Month: May 2024

Do you want to know the industry tips and tricks to help get the most out of your lawn? We catch up with turf guru Simon Adermann, a well-known turf industry insider from a greenkeeping background, to gain some insight into how we can better care for our lawns, plus tips on how to take your lawn to the next level.

What are the three most important aspects of caring for a lawn?

There are many aspects, but the three most important ones are – fertility, mowing, and regular watering.

1. Fertility – It is important to ensure that correct nutrition is provided to your turf. If you want to get specific with your fertiliser regime, soil tests are highly recommended and based on these results, a fertiliser program can be put in place. If you want a basic plan, I recommend fertiliser applications four times a year – September, December, March, and June. This can be done by a straight fertiliser-only application like Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser or with a combination product like Oxafert or Oxafert Plus. Oxafert and Oxafert Plus offer the fertiliser component as well as pre-emergent herbicide for weed prevention.

2. Mowing – It’s important during the active growing season to mow your lawn regularly. For most regions this might be twice per week and as the growth slows down you can back off to once a week and once per fortnight. If you don’t mow regularly, the lawn will tend to build up thatch, which can also lead to scalping. Ensure the mower has new and sharp blades will help you get a cleaner cut and will help avoid bruising to the leaf tip for best results.

3. Watering– Watering is an essential part of a healthy and even coloured lawn. The amount of water needed is based on your soil profile and weather conditions. Generally, a sandy profile will require more water than heavy/clay profile.

How can you get the best cut when mowing?

Another lawn tip to help you get the best cut possible, if you have time, cut your lawn twice in different directions during the growing season. This will give a better cut, remove extra excess leaf, and help to tighten your lawn surface, which can help prevent weed germination. Sharp mower blades are essential at all times. Again, this will help with a cleaner and better cut without damage or bruising to the leaf tip.

How can you keep a weed free lawn?

The healthier your lawn is and the tighter the surface is the less chance you have of getting a weed infestation. Other options are to apply pre-emergent herbicides like Oxafert and Oxafert Plus to prevent weeds from germinating. Pre-emergent herbicides are best applied at times prior to seasonal germination, usually around March and September. Or you can use selective contact herbicides to control weeds that have already germinated in your lawn.

If you are unsure of which weed you have growing in your lawn or are unsure of how to remove it, check out our Ultimate Weed Guide here for more information.

What 2 top lawncare products you would recommend for someone who is new to caring for a lawn?

If you are new to lawn care and want to improve your lawn and want a simple option – I would use Oxafert Plus in September, December, March & June. This covers fertiliser, pre-emergent herbicide, and insecticide prevention, all in one simple granular application. Then the only other product to use is a wetting agent like Lawn Soaker during the long hot summer months – applied monthly.

What are the pros and cons of using a cylinder mower?

The pros of using a cylinder mower are that they can turn an average lawn into a good lawn. They can obtain a cleaner cut, while also having the advantage of a roller attached to help create patterns and stripes.

The cons are that you need a yard that suits a cylinder mower. Areas with too many corner and small areas to turn around can be difficult to use a cylinder. Another con to using a cylinder is knowing how to keep the bed knife sharp and adjusting the cutting cylinder and ensuring the cylinder mower goes in for an annual service and sharpen.

Knowledge is power – understanding how to adjust the cutting cylinder and sharpen bed knife before you start using it. Also walk the yard first to ensure there are no stones, rocks and things that will damage the cutting cylinder and bed knife.

How can someone take their lawn to the next level?

In spring, I suggest scarifying your lawn. Then remove all the build-up of dead thatch, fertilise and allow to grow back. This will give new leaf and you can reset your cutting height. Again, perfect timing to allow even water movement into the soil profile, less suspectable to disease and with regular mowing and fertiliser your lawn will improve massively.

How should I maintain my home lawn?

Firstly, regular fertiliser applications and mowing are your number one priority. Then, manage timing to apply curative treatments for weed and insect seasons. I like the simple and effective approach. There is a saying, don’t kill your lawn with kindness…

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

Are you looking for better results with minimal effort when it comes to caring for your lawn? This blog looks at a few different lawn care hacks to help get the best out of your lawn.

Hack 1 – Get Green Grass Fast with ColourGuard Plus

Have you ever heard of lawn pigments? Sounds a bit crazy, right? They are the same idea as hair dye but for lawns! You can spray them onto your lawn, giving it a quick and easy green-up. As the lawn grows, the pigment will grow out and will be removed when mown. So, if you apply in winter your results will last longer as the grass will be slower in growth.

Lawn pigments like ColourGuard Plus are great to use if you are preparing for a party, house inspection, or if you are just wanting to help improve your curb appeal!

Hack 2 – Prevent Weeds with a Pre-Emergent

Pre-emergent herbicides like Oxafert and Oxafert Plus can help stop seasonal weeds, like Winter Grass, Summer Grass, Creeping Oxalis and Crabgrass before they even start to appear in your lawn! These styles of herbicides are especially great for use if you have previously or are facing these seasonal weeds types growing in your lawn.

Oxafert works by targeting weed seedlings during germination before they start to appear in your lawn. So, getting your applications down just before they are set to germinate will provide you with effective control.

For targeting winter weeds like Winter Grass, it is best to apply your application around mid- to late Autumn or when the temperatures are set to start to cool in your region. To prevent summer weeds like Summer Grass, apply just before temperatures warm back up in your region. Usually around mid-spring for most regions.

Hack 3 – Prevent Armyworm and Lawn Grub with Grub Guard Ultimate

Has your lawn, or a friend or neighbour’s lawn ever been attacked by lawn grub or armyworm? If so, then you will know that they can cause lots of damage to the lawn almost overnight. So why not get the upper hand and prevent before they become an issue.

To help prevent damage causing Lawn Grub and Armyworm, we recommend using Acelepryn powered Grub Guard Ultimate. With just one application, you can protect your lawn for up to 6 months, so 2 applications a year will provide your lawn with seasonal protection!

Hack 4 – Use Your Whipper Snipper at Full Speed For Best Results

When using a whipper snipper to edge your lawn, it will work its best when at full speed. So, keeping your trimmer line away from the edge and working your way in, is key to maintaining speed. Avoid starting the line trimmer already in the grass you’re cutting for the quickest, cleanest cuts. It’s the tip of the line that is cutting, so keeping most of the line clear will result in a cleaner cut.

The best edges are ones that are kept on top of and not allowed to get out of control. So, the more you do it, the more likely your edges will stay uniform, the easier they will be to tidy up, and the better you will get at it.

Hack 5 – Weeding Your Lawn with a Weed Wand

Weed wands are handy to use when treating weeds, especially if you are only wanting to treat a small amount. Weed wands are a stick that disperses herbicides to a small, selected area of your lawn. These sticks are usually around 1 metre tall, eliminating the need for you to bend or kneel to treat weeds.

Weed wands are used to precisely apply herbicides. They are mostly used in situations where there are no herbicides that will selectively treat the weed or grass without harming your lawn, like invasive grasses and hard-to-remove weeds like onion weed. Non-selective herbicides like roundup are poured into the wand and is dispersed by an applicator on the end of the wand.

Hack 6 – Use the Long Weekends as a Guide on When to Apply Granular Fertilisers to Your Lawn

Generally, your lawn will only need 2-3 applications of a granular fertiliser per year to provide your lawn with the nutrients it needs to thrive. If you are unsure of when to apply a fertiliser to your lawn, we recommend using the long weekends as a guide. The October long weekend, Australia Day, and the Easter long weekend.

For granular fertilisers, we recommend using our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser.

Hack 7 – Use Plant Growth Regulators to Reduce Mowing

Plant growth regulators, otherwise known as PGR’s, are great products to use throughout the warmer months to help reduce the number of times you need to mow. They work by slowing down the vertical growth of the grass. The lateral and below-ground growth of rhizomes, stolons and roots are stimulated.

PGRs like Primo Maxx are best to only be used throughout the warmer months when your lawn is actively growing. They shouldn’t be used in late Autumn, Winter and early Spring.

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

As a lover of gardens, picking the right plants for a space is one of my favourite things to do. When you get it right and you can watch a plant mature into the space, filling it perfectly adding character and layers to your garden. Get it wrong and you only add to the compost pile! I’ve been lucky enough to be picking plants for over 25 years and here are a few of the tips I use to help me get it right.

Picking Your New Plants

First up, you need to study where your new plant baby is going to go. This will stop you from buying things you like the look of but won’t grow in the spot you want them to grow in. Work out how much sun the spot gets, if it’s full sun, semi-shade or full shade. Then dig a hole and pour a big bucket of water into it and see how quickly it drains away, this will tell you a lot about your soil and how it drains.

When you’re at the nursery don’t be scared to ask for advice, plant people love to share their knowledge and now you know your sun requirements and how the soil drains you stand a good chance of getting the right plant for your spot.

Finding the Right Place for Your New Plants

The leaf of a plant will tell you so much about it, as a rule of thumb small leaves can take lots of sun and large leaves need more shade. If they are hairy, silver, or succulent, chances are they like baking in hot sun too.

Research the plant and find its mature height so you can plan your planting scheme, these are often given in perfect growing conditions in a natural habitat, so for your personal garden you can plan for it to get to 75 per cent of this height. If you are adding plants to an existing scheme, buy them at large as your budget will allow, as the existing plants will compete and can out-shade your new plants before they are established.

Planting in New Garden Beds

If you are planting a new garden bed buy slow growing plants as larger specimens and fast growers in smaller sizes. This will make your dollar go further and fast-growing plants establish quicker when planted in smaller sizes – as long as the soil preparation is done correctly.

Improving Your Soil

Improve your soil with compost, known as black gold, it helps to bind sandy soil together and break up clay by bringing in worms. (Heavy clay can also do with a handful of gypsum to improve the structure). If you are planting into full sand, it’s a good idea to treat the soil for hydrophobia, this is where the soil cannot absorb water and adding compost will only exacerbate the issue if used by itself.

Planting Your Garden

When planting, soak your plant in its pot in a large bucket of water before placing it into the hole to ensure it’s completely hydrated; leave it in there until all the air bubbles have stopped to maximise hydration. You can add some seaweed tonic or some half-strength liquid fertiliser if you want to help settle it in quicker. Remember, your plant is used to living like a king at the nursery, so keep this up and establish it with plenty of water, as this will ensure good root growth.

Choosing the Right Lawn Type

All these points stand true for your lawns too, you need to make sure your future variety can handle the amount of sun you have and the drainage. Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo has a large leaf so can handle more shade than a finer leaf couch such as TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. If you are unsure your local Lawn Solutions Australia member will be more than happy to advise on the best turf for your aspect and soil type.

Soil for New Turf

Most turf varieties like good drainage but adding some compost to sand will be of benefit to help in nutrient and water holding capacity of the soil. For heavy clay consider raising your soil with a new layer of sandy mix, but it’s important to combine a layer of the clay and sand before this top layer otherwise you can create a perched water table where the water doesn’t drain through and not many plants will tolerate that!

Establishment is key to the ongoing success of your lawns too, try to stay off them until roots have bedded in and water appropriately for your weather conditions and time of year.

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