December 2024

What’s Wrong with My Lawn? Common Lawn Care Problems and What They Look Like

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Sarah

Does your lawn not look its best, but not sure what’s causing it or how to get it back on track? In this blog, we take a look at how to diagnose common lawn problems and how to help get your lawn in full health.

What Does Lawn Grub Damage Look Like?

Does your lawn have brown, dry damage that quickly spreads across your lawn? Lawn grubs and armyworms will eat away at the stem or grass roots, causing a distinguishable line of damage. Another common sign that your lawn may face grub or armyworm damage is increased black beetle or moth activity on or around the lawn. If you are concerned about grubs in your lawn, we recommend doing a grub test.

To do a grub test, mix up a bucket of water and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Then, pour this over the edge of the green grass and where the damage is. If there are grubs, they will rise up to the surface to breathe. This test is best done at dawn or dusk when the grubs are most likely to be active.

If you do find that there are grubs present, we recommend using a fast acting insecticide like Battle to get a quick knockdown of the damage-causing pests. Following this, we also recommend using a grub prevention product like our Grub Guard Ultimate.

For more information on how to help stop and prevent lawn grubs, please check out our blog here.

damage from lawn grub — Lawn Grub Damage

What Does Urine Burn Look Like?

Another common issue individuals may face with their lawn is urine burn. As dog’s urine can contain a concentrated amount of nitrogen, this can cause some burning and die-off on our lawns. When urine burns occur, the damage will be isolated to a small area and the patch will not spread like grub damage will.

There are a few methods you can try to help stop and reduce the impact of urine burns on your lawn. Please check out our blog for more information here.

What Does a Scalped Lawn Look Like?

Does your lawn get dry-looking patches after mowing, or does mowing your lawn remove all its green leaves? If the answer is yes, you might be scalping your lawn. Scalping can occur if:

– The lawn has grown too long in between mows.

– If the lawn levels are uneven.

– If there is an accumulation of thatch within the turf profile.

So, how can you stop scalping from occurring?

If your scalping is occurring from your lawn growing too long in between mows or if there is an accumulation of thatch, you will need to reset the height of your lawn. To do this, drop your mower height a few notches lower than your preferred mowing height – if there is an accumulation of thatch, you may need to go lower than this. Please note, when doing this to buffalo grass, you will need to ensure the above-ground runners are still present. After this, the lawn won’t look its best, but this will allow the new green leaf to grow back in at a lower height, so it’s not all removed when mowing. On your next mow, raise your mower back up to its normal mowing height and continue to mow regularly.

*Please note, it is best to only do this throughout the warmer months while your lawn is actively growing and should be avoided in winter.

If scalping has occurred due to uneven levels in your lawn, we recommend top dressing with washed or screened sand. For more information on how to top-dress your lawn, please check out our blog here.

What Does a Compacted Lawn Look Like?

Compacted soils will usually occur if there are high amounts of traffic on a lawn, or if there is a high amount of clay in the soil profile. Some tell-tale signs that you may have a compacted lawn include water pooling at the surface, thinning of grass, shallow roots and slow growth.

An easy way to tell if your lawn is compacted is to test and see if a screwdriver can easily be inserted into the soil. If the soil is compacted this will be difficult to do.

For aerating your lawn, we recommend using either a sturdy garden fork or a core aerator. To aerate, simply drive the fork into the profile and give it a good wiggle to help decompact the soil base. Following this, repeat this process across the lawn around 10cm apart. Alternatively, if you have a larger area to cover, you may want to hire a motorised aerator to help make this a quicker and easier task.

For more information on how to aerate your lawn, check out our blog here.

Compacted lawn — Lawn Suffering from Compaction

For more lawn care tips and advice make sure you check out our YouTube Channel or our other Lawn Care Blogs.

Prevent Fertiliser and Herbicide Burns this Summer

Posted on December 19, 2024 by Sarah

Did you know that when fertilisers and herbicides are applied incorrectly to your lawn, they can cause more harm than good? So, how should you apply these products to your lawn and what precautions do you need to take? Let’s take a look…

Why Should I Read the Product Label?

First things first, ensuring you follow the label instructions is paramount. Read through the whole label, including the critical comments, application rates, and restraint sections. These sections will outline how to ensure the product works to its full potential and maximise results.

What is the Best Time of Day to Apply Fertilisers and Herbicides?

The best time of day to apply products to your lawn is either in the morning or afternoon. Avoid applying products in the middle of the day when the sun is at its hottest. When products are applied when the sun is at its hottest, you are more likely to experience some burning to the leaf.

How to Evenly Apply Granular Products

When applying granular products, it is best to spread the product evenly over your area size. This can be achieved by using a fertiliser spreader or with a sweeping hand motion. Fertiliser spreaders work by having a small adjustable opening or valve. The fertiliser travels down to a spinning mechanism, then evenly disperses the granule.

Ensure the Product is Safe for Your Lawn Type

One of the most common lawn care mistakes we see is people applying products that are not safe for their lawn type. When products that are not compatible with your lawn type are applied, it can cause more harm than good!

If you are unsure of what type of grass your lawn is, check out our identification video here. If you need further assistance, please feel free to reach out to our team, and we will be happy to help.

Precautions For Applying Hose on Products

When applying hose-on products, you will need to be careful to not over or under-apply products to your lawn. Before you start spraying, take note of the application rate and its coverage. If your lawn size only requires one-fourth of the bottle, ensure that you apply it accordingly.

Another precaution to take when applying hose on products is to spray over your area evenly. When spraying, be mindful not just to spray over your problem areas but to spray over your whole intended area evenly.

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

Lawn Solutions Australia Announces Newly Developed Buffalo Turf Variety

Posted on December 16, 2024February 4, 2025 by Nathan Edwards

Buffalo Grass Research and Development

Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA) is strongly committed to the development of superior varieties of turf for the Australian landscape. Our Research and Development program now includes over 30,000 different cultivars of turf that we are constantly evaluating in the hope of finding a new variety that has a list of benefits for Australian consumers.

Together with our international turf breeding partners, we monitor new varieties for environmental benefits, water use, shade tolerance, drought tolerance, growing speeds and other aesthetic, environmental and practical factors. We continue to work closely with our exclusive international breeding partners The University of Georgia, BladeRunner Farms and Texas A&M University to make all this possible.

LSA has been working with Dr Ambika Chandra from Texas A&M University on a new buffalo for the Australian market for many years. New turf varieties are not shelf-stock items and take many years of research, data collection, morphological testing and comparable trials in the US and Australia before, and if, they are released to the market.

Important criteria for a new buffalo turf variety included winter colour, shade tolerance, improved drought tolerance and temperature variation from -7 to 45 degrees. These factors are all considered when assessing and observing whether a new cultivar is going to exceed what is currently already available to the Australian market. In most cases however, they fail to deliver significant results and are removed from further testing.

Buffalo Grass Import

On Monday the 23rd of May 2022, 18 buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) cultivars arrived in Australia. It took a lengthy 12-month process of initial discussions, protocols, sourcing permits and planning before the cultivars could make their journey, but the precious cargo finally landed in good health.

These cultivars bred out of the world’s leading Texas A&M University Turfgrass Program are the best of the best in newly developed buffalo grasses. This was an incredible milestone achievement for LSA which is exclusively partnered with the world’s best to bring these new grasses to Australia.

These outstanding grasses were then assessed in Post Entry Quarantine in Melbourne for the next 12 months. Once cleared, these buffalo grass cultivars were given to LSA for evaluation trials. This has been a massive investment for LSA and one that aimed to secure the pipeline for the ‘next big thing’ in buffalo grasses for Australia’s future.

These grasses have been assessed throughout Australia in various climates and conditions over the last two and a half years. Data was recorded throughout these trials, with current buffalo grasses in the market also included for comparison.

During trials and assessments, the buffalo grasses were narrowed, with factors like density, harvestability, colour, disease susceptibility and seedhead production used to find the best performers.

While cultivar performance varied across different sites, one consistently outperformed the rest, excelling in all key areas. It proved to be the best-performing cultivar during winter in some very cold and harsh environments, which is a crucial factor for many turf producers. Remarkably, this same cultivar remained unaffected by disease during the humid summer, whereas most other buffalo cultivars were impacted. Additionally, it boasted an impressive appearance and excellent harvest quality.

After 6 years of trials both here and in the US, LSA is pleased to announce we have selected a new buffalo grass for release to the Australian market – Introducing Stampede Hybrid Buffalo.

Stampede Hybrid Buffalo is an interploid hybrid St. Augustinegrass (buffalograss; Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze). It was developed using embryo rescue technology through controlled pairwise crossing between a polyploid buffalograss (chromosome number: 2n = 2x = 30) and a diploid buffalograss (chromosome number: 2n = 2x = 18).

The next step in releasing this new grass to the market has involved stock expansion. When a new variety enters Australia through quarantine, we receive only a few runners of plant material to expand from for testing.

Mowing stampede hybrid buffalo grass — Freshly cut Stampede Hybrid Buffalo Grass

This year, LSA has set up propagation facilities for planting stock to be available to LSA foundation farms to expand and make the grass available for each member for planting. All the grass material supplied to LSA Members throughout this process has been expanded from these few pieces of trial stock that came through quarantine in 2022.

LSA engaged the services of the Australian Genetic Assurance Program (AusGAP) to monitor and enact protocols to ensure the purity of this selected variety every step of the way. As you can imagine, the process of creating a supply of a new variety of grass is slow and tedious, but it is pertinent to ensure the purity of the grass so that it performs as it has throughout trials.

Supply of this exciting new buffalo grass is anticipated to be achieved for release to consumers in many areas throughout Australia in 2026.

Turf Talk – December 2024

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Nathan Edwards

Turf Talk Digital

Turf Talk is suitable for all turf professionals, from turf growers to landscapers, golf courses and sports ground curators, to government and related industry organisations.

Turf Talk is here to share with you the latest information on the turf industry, the exciting developments in turf research and to keep you up to date with everything you need to know about turf.

Some topics in this issue include:

The Renovation of Lords Iconic Nursery Grounds
A New Golf Frontier on the Southern Ocean
Revitalising Rural Town Centres: Lameroo Project
Newly developed Buffalo grass variety incoming
ASTMA Conference 2024
Crafting Zoysia on the Florida ‘Sandbelt’

Click here to download a pdf copy.

For any enquiries, submissions or to subscribe to either our digital edition or mailing list to receive a hard copy, please contact us at the following:

Phone – 1300 883 711

Email – news@turftalk.org.au

How to Mark Up Your Lawn for Sports

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Sarah

Are you gearing up for backyard cricket matches or soccer games on your lawn this summer? In this blog, we’ll cover everything you need to know about marking up your lawn and getting it game-ready!

How Do You Create a Backyard Cricket Pitch?

Summer is the ideal season to create a cricket pitch, as your lawn is actively growing and can repair itself quickly if any damage occurs. Start by selecting an area—ideally, a flat space. Consider the best direction for the pitch, ensuring it’s positioned away from glass windows or parked cars for safety.

Mowing in your Cricket Pitch

The next step is mowing in your pitch. The ideal grass type for cricket pitches will be couch grass like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda so that it can be mown low. Other grasses like kikuyu and zoysia lawns are also good options.

Before you start, work out roughly where your pitch will start and finish and mark it with a stake or marker to use as a guide when mowing. To mow in your cricket pitch, lower your mowers height, ensuring you are getting a low cut and keep your mowers catcher on. Please note, it is important to ensure there is still some of the grass there to avoid a sticky wicket.

Rolling your Pitch

If you happen to have a roller on hand or a heavy cylinder mower with a roller attachment, go over the area. This will help compact the area further for a better bounce.

How to Paint a Cricket Crease

To mark your crease, we recommend using some marking paint (or landscaper chalk) and mark both ends. This paint won’t kill the grass and will wash off with water, so it may need a refresh if there is rainfall.

Ideally, you want the crease to be as long as your bat plus its handle. When marking the line, use either a plank of wood or a broom handle to help keep your line straight.

After this, set up your stumps and you will be good to go!

Aftercare for Your Pitch

If there are periods of hot and dry weather, ensure you keep the water up to the lawn after you call time. It is also ideal to give the soil a quick aerate with a garden fork to help decompact the soil base after it has had plenty of wear!

How to Create a Backyard Soccer Field

The first step is to evaluate how much space you have for your field. If you have a smaller area, you should be able to accommodate a goal mouth, or a medium-sized lawn should be able to fit a half-field layout.

It is also best to ensure your lawn is lush and healthy before setting up your field. If your lawn needs a quick pick up, we recommend applying a liquid fertiliser, like our Exceed Liquid Fertiliser for an instant boost. This is available on our online store, local retailers and Bunnings stores.

Marking Out Your Soccer Field

To mark out the main field dimensions, drop the height on your mower by a notch or two and mow in the perimeter of your allocated field, or alternatively spray the boundary with some marking paint.

For the more intricate boundary lines like the goal area, penalty area and penalty arc, we recommend using a marking paint for best results.

The final step is to add in your goal, and you will be ready for kick-off!

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

The Most Underrated Lawn Care Product

Posted on December 4, 2024December 4, 2024 by Sarah

When it comes to achieving a lush, well-maintained lawn, Plant Growth Regulators, also known as PGRs like Primo Maxx might just be the best-kept secret. Plant growth regulators work behind the scenes to help your lawn grow thicker instead of taller. This ultimately helps cut mowing requirements in half while improving the overall appearance of your lawn.

Who Should Use a PGR?

PGR’s like Primo Maxx are a great product for anyone who wants to reduce the amount of mowing needed throughout the warmer months or anyone who is looking to take their lawn to the next level. With just one application, you will effectively hold back the vertical growth of your lawn for your lawn for around 3-4 weeks in periods when you may normally need to be mowing your lawn a few times a week to keep up with growth.

This makes it an ideal product to use if you are about to go on holiday and won’t be able to mow for a few weeks, are a FIFO worker or are just not a fan of mowing!

What are the benefits of using Primo Maxx?

Primo Maxx has many benefits including:

Reduce grass growth: reduce mowing.
Less bare patches: improved aesthetic.
Greener grass.
The best-looking edges with less work.
Reduction in grass seed heads.
Reduces your lawns water requirements.

With so many benefits and a reduction in maintenance when growth is at its peak, it is a fantastic product to use.

How Does Primo Maxx Work?

Primo Maxx will encourage the grass to grow thicker rather than taller. Lateral stems of the grass become fuller, and the lawn will improve in colour. It works by slowing down the gibberellic acid, a plant hormone that promotes cell elongation. Vertical growth is slowed while the lateral and below ground rhizomes, stolons and roots are stimulated.

When Should I Use a PGR?

As PGR’s like Primo Maxx slow the growth of your lawn down, it is best to only use them throughout the warmer months when growth is fastest. It is also recommended that you use them only when your lawn is healthy and not under stress. If your lawn is under stress on application, it will slow down the repair, which is not ideal.

How Do I Apply Primo Maxx?

When applying PGR, it is best to first calibrate your sprayer. Calibrating your sprayer will help you work out how much of the product your sprayer will disperse per m2. This is especially important when using highly concentrated products like Primo Maxx.

To calibrate your sprayer, measure out 10m2 on a hard concrete surface like a driveway. Then, place some markers so that you know where your designated 10m2 is. Then, fill up your sprayer with water. Before spraying your area, get a timer out. Then time how long it takes you to spray your area size. When finished, press stop and note of how long it took you to spray the area.

Next, you will need to use a measuring jug. Spray water into the measuring jug for however long it took you to spray the 10m2. (e.g. If it took you 40 seconds to spray your area, measure how much water your sprayer uses in 40 seconds.) Now we will know how much water is required to spray 10m2. We can then times this volume by 10 to find out how much water is required to spray 100m2.

What are the Application Rates for Primo Maxx?

Following the calibration of your sprayer, use the correct amount of Primo Maxx needed for your area. For Buffalo, Common Couch and Hybrid Couch add 10 to 40mL of Primo Maxx per 100m2. For Kikuyu add 20 to 80mL of Primo Maxx per 100m2.

*When applying Primo Maxx for the first time, we do recommend sticking to the lower application rate for your grass type.

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