February 2023

Why Does My Lawn Have Brown Patches?

Posted on February 24, 2023November 15, 2024 by Sarah

Does your lawn have brown patches? Unsure what is causing them or uncertain of the best way to help it recover? In this blog, we look at common causes of brown patches in lawns and look at the best ways to help get your lawn back in shape.

Lawn Grubs in Lawns

If you have noticed that your lawn has quickly developed brown patches that are spreading, a possible cause is lawn grubs. If you are unsure if your lawn does have grubs, we recommend doing a quick grub test. To do this, use a few drops of dishwashing liquid into a bucket and fill with water. Then pour this over the edge of an affected area.

Watch the area for around 10 minutes or so and see if any grubs rise to the surface. This is best done at dawn or dusk when they are more likely to be active.

If any grubs or caterpillars do rise to the surface we recommend using a quick knockdown product like Battle Insecticide or Baythroid Advanced for Lawns to remove what is there. To help prevent another grub attack from occurring, we recommend using a preventative insecticide, like Grub Guard Ultimate. Grub Guard Ultimate will help prevent another grub attack from occurring to the lawn up to 6 months.

How to Stop Fungal Diseases in Lawns

Are your lawns brown patches caused by disease? Often if you remove the conditions that cause lawn diseases, it will go away on its own. Some tell-tale signs that your lawn has a fungal disease are discolouration, brown and yellow patches, mushrooms and other fungal growth.

Some factors that can cause disease include soil compaction, shade, over watering, over fertilising, poor mowing habits, and weather conditions (particularly temperature and humidity).

If you have noticed a fungal disease in your lawn, try removing the cause of the disease. This can include:

Aerating your lawn to alleviate soil compaction and assist in draining away excess water.
Increase sunlight to the area where possible by pruning back any surrounding trees and shrubs.
Avoid over-watering your lawn. If you do need to water your lawn, water in the morning before the heat of the day to avoid evaporation. We also recommend avoiding watering in the afternoon/dusk to help prevent the lawn sitting damp overnight.
Mow your lawn regularly at the same height. We recommend mowing regularly enough so that only one-third is removed with each pass.

If this doesn’t assist you may need to look at using a fungicide.

How to Stop Urine Burn

Does your dog’s urine cause burn marks on your lawn? As your dog’s urine can contain a high concentrate of nitrogen, our lawns can become burnt and die off.

Here are a few indicators that your lawns brown patches are from urine burn:

Patches stay isolated to the affected area and don’t spread.
The patches can sometimes be greener around the outside of the burn.
Patches occur in an area where your pets usually go to wee.

There are a few different methods you and your pets can try to help stop these patches from occurring. Check out our blog for more information here.

Brown Patches from Scalping Your Lawn

If your lawns brown patches only start to show after mowing, you have likely scalped your lawn. Scalping occurs when a lawn is mown too short. When too much of the leaf is removed, it will cause the grass to look brown in patches.

If your lawn has uneven levels or has gone too long in between mows, scalping can occur. If your lawn has uneven levels, you may need to look at top dressing to amend. Please have a look at our blog for more information here.

Dry Spots in Lawns

If your lawn does have dry patches, the best solution is to give your lawn a good aerate with a garden fork or aerator to help decompact and loosen the soil profile. We then recommend applying a wetting agent, like our Lawn Soaker to the whole lawn. This will help the soil better absorb water making it available for your grass to use. After applying a wetting agent, water the area heavily every morning until you see signs of recovery. Once your lawn shows signs of recovery, apply a fertiliser to help give the lawn a boost. A fertiliser like our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser is ideal.

For more information on dry spots in lawns, check out our blog here.

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

3 Golden Rules for a Better Lawn

Posted on February 24, 2023November 15, 2024 by Sarah

If you are wanting the most effective but simple ways to help keep your lawn looking great, then you have come to the right place. In this blog, we share three simple tips to help you get the most out of your lawn.

So, let’s get into it.

Mowing Regularly

Ensuring you are mowing your lawn regularly will bring many benefits to your lawn, including making each time you mow an easier task!

Mowing regularly will help improve the health of your lawn. When too much of the grasses leaf is removed at one time, the grass will go under stress as it needs to replace the nutrients lost when mown. In addition, when your grass is mown irregularly, it will become more susceptible to weeds compared to a healthy turf that is mown regularly. Another benefit is that it will help stop you from scalping, which can affect the appearance of your turf.

From this, you may be wondering, how frequently do I need to mow? The answer to this question will depend on how fast your lawn is growing. When mowing, we recommend only removing one-third of the leaf blade with each pass. So, if you are in a warmer climate like Queensland, you will need to mow more frequently than someone on a cooler climate like Victoria. The time of year will also be another factor in how often you will need to mow. In summer, the grass will grow faster and slower in winter.

Fertilising Your Lawn

Fertilisers contain a mix of nutrients that your grass needs to stay healthy and perform well. Our soil can contain some of these nutrients, however sometimes our soils can be poor or not contain all the nutrients that your lawn needs. This is where a fertiliser can come in handy.

Fertilisers will usually contain a ratio of NPK.

N – Nitrogen

P – Phosphorus

K – Potassium

These nutrients are the 3 main nutrients that a lawn fertiliser will contain, as well as other trace elements. These trace elements can include Calcium, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, and Fulvic Acid just to name a few.

By applying a granular fertiliser 2-3 times a year, or a liquid fertiliser at regular intervals throughout the year, your lawn will have all the nutrients it needs to perform to a high standard.

When it comes to using a granular fertiliser, we recommend using our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser.

When looking at liquid fertilisers, we recommend Exceed Liquid Fertiliser.

Watering Your Lawn

Water is another essential component of your grasses health. Your lawn will absorb water through its roots, and then it is transported throughout the plant. Water is also required for your lawn to photosynthesise, which is an essential function.

So, how much water should you be providing your turf?

For a well-established, healthy turf, the answer is when your grass needs it. You can tell your lawn needs water by the following factors.

Leaf wilting or losing colour
If a footprint is left behind on the turf after walking on it
If the grass looks dry and crusty during hot weather.

When you are trying to repair areas of your lawn, increasing watering’s will help the area thicken out and recover.

When you are watering your lawn, we have a few tips to ensure you will use your water more effectively, plus see the most benefit for your grass.

Water less frequently for longer. By watering this way, you will help ensure the water is reaching the roots of your lawn. This will encourage your lawn to grow its roots deeply into the soil.
Water in the mornings. It is best to water in the mornings before the heat of the day to avoid evaporation. It is best to avoid watering in the afternoon/night as your lawn will sit damp for longer, which can lead to fungal diseases.
Use a sprinkler that covers your area evenly.

Hopefully with these tips, you will be well on your way to achieving a better lawn! For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.

5 Million Metres of TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda

Posted on February 7, 2023November 15, 2024 by Nathan Edwards

Did you know there are over 5,000,000 square metres of TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda now proudly displayed in thousands of Australian homes?

This is a truly incredible milestone for a turf variety that has only been available for just over 3 years now in Australia.

To put this into perspective, if you laid this much TifTuf turf in a line it would be able to go from Brisbane, to Sydney, then to Canberra before heading across to Adelaide and then all the way across to Perth. That is one hell of a road trip!

The Birth of TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda

TifTuf was created at the University of Georgia in their world-famous turf breeding program based in Tifton, Georgia. TifTuf was hand-selected out of almost 30,000 other hybrid grasses and was assessed over a 25-year period before being released.

Further testing was then undertaken in Australia where TifTuf also outperformed all other available couch grasses in trials conducted over several years. With this success, TifTuf was released to the Australian market exclusively through the Lawn Solutions Australia national network of turf suppliers.

Since this release, TifTuf has continued to grow and grow in popularity. It’s incredibly drought-tolerant, and hard-wearing and makes for a highly attractive lawn for a range of climates. These superior traits have led to the grass being referred to as the ‘Alpha Grass.’

It’s so drought tolerant that it’s the only grass to be awarded the Smart Approved Watermark for water efficiency. So, it’s a ‘Smart Grass’ too!

The Importance of turf certification through AusGAP when it comes to new and improved varieties like TifTuf

When new grasses like TifTuf are released, it is so important that the genetic makeup of the grass is maintained. This ensures that the grass stays true to type and maintains the superior characteristics that make it so amazing. This is why the Australian Genetic Assurance Program for Turfgrass, known as AusGAP, is so important. TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is AusGAP Certified, which means all suppliers must adhere to the strictest of production standards and are regularly audited to ensure their grass maintains its genetic purity. TifTuf is the only hybrid couch grass in Australia to be AusGAP Certified. Just another significant reason why TifTuf stands above all other grasses in its category.

TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is still a new variety in the Australian turf world and to achieve so much success in such a short amount of time is unparalleled. We can’t wait to see what TifTuf will do in the coming years.

To celebrate this milestone, Lawn Solutions Australia has brought together three of the most respected lawn-loving, landscaping gurus that Australian television has produced for a new TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda Commercial. The new ad features current brand ambassadors Jason Hodges and Charlie Albone, plus former ambassador for Sir Walter (another hugely successful LSA turf variety), Nigel Ruck. You can check it out on the Lawn Solutions Australia YouTube Channel here.

For more information on this special collaboration or TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, please get in touch with Lawn Solutions Australia.