October 2022

Nutrients Your Lawn Needs to Thrive

Posted on October 27, 2022March 21, 2024 by Sarah

When it comes to nutrients for lawns, we can break it down into two different sections, micronutrients and macronutrients. Macronutrients are the primary nutrients required for plant growth. Micronutrients are needed in smaller amounts to assist in the growth and development of your lawn.

Macronutrients N, P & K.

The primary Macronutrients required for the health of your lawn are Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. Let’s look at these and why they are essential for plant health.

(N) Nitrogen

Nitrogen is mainly responsible for the growth of leaves on the plant and colour. It is the most talked about nutrient when it comes to lawns. It is usually the highest percentage of your NPK ratio.

Lawns love Nitrogen, but it is essential to strike a balance between strong leaf growth and strong roots capable of supporting it, which is where Phosphorus comes in.

(P) Phosphorus

Phosphorus is largely responsible for root growth and is quite a low percentage of the overall NPK ratio. This nutrient moves slowly through the soil, and isn’t used in great amounts by your lawn, so some is needed but not a great amount.

Phosphorus usually comes in the following forms: Water Soluble, Citrate Soluble and Citrate Insoluble.

(K) Potassium

Potassium is a nutrient that helps the overall functions of the plant to perform correctly. It is an essential macro-nutrient used in the largest quantities by plants for vigour and growth. Potassium comes in the form of Sulphate as soluble potash which helps grass withstand drought and disease. It also helps the plant to use Nitrogen more efficiently.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are needed in smaller qualities than macronutrients, however will still aid in creating a healthy lawn.

Calcium

Calcium helps stimulate the plant’s stem and roots, while also helping with the plant’s metabolism and enzyme activity.

Iron

Iron helps grass photosynthesis and create chlorophyll. It will improve colour and helps it to carry out cellular functions.

Manganese

Manganese is necessary for your grass to create chlorophyll. If Manganese levels are too high, grass may produce brown spots, and if it is too low it may produce grey or tan spots.

Zinc

Zinc helps to regulate metabolic activity and combined with other elements allows the production of chlorophyll.

Fulvic Acid

Fulvic acid helps with the transport of nutrients from the soil to the grass. It will also help contribute to a fertile soil.

Fertilisers

When it comes to using fertilisers there are a few different options to look at using. For a granular fertiliser we recommend using our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser. This fertiliser has a well-balanced ratio of both NPK and Micronutrients your lawn needs to stay healthy.

For a liquid fertiliser, we recommend using Exceed. Exceed has a carefully balanced NPK ratio will provide health and colour to your lawn and can be used all year-round. Additional micronutrients including Iron and Manganese are also important inclusions.

For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.

Lawn Care Jobs when Preparing for a Wet Summer

Posted on October 27, 2022October 17, 2023 by Sarah

With Charlie Albone

There is plenty of movement in the garden this season, buds are bursting, shoots are springing to life and blossom fills the air. It is predicted that it will be a wet summer so to make the most of your garden maximise your blooms and deal with the rain you need to act now and carry out a few gardening jobs.

Weeding your lawn and garden

A job in the garden that can always be done is weeding. We get a little break over winter but really you need to dedicate some time every week to keep on top of the weeds in the garden and in the lawn, especially now. Weed seeds are germinating so rough them up whilst they are small. They should dry out and not take hold. For larger areas you can spray with a weed killer as this is more effective on smaller fresh weeds. A small screwdriver is great for prising out small weeds before they take hold. One of the benefits of a wet season is the ease in which weeds can be pulled out!

I like to apply a soil wetter to the garden. This prevents hydrophobia in the soil as the weather heats up. It also helps ensure all the rain we are having and will continue to have will soak in effectively. The next job on the list is mulching the garden beds. You want to make sure the water that percolates through the mulch continues down into the soil and to the root zone rather than reaching the soil and running off the surface. Think of soil wetters for the soil as you would a moisture for your skin. They will allow the water in and help to retain it there. Unlike a moisturiser you should only use them once a season at most.

With your mulch apply a layer 75mm thick. This will allow water through but help to conserve water through evaporation. It will also help to suppress any weed growth and make the garden look much more presentable.

Fertilising your garden and lawn

Fertilising now is a great way to support all the new growth that is happening with your plants. I like to take a two-pronged approach to feeding the garden. Firstly, a slow-release pelletised food such as chicken manure or blood and bone is great for all round health and will last well into summer as the heat in the soil releases the nutrients as needed. I then apply a liquid fertiliser to those plants that have buds actively forming. Reach for a fertiliser specific to fruit and flower as this is higher in potassium, which plants needs to maximise their blooms. By applying a liquid fertiliser to the leaves and root zone the plant can absorb it immediately and effectively.

The issue with lots of rain and fertiliser is the liquid takes the nutrients down and leaches them out of the soil. Try to avoid liquid feeding before rain as it is a waste of fertiliser and an unnecessary stress on the environment.

Lawn renovation

Another great garden job to tackle now is a lawn renovation. As your lawn wakes up from winter it’s the perfect time to scarify, aerate, top dress, and fertilise. Scarification removes all the dead thatch from the lawn. This helps reduce the possibility of fungal issues (that occur in wet weather) as well as making way for fresh new growth. You can rent a scarifying machine easily and they work like pushing a lawn mower around so it’s not difficult or skilled. Aeration is important to allow air and water down to the root zone of the lawn and help to de-compact the lawn. I like to aerate a small lawn with a garden fork but again, you can rent machinery for larger lawns.

The depth of which you scarify depends on the variety of the lawn you have. For Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo or Sir Grange Zoysia you only want to go lightly whereas Kikuyu, Nullarbor Couch or TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda can be heavily scarified.

Top dressing your lawn will stop the new aeration holes from collapsing in on themselves. Top dressing will also help smooth out any lumps and bumps. A nitrogen rich fertiliser will boost the growth and deepen the rich green colour. Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo and Sir Grange Zoysia should only have a light sandy mix cast over the top and you can be a little heavier with couch, and kikuyu.

It may seem like a strange thing to do when so much of Australia has been suffering from floods but installing a water tank now will beat the rush when the drought inevitably returns and of course it will be full of rainwater too. Setting up an irrigation system off the rainwater tank is an excellent way to use the water. With internet and WIFI your system can be Smart – only watering when the garden needs it, so little is wasted.

For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our lawn care blogs here.

How to Get Golf Quality Turf

Posted on October 27, 2022October 17, 2023 by Sarah

Have you ever wondered how golf courses get their playing surfaces in top condition or what maintenance is required? This blog looks at how you can get your lawn up to a golf course standard.

What grasses are mainly used on golf courses?

For Fairways, Tees, and surrounds, most golf courses within Australia use a Couch or Kikuyu turfgrass, depending on location. More recently, courses have been able to start using new turfgrass like Sir Grange Zoysia available to the Australian market. For greens courses will generally use Couch grass, for cooler states Bent grass is used.

Mowing Requirements

Different areas of a course will have different mowing requirements. The mowing requirements across other areas will change depending on climate and season. For greens, some courses will need to be mowed once a day. Fairways too will need to be mown often, in some cases once every second day. Other areas including the tees and rough’s can be mown less frequently, sometimes 2-3 times a week.

If you want to get golf quality turf at your home, you will need to be mowing frequently enough so that only one-third of the leaf is removed with each pass. This way you will be minimising stress caused to the lawn, helping avoid scalping from occurring and keeping the grass healthier.

Type of mower

As different areas have different mowing requirements, various mowers are used. For tee boxes and the green surrounds, walk-behind & surrounds ride-on mowers (3 reels) are used. For fairways – cylinder fairway mowers (usually 5 reels), some courses still use tractor gang mowers. The greens use cylinder mowers, both walk behind & triplex ride-on mowers. Rough areas will usually use a rotary mower.

When getting that golf quality turf at home, we recommend either mowing with a cylinder mower. With a cylinder mower, you will get a much cleaner cut as it won’t tear the grass like a rotary mower. With any mower, it is important to ensure your blades are sharp for the best cut possible.

Products used

Insecticides

When using insecticides, using a preventive product is a more economical option. In addition, as courses need their turf to look and perform great year-round, it is better to use a preventative option rather than treating if damage occurs, as it can disrupt play.

One preventative insecticide option available for the domestic market is Grub Guard Ultimate and Acelepryn.

Herbicides

Like insecticides, it is much better to prevent weeds before they appear. A pre-emergent herbicide designed for a home lawn is Oxafert. Oxafert will help prevent seasonal grass weeds like Winter Grass, Summer Grass, Crab Grass, Crowsfoot, and Creeping Oxalis.

Plant Growth Regulators (PGR)

PGRs are commonly used on commercial areas as they can reduce grass growth (reduced mowing requirements), increase root density, and increased durability, along with many other benefits. As mowing requirements can take up large portions of a green keeper’s time, using a PGR can help with this, especially throughout the growing season. A PGR that is available for the domestic market is Primo Maxx.

For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our other lawn care blogs here.

Different Ways to Utilise Lawn in a Good Garden Design

Posted on October 26, 2022October 17, 2023 by Sarah

With Charlie Albone

As a landscape designer I ask and discuss with my clients the preparation of a wish list of items they would like to see in their new garden. 99% of lists have a lawn in there for entertaining, children playing, sunbathing or simply because they like the look of it! Lawns are a great tool in creating the perfect garden design no matter the style of garden.

I love a lawn as a practical space, a space that you can see yourself using. I also like lawns for the breathing space it gives a garden. A lawn works well as a contrast to a more textured and layered garden bed like one of those films where the lead actor and support are equally as good as one another.

Often when people try to design their own garden, they try to fit too many things in at once and it feels cluttered. A great way to combat this is to start with your lawn and pick a spot in the garden that is the most suited to the variety you are growing. Often this the sunniest most free draining area of your property. From this, you can easily build the rest of your garden.

Incorperating shapes into your garden design

In a design, squares, rectangles and even circles are perfect shapes for a formal lawn, and they allow you to start your design with a structured element to work from. These shapes will set the tone for the whole garden and their simplicity works to draw you into the space. By having simple shapes when it comes to maintenance you get crisp edges and can even incorporate striping via a cylinder mower to take your garden to the next level.

If you prefer a freer flowing naturalistic design style turf is the perfect filler between your garden beds, bringing a breathing space, a moment of clam before the riot of planting in the surrounding beds. Curves in the lawn work well to direct the traffic around the garden, creating a soft pathway that should be walked barefoot to engage with the garden on all senses.

Lawns as soft pathways

Lawn turfs make a great cost effective and soft pathway around a garden, if they get sufficient light to perform well. I like to use a grass walkway around a garden and have the centre of the garden filled with perennials. This may seem counterintuitive however the perennials will stand taller and more upright with the extra sun they receive in the centre of the garden and the lawn makes a delightful boarder to walk around on to observe.

Lawn also makes the perfect surrounding to a swimming pool as it accentuates the flat surface of the water giving the effect of a larger space. Grass never gets too hot so its excellent to walk on barefoot and sunbath on. If designing a lawn around a pool, make sure you have a sufficiently dimensioned coping stone to stop clippings flying into the pool when you mow the grass.

Choosing the right turf variety for your area

When it comes to selecting the right variety of grass for your garden design it is important to carry the theme of the garden through to your selection. It’s the small details that will make the design a successful one. For a formal design, getting the right leaf texture is key so you want to use something fine like Sir Grange Zoysia as it has a luscious deep green and soft fine texture leaf so is perfect but if you are in a low water area TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda will be more successful in the long run so a better choice whilst maintaining the fine formal leaf look. To make a more relaxed garden or those that will experience heavy traffic such as a play lawn DNA Certified Sir Walter is a great choice, as would the TifTuf be too. For a tropical garden the wider leaf of the Sir Walter Buffalo will suit the bolder, more foliaged based planting scheme.

Spring Lawn Care Quiz

Posted on October 26, 2022November 3, 2022 by Sarah

The weather is finally starting to warm back up and your lawn is starting to grow at a faster rate. Take our spring lawn care quiz to test your knowledge of the do’s and don’ts this season.

Are you looking to get your lawn back in shape for the warmer months? By following some simple lawn care tips you will be able to get your grass back in shape. Not sure how, check out our spring lawn care blog here.

For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our lawn care blogs here.