt Concentrate

This 10 ltr concentrate will cover up to 25,000m2 (2.5Ha)

Check out the Lawn Solutions Lawn Store to buy online or for contact details for local suppliers.

Creating the perfect family space with good landscaping and great lawn

With Charlie Albone

Creating a family friendly garden doesn’t mean it has to all be trampolines, cubby houses and sandpits – you can have the best of both worlds with a show stopping high impact design and space for the whole family.

Create a Wish List

Designing a family garden starts in the same way any garden design begins – you need to make a wish list of what you want in the garden.  This should include all the things you can see your family using and all the things you’ve always wanted; a swimming pool, a lawn for the kids to play, an entertaining space, space for the dog to sleep, a BBQ, a veggie patch, the list can go on and on!

The next step is to prioritize this list into what is most important to you, the ‘must haves’ at the top of the list and the ‘would be nice’ towards the bottom of the list.  When sorting through your list you need to consider the actuality of owning some of these items, do you have the time to service a swimming pool?  Can you spend hours of your week deadheading flowering perennials or watering the masses of garden beds?

Designing a garden for the maintenance you can give it doesn’t have to take the fun or designer edge out of the garden; for example, you can have a lush hardy green lawn, such as DNA Certified Sir Walter Buffalo that doesn’t require a cylinder mower run over it every day to look its best.

Create a Concept Plan

Once you have your list you need to fit all these elements into your garden and the best way to do this is with a concept plan.  Working to scale draw up all your garden wants in plan view is the best way to make sure everything fits into your space – it is so easy to think it will all fit but actually space might be tight.  When adding in spaces that have people moving through them, such as entertaining spaces, or play lawns make sure you give them generous proportions for people to move around them as well as through them.  For lawns, which are a necessity in a family garden make sure you make them as big as the design will allow, this will not only give you practical space but a breathing space for the surrounding planting so the garden doesn’t feel too over crowded.

If you are uneasy about working or drawing at scale, it’s a good idea to cut out the spaces in paper and arrange them over a survey or house plan – that way its also easier to move the parts around giving you various layout options.

When planning your garden and layout consider the parts you want to look at and the bits you want to hide or mask.  Having an open lawn where you can watch the family play in a relaxing setting requires open sightlines where as utility areas like washing lines and trampolines benefit from a baffling of the sight lines through hedging or screening.

Site Analysis

Once you think you have a good layout my advice is to sit and wait … outside that is.  There is an old saying ‘the right plant in the right spot can’t die’ and making sure the plants and spaces are in the right spot requires you to do a site analysis of the garden, checking where the sunny spots are (great for lawn and veggie patches), where the wet and dry spots are and any other issues that effect how you will use the space – nobody likes an entertaining space in a wind tunnel.

This site analysis might change your layout a bit but its good to do it after you have had a play around with the shapes and elements of the garden as it gives you options to change rather than being constrained or put off by these effects on the garden.

Choose your Elements

Once you have the layout you’ll want to apply your finishes to these elements – this is what gives your garden a design edge.  With family gardens you need to pick wisely as picking the right product to its usage will make your garden look new for longer.  When it comes to paving using natural stone gives warmth and an upmarket feel but it can stain easily so its not ideal in heavy traffic areas, a printed porcelain may be a better fit.  Timber adds texture and an earthiness to a design but on the horizontal plain can require excessive maintenance to look its best so a composite may suit your family.  For plants you’ll need hardy plants around areas where kids are kicking balls and running amuck and softer flowering plants towards the back of your garden beds where they are protected.

Lawn Choice

You can apply this ethos to the lawn you will use too – A family lawn needs to be tough and hard wearing, Tif Tuf Bermuda is both of these things and drought tolerant to boot, hence why its being used on many sports fields and stadiums.  If you are after a slightly larger leaf, classic DNA certified Sir Walter is a classic, for a reason – because it performs well in a family garden.

The best way to make the most of your family garden is to get out there and use it – designing and building a new garden is something that can take time but making memories in that garden with your family will last forever.

How do I stop my dog wearing out my grass?

How do I stop my dog wearing out my grass?

You love your dogs and the space that a lawn provides them keeps them happy and healthy. Unfortunately, some dogs, usually large and highly active, can cause disruption to the grass and its ability to survive.

Whether it be digging, relentless running back and forth leaving ruts or the zoomies all over the place, your lawn can cop quite a hiding. How do I stop my dog wearing out my grass?

We have put some tips together to help you minimise the stress on your lawn and to save you from pulling your hair out too!

Turf Variety Selection

The most important thing you can do to limit damage is to install a wear resistant lawn to start with. This includes turf varieties like couch (TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda for example) and kikuyu in particular that grow quickly and also have the benefit of both above ground runners and below ground runners to establish from. Buffalo grasses are also a really hard-wearing option, particularly if you have increased shade, but will take a little more time to recover as it only has above ground runners to repair from. The preparation of the soil is also highly important as a healthy lawn will be more likely to recover.

If you already have both dogs and a lawn, but are looking for answers to the dogs wearing out the grass, here are some things to consider…

Wear and Tear

If your pet continually uses certain tracks causing that area to wear more than others, placing an obstacle like a pot plant on the track will force them to take a different route, giving the lawn a chance to repair itself. This may have to be done more often in winter or shady areas. Extra aeration may be necessary to help rectify any compaction that may have occurred. With excessive activity, a more comprehensive maintenance program may be needed by way of more regular fertilising and aeration. Moist and shaded areas will suffer most so some extra drainage and attention will be required.

dog, lawn kids

Compaction

Compaction is a common problem with lawns, particularly those with dogs and it is important that you address it regularly. What compaction does is prevent oxygen, nutrient and water from being able to penetrate properly to the roots of your lawn, which in turn leads to poor lawn health. Aerating your lawn will help to alleviate this compaction and allow better penetration of oxygen and nutrient and will also allow your lawn to root down deeper making it more drought tolerant and resilient.

aerating

Digging and Destructive Behaviour

An important thing you can do to restrict unnecessary digging or destructive behaviour, is to give your dog plenty of attention and to take them for regular walks and exercise. Boredom is one of the main reasons for dogs digging holes and pacing back and forth, so keeping them active and distracted can help to limit this kind of damage.

Turf Reinforcement Mesh

Sometimes particularly with larger dogs, it is a constant uphill battle and a more permanent solution is required to help the grass survive. Turf reinforcement mesh can be laid as part of a new lawn installation or to an existing lawn. There a few different products available so installation and preparation of the turfed area does vary, but generally it is as simple as mowing the grass short, rolling out the mesh, pegging it down and lightly top dressing. The grass then grows up through the mesh and the roots are protected.

During the early stages after installation of a mesh type product it is important to remember to not mow too low to avoid the mesh becoming caught in your lawn mower. The mesh will then reinforce the grass helping to reduce grass wear, tracking of ruts into the grass and digging. Turf reinforcement mesh can also help to provide a more supported root base helping with additional foot traffic or even vehicles.

turf reinforcement mesh

Temporary Fencing

If your lawn is looking a little worse for wear and you have done all of the above, it may be worth considering giving the grass some time to recover without traffic. Fencing off a small area at a time, aerating and conducting some lawn care on this particular area will give it the best chance of survival.

If you have found any other tips to stop your dog wearing out your grass or for managing your pets, let us know! We love to hear what others have tried and this information can help others in the lawn community also.

Lawn Solutions enewsletter