Boongaree Nature Play Park in Berry has been given a major upgrade with the installation of Sir Grange Zoysia natural turf by local turf provider Turfco around the recently built pump track. The project was initiated after Turfco organised a council farm visit, where Shoalhaven Council Co-Ordinator of Parks and Ovals, Richard McGuinness, learned about Sir Grange Zoysia. The turf is a low-maintenance, environmentally sustainable natural turf surface that is perfect for difficult or expensive areas to maintain.
Kikuyu was initially installed around the pump track in December 2022, but it quickly became apparent that it would be hazardous to mow and some of the banks were too steep even for a whipper snipper. Kikuyu also grows quickly, requiring frequent and expensive maintenance. Richard discussed Sir Grange with his colleagues, and Turfco was subsequently consulted in regard to making arrangements for the installation of the new turf.
The cost of the turf was about 1/30th the cost of soft fall, which would have been an alternative option. A black pump track would have become very hot in the summer, but the natural grass surround provided by Sir Grange will help to keep users cooler. Sir Grange also provides a safe and soft landing zone if users were to ride off the side of the pump track.
Sir Grange Zoysia looks fantastic unmown and will save the council money and time in maintenance and upkeep. It requires zero fertiliser and will only need to be whipper snipped around the edges from time to time if required. Turf is also a great stabiliser and natural coolant, making it the perfect choice for a pump track where safety is paramount.
Once the go-ahead was given, Turfco removed 1,000m2 of the existing failed Kikuyu with an excavator with a tilt bucket, ensuring that existing gradients were left intact. Refuse was removed from the site, and 38 tonnes of free-draining turf underlay were brought in to assist new turf growth. A total of 1,275m2 of Sir Grange Zoysia was supplied and installed, with the turf being pegged down on the embankment for stabilisation on steep sections.
Installation took place over several days. The Sir Grange started to establish within just three weeks of being installed, and the main aim for the council is to reduce the high maintenance required by Kikuyu by switching to Sir Grange, which will be left almost totally unmown.
The Boongaree Nature Play Park pump track is now safer and more attractive thanks to the installation of Sir Grange Zoysia natural turf. The turf provides a low-maintenance, environmentally sustainable solution that is perfect for this application. With Sir Grange in place, council workers will be able to spend less time on maintenance and more time ensuring that the pump track is safe and enjoyable for the community.
When record flood waters inundated large parts of Victoria and southern NSW in late 2022, the focus in the immediate aftermath was on the thousands of homes, properties and businesses which were destroyed, and the mammoth task of rebuilding.
And rightly so. These floods were like nothing before seen in history – whole townships were underwater, homes were unliveable, families were displaced, businesses were closed indefinitely, and the recovery seemed insurmountable.
But as the months have passed, and communities continue to rebuild, our attention is slowly turning to other less obvious casualties of the natural disaster, such as our iconic public open space areas, sporting fields, and caravan parks.
How were they impacted, how have they recovered, and what lessons can we learn?
Coolabah Turf, located at Echuca, near some of the hardest hit communities, recently set out to seek some answers, investigating the impacts of floodwater on turf varieties in holiday parks, sporting ovals and open green spaces.
And what they found may go some way towards shaping how we attempt to flood-proof these spaces in the future.
Coolabah Turf Farm Manager David Geltch described the 2022 floods as an extreme event, and one which they expected would annihilate all turf varieties, given the extended periods of time in which they were submerged in deep flood water.
However, Mr Geltch said the surprising outcome was that some Lawn Solutions Australia turf varieties withstood up to six weeks underwater, and miraculously, recovered.
Echuca Case Studies
Campaspe Shire Council Turf Specialist, Ben Lloyd said he was impressed with and blown away by the resilience of TifTuf and its rate of recovery in two separate public space areas in Echuca which were submerged by flood waters for more than six weeks.
‘’We were absolutely amazed at how the TifTuf bounced back in the Echuca Kiosk/Riverboat Dock and Victoria Park Boat Ramp areas after the flood waters eventually subsided,’’ he said.
“Our parks team expected the turf to be totally obliterated given the length of time it was oxygen deprived and without sunlight, and we fully expected to have had to replace the surface.
“But within weeks of flood waters subsiding, we could see a tinge of green popping its head up through the film of silt that post-flood had covered the entire area.”
Mr Lloyd said his team’s resources were extremely stretched post-flood and they did not perform any sort of maintenance on the affected areas at the Echuca Kiosk/Riverboat Dock and Victoria Park Boat Ramp to assist in the turf’s recovery.
“The areas which have fully recovered are in a full sun environment, and the few areas which are still recovering are slower because of shade cast from the bridge structure, but we are confident it is happening,” he said.
An additional factor, not previously experienced in Mr Lloyd’s 13-plus years in the role at the council, was the destructive emergence of mites causing visible damage to the recovering turf area.
He said he had applied fortnightly applications of Thumper to treat the mites over a 12-week period.
“The softer stolen was definitely an invitation for the mites to burrow in and attack new growth,” he said.
“The flood waters and poor drainage in the area provided a prime swampy and moist environment for them to thrive.’’
Moama Case Studies
In Echuca’s twin town, Moama, on the NSW side of the Murray River, the community’s two most iconic public open space assets were heavily impacted by floodwater that took weeks to peak and then lingered for many months.
At Moama Beach, on the banks of the Murray, the turf (Eureka Premium VG Kikuyu) was underwater from the end of August until the beginning of December, with water levels reaching approximately 9m in depth. The damage to trees, infrastructure and amenities was significant, and the area sustained full turf loss, requiring complete replacement.
At Kerrabee Soundshell, Moama’s main public reserve for festivals, events and markets, almost half of the green space was underwater from October until early December, reaching a depth of approximately 1.5m. Assets and amenities were flooded with contaminated water and the turf (kikuyu) and landscape loss were significant.
Of the inundated area (approx. 1000m2), 90% of turf was lost, and there was only partial recovery of the remaining 10%, three to four weeks after the water receded.
Murray River Council, Manager Parks & Biosecurity Luke Keogh said with certainty both sites would flood again.
“What we’ve learnt is that the assets and infrastructure chosen for these sites need to be sustainable,” Mr Keogh said.
“Furniture needs to be removed pre-flood, and the landscaping should be minimal.
“The turf will need replacing depending on the flood event time, however good soil for the turf areas will reduce the post-event cost to restore.”
Mr Keogh said one thing was for sure, how unequivocally valued these two open space areas were by ratepayers in the community.
“The community is celebrating the reinstatement and usability of their local beach and park,” he said.
“Which as a council, reinforces for us that we are investing in the right areas of public infrastructure.”
Caravan Park Case Study – Moama
Moama Waters Holiday Park is home to acres upon acres of Eureka Premium VG Kikuyu turf supplied by Coolabah Turf and was chosen for its hardiness, dense growth, and fast recovery rate.
When the park was swamped with floodwater in October, it was impossible to know how the turf would hold up. Water inundated the entire park, onsite restaurant and surrounding roads over a 12-day period and remained on some areas of the turf for a further two weeks following the peak. The floodwater at the grass area near the restaurant (at the river’s edge) was worst affected, along with many caravan and cabin sites.
Park owner Rod Perry said the turf had recovered surprisingly well given the extreme circumstances of the event which closed the park for 7 weeks.
“When the water subsided, we raked the impacted areas with a grass rake which helped air it out and also removed the build-up of silt,” Mr Perry said.
“This helped the grass recover and we did have some sunny weather that also helped. The less inundated areas recovered a lot quicker. We were mowing that grass within a week and the more heavily impacted areas were within a couple of weeks.
“The grass seemed to cope well given what we had just experienced. Being able to mow and give the grounds the attention they needed as soon as were able to help to have the sites ready when we were able to re-open on December 5. We received comments from guests that you wouldn’t have even known we had had a flood!”
Rochester Case Studies
About 45km south of Echuca, the township of Rochester suffered the worst of the state’s catastrophic flooding event, with up to 1000 properties inundated.
Brett Wileman, proprietor at Temptation Living and Landscapes was one of many Rochester residents affected when his nursery and sand and soil yard were punished by the flood waters which ripped through his retail shop front at a height of 1.2m.
Brett and his wife Sally, who also run a landscape and turf maintenance business, said he had been amazed at the incredible rates of recovery of turf groundcover in the flood-affected area.
‘’Most of the turf we mow and maintain in and around industrial factory sites, schools and nature strips is kikuyu and it is all looking amazing,” Mr Wileman said.
“It was incredible how turf surfaces recovered and repaired post-flood. To be honest, despite how destructive the flood waters were in our towns with regard to damage done to homes, fences and other buildings and infrastructure, we haven’t actually seen too much carnage with regard to lawns.
‘’Mind you, it is worth noting, flood waters which impacted the Rochester township literally came, wiped us out, and disappeared within about 3-4 days. So while we were more severely affected by the flood event than other areas, the water didn’t hang around for as long.”
Mr Wilman said an unexpected bi-product of the flood event was stones that the waters transported onto Rochester’s main sports field, which required manual removal by hand.
He said the local committee of management who maintain the sporting facility recently direct-drilled the kikuyu turf oval with ryegrass seed and have it looking an absolute treat.
The Findings
Historically, the degree of flood damage to turf is determined by three major factors, said Coolabah Turf’s David Geltch.
“Length of time inundated, depth of flood waters, and as we saw a major trend in the 2022 flood event was the toxicity of the water quality,’’ he said.
“This water was black like we’ve not seen before, and toxic to the extreme that you could see where it had stripped galvanising off steel posts in its wake.”
Mr Geltch said a clear observation from the case studies was that the ability of the turf to handle floodwaters varied significantly.
“The thing that we’ve predominantly seen through this extreme experience is that where the turf has been in shallower water, for up to six weeks, it’s tended to have survived.
“But where it’s been in that deeper floodwater, and for greater lengths of time, that’s where it’s failed and hasn’t recovered.”
Mr Geltch said the less expected observation was that TifTuf had stood out as a star performer.
‘’I’d love to say it was no surprise to us that the TifTuf survived, but actually we didn’t expect anything to endure those conditions,’’ he said.
‘’What was surprising, was learning that the areas in Echuca had recovered to the extent that they had without intervention. In fact, the turf in those spaces has continued to thrive against further odds battling the applications of Thumper to treat the mites.”
Mr Geltch said to help expedite the growth recovery of damaged turf, Coolabah Turf would usually perform some level of maintenance including aerating, scarifying, and possibly top dressing of the area.
Some 50 years ago, a born and bred grazing family from Longreach decided life was pushing them for a sea change. The family had been working on the land since 1914, after generations of fighting against the droughts and enduring the harsh Western Queensland landscape, the idea of a property with a never-ending water supply seemed almost too good to be true. It sounded so good, in fact, they would pack up their lives and all that they knew to brave a new industry, a new way of life and a new direction. This brave and bold choice today sees them as a leader in the turf industry and pioneers of methods and techniques that have changed how we grow, understand and use turf grass.
Lynn Davidson, in his mid-twenties and manager of the family’s sheep and cattle station at the time of the big move, shares his story of this fascinating journey and the lessons he has learned along the way.
Lynn Davidson – Managing Director, Jimboomba Turf
I’d been running the station since I was 19, it was a lot to take on as a young man. 10,000 sheep and 1,000 head of cattle kept me busy. However, I had met a great lady named Carolyn, but she was not just any woman, she was an excellent stockwoman, a great horsewoman, a great cook & was tough as nails in the bush. She later became my wife, and we were ready for the steep learning curve that Western Qld had to offer.
Along the way, our family circumstances changed, and rural commodities were changing, which prompted a change in life. My dad saw an ad in the paper for a Turf Farm and suggested we consider it; the rest is history. We were captivated by the turf farm’s constant water source, courtesy of the river that ran along it.
We sold our western holdings and came here with zero knowledge of grass, possibly less than zero, as we didn’t have much ‘lawn’ around the homestead on the station. The lifestyle change was hard, being in a much smaller, more intense environment was a challenge, we were used to big open spaces with not many trees, and to this day, Carolyn and I still miss the bush.
The turf farm was already established, and we took over with the existing team still embedded to help the transition. This really helped ease the pressure. Over the next couple of years, my family worked together to learn the ropes and became ready to take on everything, that said, we kept many of the original team members on, in fact, the original mechanic only retired in 2022!
What did the journey of growth look like?
Learning to understand markets was a significant and foreign change – in sheep and cattle, you took the market rate, turf was a very different game. Marketing was then and is to this day our biggest challenge and everchanging part of the business.
Back then, the marketing strategy was to have as many full-page ads in the Yellow Pages as possible – things were pretty simple then and are very different now.
Apart from that, we didn’t have a great deal of strategy. In the mid-’80s, the golf course boom happened, we were fortunate enough at that time to have enough credibility to get a lot of that work, but this meant we didn’t focus enough on our domestic consumers. When the golf course boom ended, we needed to work on our consumer market and build back that relationship, which took a lot of work and effort.
The big lesson there was to ensure you can keep the bread and butter going simultaneously if you take on larger projects. To this day, we pass on some projects if we know they cannot run in parallel with core demand.
Later came the golf course boom in Asia, which served us well as many of the same people we worked with locally in Australia were building the Asian golf courses. They respected our capabilities, so it was just a matter of putting the grass on the planes. To start with, this was not a simple procedure, dealing with customs, airlines, etc., but as time passed, we established relationships with all the parties in the supply chain, and it became a relatively simple procedure. To this day, there are golf courses in Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Singapore and UAE that have Jimboomba turf grass.
Over the years since we have had some exciting things happen that have helped us grow, new grasses have been significant on that journey. Sir Walter gave us a unique solution to help people with shady areas. Before this, turf was a bit one size fits all, now we are heading to an era where we have grasses that can be matched to different and unique needs. We were very active in the market, had good land and had a lot of drive to succeed, so these were factors that were complimented by these new grasses.
The products available to us now, such as TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, Sir Grange Zoysia and the new Zoysia Australis, are prescription-grade products for unique situations. Through excellent education, the consumer quickly becomes aware of these fit-for-purpose characteristics.
We have also tried new things, from commercial and international supply to landscaping & revegetation contracting, but we have evolved into a primarily consumer-focused business over recent years. Concurrently the forming of Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA) has helped support us in our choice to be a premium turf supplier, supplying only premium quality grasses.
Lessons Learned Over the Years
Turf Farming is several businesses rolled into one, marketing, farming, logistics and administration. Unfortunately, these skills rarely all come in one head, so skill diversification is an essential part of the game.
It is critical to have these four pillars functioning at a high level. We were fortunate to have my sister Cherie administering the Finance & Administration function for many years before her passing in May 2020. She was a huge pillar of support in keeping things running smoothly.
Forecasting in this industry is complex, there are so many variable factors impacting the business each year, weather, for example, is a tough one, and when you add to this managing CAPEX and depreciation on a never-ending list of new machinery, complexity arises.
Trends and Advancements in the Turf Industry
There have not been big trends so much. Significant advancements have come in the form of machinery. Like everyone else, we used to hand harvest, these clunky hand-held things we pushed around, then tractor harvesters and pallets, that we could load the grass onto came. Eventually, auto harvesters, which were average to start with, but now they are an excellent product.
Looking forward, the next significant evolution will be in mowing, auto electric mowers, which are GPS programmed, will have a substantial impact on the mowing function cost, especially fuel burn. There will be a labour save here, but the management cost of these assets will determine the significance of that. They’re still a little way off, but they will happen soon enough.
What stands out as your significant milestones as a business?
Sir Walter was significant, it was a massive thing for us, and as history will tell, so it was for a considerable portion of the industry. Being a grower of Sir Walter also has had a significant knock-on effect, it has connected growers across the country. This has resulted in great friendships being created, but also a tremendous amount of knowledge sharing.
During our first ten years in the industry, there were no industry associations or social contact with other growers, which is light years away from where the industry is today. This is probably hard for those young in the industry now to comprehend.
Also, having wonderful staff knowledge to begin to understand which products work best for the QLD landscape, this understanding has meant we have been able to intentionally plant and nurture a range of the best grasses for the local area.
What have been your prominent successes or failures?
One of the big ones was probably ‘Stay Turf’; it’s a concept we created where we grew the grass on a jute matting, and it could be used in drains (like on the sides of a road for erosion control) to stop dirt and debris washing down, it was a fantastic product. It was scientifically tested and proven to work nearly as well as hard armour, concrete etc., but unfortunately, once we created the product and created the market, cheaper alternatives came along, which were half as good and half the price. StayTurf even won an award on the ABC TV Inventors program.
As time went on in the Erosion control space, we added some Hydromulching trucks to the mix. At that point, we were very active in the commercial area, and this equipment closed the loop for many of the requirements of civil projects.
The civil space was becoming crowded, so the Hydromulching assets were redeployed out to the Surat Basin, to work in the Coal Seam Gas industry. This was rewarding work, revegetating massive dam batters and hundreds of disturbed creek crossings where the gas pipelines went.
We followed the pipeline construction crews from Dalby up to Injune, some 500 kilometres of offroad work. However, nearly overnight, the price of oil and gas collapsed, and all the gas exploration work stopped.
Who has been influential in growing your business?
It’s a funny one, when we took on this business, we knew nothing about growing turf. We knew a bit about cattle and sheep but nothing about turf. The significant skill I took from the west was asking the ‘old blokes’ for advice.
If I had a vexing issue, I would ask one of the older men or women what they thought, they always had advice built from experience, which is the good advice. I took this tradition with me to the turf world. The only trouble was there weren’t any old blokes around.
Along the line, I met Bill Cassimaty from Strathayr in Melbourne, Bill was always inspirational to speak to, a wonderful industry stalwart.
I met up with Bill at a conference in the US once, and he introduced me to a bunch of the American ‘old blokes’. It might not seem like much in today’s world of near-instant information, but in those days, the spoken word, and relationships with the folk of vastly superior knowledge and experience were gold. I cherish the conversations with those folk over the years. The holistic industry advice and wisdom they gave me helped shape how we worked and grew the business.
What makes Jimboomba Turf different?
I think we are different because of how we approach the market. We only take to market the top-end products. We aren’t in the lower price point game; we only sell and grow the best premium and highest quality products. Lower price point turf is what some people need, and that’s ok, but we are not the people to buy that from.
LSA support these quality products and helps us educate the consumers on why they should choose a premium product, and which is most likely suitable for their circumstances.
Advice for others looking to run a family business
Recognise different and individual skills. My sister, Cherie, and I worked well like that. I never questioned her administration, and she never questioned if I needed a new machine, we knew what each other did best and supported that.
The landscape is littered with failed family businesses, and from my observation, the different skills within the family may not have been exploited to their potential.
The Next Five Years
Strengthening our premium products in the market, maintaining our premium position, and helping educate the market on why to choose premium lawns. I’ll move away from the business and work on some diversified projects, within our other business interests. Renee (my eldest daughter who now primarily oversees things) and her partner will continue to care for and grow the business. They’re both very creative and have lots of exciting ideas and plans for novel product offerings etc.
If you could give every turf customer one piece of advice for their new lawn, what would it be?
Water your turf, the second it comes, lay it, and water, water, water. It happens too often, people get it, then don’t lay it for a few days, then don’t really water it and wonder why it dies off.
“Just water your new lawn, and you’ll be set for success!”
However, I guess every turf farmer in the country would also give the same advice on this one.
Ezi Lawns is a turf supplier based in Bordertown, South Australia, that specialises in supplying premium quality turf to homeowners, landscapers, and commercial developers. The company offers a wide variety of turf options to suit different applications, including Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo and TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda.
The business is relatively new and came about from an opportunity for growth as a Lawn Solutions Australia (LSA) member in South Australia. The team behind Ezi Lawns includes Owners Ashley Cook and Jenny Tilbrook, alongside Matthew and Kriena Rowett.
Ashley Cook was an oat miller who also worked in the family oat milling business, Blue Lake Milling, and did so for many years. Ashley moved from Mount Gambier to Bordertown when he left school. During Ashley’s time at Blue Lake Milling, Ashley learnt everything about making the best product for porridge possible and gained a strong knowledge of the production process. He was responsible for ensuring the production, packaging lines and infrastructure in the mill and facilities kept pace with the business as it grew both domestic and export markets. At the time the business was sold in 2015, it employed approximately 140 staff across 3 sites located in 3 states.
Ashley is passionate about producing quality products for a large market and doing this in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. While not considered the conventional fit as a turf farmer, Ashley’s experience has proven to be instrumental in adapting and finding success within the new business. The team at Ezi Lawns jokes that Ashley’s favourite things in life are concrete and steel with all the construction projects he’s undertaken over the years, but a love for turf is quickly becoming a new favourite.
Jenny is a farmer’s daughter from a small town called Lake King in Western Australia. She completed a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance and worked in financial planning before joining Ashley at Blue Lake Milling. Jenny worked in the sales team where the markets included industrial, domestic, and export retail customers.
The time at Blue Lake Milling provided Ashley and Jenny with experience in building and maintaining long-term supply arrangements for a broad range of customers including the major supermarkets and multi-national food companies. As the company grew so did the systems which ensured compliance with food standards across multiple countries and markets. This included production quality controls to ensure products that would meet individual customer expectations while ensuring the operations were as cost-effective and efficient as possible.
Matthew Rowett is an accountant and financial planner and is the numbers man at Ezi Lawns. As a director of Ezi Lawns, Matt’s input on management systems and financial decisions is paramount with his many years of experience as an advisor for another turf business, Sunnyside Instant Lawn.
Kriena Rowett is the one who keeps everyone grounded and reminds the team of the importance of family. As a small family business, Kriena is crucial and is often the one who has all the kids when work commitments ramp up. Kriena always has a plan and healthy food on hand to help us work towards what we are trying to achieve. “We all need a mum in our lives to keep us on track and Kriena is that for all of us!” Jenny informed us.
Being in a business that grows something is exciting and tangible. There is the element of uncertainty of working with an agricultural product, but there is also the sense of achievement when you can consistently produce a product to the highest standard. The team at Ezi Lawns don’t shy away from hard work and all enjoy the opportunity to have a balance between the physical outdoors work on the product, but also working in and on the business.
There is still a demand for kikuyu in the region, but Ezi Lawns would like to encourage the market to move away from the kikuyu and adopt more environmentally sustainable varieties like TifTuf. Environmental sustainability is a passion for the business with improved production efficiencies and the development of new high-quality turf products for the market.
A new business is exciting and a little daunting at the same time. The benefit for Ezi Lawns is the opportunity to learn from other well-established businesses, taking things that work well and using their own experiences to implement new ways of doing things, the Ezi Lawns way.
The Australian rules football team, The Brisbane Lions, recently unveiled their new state-of-the-art facility, Brighton Homes Arena. The facility is the result of 10 years of planning which involved finding funding and partners to bring everything together into one modern and multi-functional site
Prior to this newly built facility, the Brisbane Loins used a range of venues around Brisbane including:
Giffin Park, Coorparoo – Training Field
The Gabba – Gym
Nudgee College and QSAC stadium – Track
Pre-season games in different venues around Brisbane
Brighton Homes Arena has a capacity of 8,000 spectators with the scope to expand on this in the coming years. The facilities for teams are unique in that the men’s and women’s facilities are identical, with equal gym, changing rooms, and office spaces to give both teams the same opportunities. This was really important for inclusivity with the new arena being home to the Brisbane Lions AFLW Team for both training and matches.
The Brighton Homes Arena playing surface covers 1.9 hectares and is built on a 280mm sand profile. AFL Queensland were the leading subcontractor on design of the oval and commissioned Labosport to do the specifications for the field and engaged Twin View Turf for field construction and Irri-Flow Contracting for the design and installation of the irrigation system.
The ground was specified with TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda turf to complete the project. TifTuf was introduced as a new and improved turf variety in recent years with superior drought tolerance, tensile strength and colour retention benefits the key reasons behind its selection.
The field and surrounds are managed by AFL Queensland, and the principal contractor for the construction was Hutchinson’s Builders. AFL Queensland is excited to have a newly developed hybrid bermuda grass on the oval, leading the way in innovation, and performance, plus it looks incredible. Chris Dalton has been employed by AFL Queensland as a Sports Turf Manager for the last 17 years, including time at Ashgrove and Nudgee Golf Clubs as well as the Gabba. Chris now oversees the new Brighton Homes Arena as well as other venues around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
The Arena covers a broad home base for several teams, and the oval is used on average 12-18 hours per week for training.
Brisbane Lions Men’s AFL training – 3 days per week
Lions VFL – Training and playing, March to November
Lions AFLW – Training and games, March to November
Lions Academy program – Training and games plus community and open days
Field construction on the oval began in June 2022 and was completed on 14th October 2022, with the last roll of TifTuf turf laid. AFL Queensland took over maintenance of the field and 10 days later, the oval was aerated and top-dressed with 192 tonnes of topdressing. The first training season for the Lions AFLW team was on the 21st of November, and on Sunday 26th of November, the Grand Final of the AFLW competition was played at the new Arena.
The turf is cut at 16mm and water harvesting is undertaken from a 4,800lt under-field tank from drainage water and pumped into a 300,000lt main irrigation holding tank. The end of January 2023 saw the oval scarified again and top-dressed with 64 tonnes of topdressing. A pre-season AFL game was played on 3rd March 2023, with the Brisbane Lions facing off against Geelong.
This new arena has given the Brisbane Lions, both men and women a home base with a world-class facility all on one site.
I started in the turf industry when I was 20 years old, and I worked on a golf course for eight years in a country town in NSW called Orange. I was fortunate enough to have a lot of experience with different grass cultivars and had the opportunity to not only work on a golf course with bent grass greens but also on a hybrid couch bowling green.
As soon as I finished my apprenticeship my passion for turf increased dramatically and I was addicted to researching and learning as much as I could. I would read every article I could find online, and I bought multiple books to help increase my knowledge and understanding.
This love for turf then sparked a passion to teach others how to look after their own lawns which is what ultimately pushed me to start my YouTube channel, Lawn Tips. I uploaded my first video on the 25th of May 2017. My goal was to upload a video once a week consistently and give people not only “Lawn Tips” but provide entertainment as well. Two years later I quit my job on the golf course and went into a full-time Job on YouTube talking about grass.
In the second year of my apprenticeship, I had started to dream of owning and building my own golf course but had always thought that was a little farfetched and impossible. Fast forward to the present day and my dream has become a reality!
The Par 3 Project
My wife and I purchased a 12-acre property in 2021 and the Par 3 project was born!
Taking on this Par 3 build has presented many challenges and I have learnt so much more than I had ever expected to.
The first hurdle was making sure we had sufficient water to water the green, fairways and tees. We only have rainwater storage on the property and no access to town water. I was told that people who sunk bores in our area had very little flow and a minimal chance of water, but I decided to take the risk and sink a bore on the property. If you’ve ever sunk a bore before you know how risky it really is. You could be $30k out of pocket with a 200m hole in the ground with no water to show for it. Thankfully we found water at about 60m underground and had a flow of 500 gallons/hour which was enough to fill up some water storage tanks to then pump some water onto the course.
The build officially started on the 4th of September after nearly 12 months of rain delays.
The Subgrade
The first step in building a golf green is building the foundation which is known as the subgrade. This is where the levels of the final grade of the green are determined. This was by far the most difficult part of the whole process due to constant revisions on the final shape and undulations on my green. The final size of the green I shaped is 500m2 (the subgrade doesn’t have to mirror the finished grade but it’s important to get as close as possible to prevent movement in material and levels over time).
Subsurface Drainage
The next step is the subsurface drainage which is designed to help move excess water from the profile, so the green is playable even after heavy storms. 100mm ag pipe was used in a herringbone pattern to collect as much water as possible. 200m of pipe was used over the whole of the green surface.
The Gravel Layer
The gravel layer is also used to remove excess water from the green surface and help to prevent the sand from clogging up the drainage. The gravel also creates a perched or suspended water table in the sand, increasing its ability to retain nutrients and moisture. The gravel layer should be within 1 inch of the final grade of the green surface (100 tonnes of gravel was used at 100mm in thickness).
The Sand Layer
The sand layer is what the bent grass is established on. Golf greens are built with sand to help move water, allow more traffic, and promote a stronger, more dense root system.
The sand is 300mm thick which equates to about 260 tonnes of sand. I spent 3 weeks shaping, watering, and compacting the sand so it was ready for grass. This can be done in 2-3 days, but I sowed my surrounds during this time to prevent soil eroding onto the green itself.
Sowing The Green
On the 23rd of February, I sowed the bent grass into the sand. I watered the seed 4 times a day to help with germination and by day 6 the seed had germinated. The green was then mowed on day 14 and would be mowed every 2-3 days for the next 4 weeks.
At the 6-week mark, I start to mow daily, and liquid fertilisers are applied weekly to help promote growth and build up nutrients in the sand profile. At the time of writing this article (1st of May), the green is 11 weeks old and is nearly filled in.
Next Steps…
Now that the green is built it’s time to start working on fairways and tee boxes.
This will include irrigation installation, shaping fairways and building elevated tee boxes.
Grass Selection
To help save water on the course I have decided to select warm season grasses for the fairways. For the larger fairway, I have selected TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. It’s a great grass for the climate here with its superior drought tolerance and ability to hold good colour leading into the cooler months.
For the Fairway toward the back of the paddock, I have decided to go with some Sir Grange Zoysia. I’m excited to try some zoysia out on the property as I don’t have a lot of experience with it. Sir Grange Zoysia was specifically bred for the golf industry, it’s very versatile and is used on some of the best courses in the world, so it’s pretty cool to have here in Orange.
I’m still undecided on the grass types for my tee boxes, but they will be warm season grass again to help with water. I’m leaning towards a hybrid couch due to quicker repair rates with divots and traffic. I look forward to providing an update as the build progresses further towards the end of the year.
For most Australians, lawn care can easily be looked after by themselves, but sometimes you might need an extra hand to help. We look at some of the common reasons why you may need to get in a lawn care professional to help in your garden.
Are you time-poor?
For the most part, your lawn maintenance won’t take up a large chunk of your time, depending on the size of your lawn. However, if you are time-poor or unable to keep up with your lawns mowing requirements, you may want to consider hiring a lawn contractor who can do this for you. There are plenty of local lawncare businesses that operate across Australia that can help with your lawn maintenance needs, whether it be mowing to weeding.
Access to commercial-grade products
If you are tackling a particularly nasty weed invasion, lawn disease or pest, a commercial-grade chemical may be required for treatment. These can be expensive, and application can be more hands-on than domestic-style lawn care products.
This is where a lawn contractor can come in handy. Using a contractor who specialises in spraying commercial chemicals will ensure you can get on top of the issue present without needing to purchase or use commercial products.
Spring lawn renovations
Throughout the warmer months, you may want to renovate your lawn. A lawn renovation can help reset your lawn or address soil composition, thatch, or soil compaction issues. A lawn renovation usually consists of weed removal, dethatching, aerating, fertilising, preventative insecticides, pre-emergent herbicides, top dressing, and watering for recovery. Doing a renovation can be a time-consuming and laborious task. So bringing in a lawn care professional to do this can be an ideal option.
Struggling with a particular weed or disease?
Pesky weeds including onion weed, ryegrass, nutgrass and other invading grass types, and diseases like dollar spot, brown patch, and winter fusarium, can be more challenging to remove. A lawn contractor can come out to your property and identify what weed/disease your lawn has. The contractor will then be able to treat the issue appropriately.
If you are struggling with a particular lawn issue and want to treat it yourself, our team of lawn experts here at Lawn Solutions Australia can assist. You can reach out to us on our social media accounts and send us some photos of the issues you are facing. We can then recommend the best treatments to get the area back on track.
For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our other lawn care blogs here.
Welcome to our guide on essential lawn care equipment! Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a beginner ready to delve into the world of lawn maintenance, having the right tools will help you achieve a healthy and picturesque lawn. In this blog, we will explore a variety of must-have lawn care equipment.
Lawn mowers are the first piece of lawn care equipment you should have in your garage. Mowing your lawn regularly will not only help ensure your yard is kept tidy but will help keep your lawn healthy. Purchasing your own mower is worth the investment. Regular mowing is important whether you want to do minimal work with your lawn or take it to the next level.
We recommend mowing your lawn frequently enough so that only one-third of the leaf is removed with each pass. This is known as the one-third rule. During the warmer months, while your lawn is actively growing, you will need to mow more frequently compared to the cooler months when grass slows in growth. Mowing your lawn using the one-third rule will help limit the amount of stress caused to the plant and help avoid scalping.
The type of mower you decide to go with will depend on a few factors, including lawn size, budget, and personal preference. The popular go-to choice for most home owners is the rotary mower. Rotary mowers are especially popular for buffalo lawns, including Sir Walter DNA Certified, Zoysia Australis and Kikuyu lawns as they prefer a higher cut. Rotary mowers have spinning blades rotating on a vertical axis under a cutting deck. They work best on a medium to high cut and are now available as both petrol and battery powered. Some trusty rotary mower brands to look out for include Honda, Victa, Toro, Bosh, Ryobi, Masport, Ozito, Makita and Husqvarna.
If you have a couch lawn, like TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, or a Zoysia lawn like Sir Grange Zoysia, or are after a lower cut, you may want to consider using a cylinder mower. Cylinder mowers will also produce a cleaner cut compared to a rotary mower as it will cut the grass and not tear it.
For more information on choosing a mower for your lawn, check out our blog on Guide to Buying a Mower.
Why Should I Use a Knapsack or Pressure Sprayer?
Now that we have mowing your lawn under control let’s look at how you can apply other lawn care products to get the most out of your turf. Most lawn care products will come in a concentrate that need to be dissolved in water. This mix can then be applied to the lawn with a knapsack or pressure sprayer, allowing the product to be evenly applied.
There are a few different types of sprayers that you can use, from battery powered, handheld and backpack sprayers, each with different water volume sizes. For a smaller lawn, a smaller handheld sprayer like the Husqvarna 1.5L Manual Sprayer can do the job effectively. For a larger area, you should consider using a backpack sprayer or a battery powered sprayer like the 8L Battery Handheld Sprayer, or the Husqvarna 15L Battery Backpack Sprayer.
What Are the Advantages of Using a Fertiliser Spreader?
For using granular fertilisers and other granular products, you will get a much more even product application of your product when using a granular spreader compared to spreading the granules out by hand. When the trigger is pulled on a fertiliser spreader the granules are dispersed at an even rate. Fertilising without a spreader can result in an uneven growth throughout your turf.
Like the other products mentioned, a range of options are available for different area sizes. Handheld spreaders are ideal for small to medium lawn sizes. If you have a larger area, a battery-powered handheld spreader or a walk-behind spreader can be an easier option to use.
For more lawn care tips and advice, check out our other lawn care blogs here.
Is your lawn looking a bit sparse and you are constantly facing an uphill battle of weeds in your lawn? In this blog, we look at how you can achieve a thicker lawn that can naturally block out weeds from growing.
A thicker lawn is better able to block out weeds as there is less space in the profile for the weed to grow. When your lawn is thick and healthy, there is also an increased competition for resources, including soil, nutrients, and sunlight. Without the weed having access to these resources, it becomes challenging for weeds to grow.
How can I help thicken up my lawn?
Now that we know thicker lawns are better at stopping weeds let’s look at how you can thicken your lawn.
How can mowing make my lawn thicker?
Mowing is an important factor to help keep your lawn thick. When incorrect mowing techniques are used your lawn will be more stressed and will become thin and sparce. So how should I be mowing my lawn?
Mowing regularly will help promote lateral growth. It is this lateral growth that helps your lawn become thicker. Mowing regularly at the same height will allow for consistent nutrients within the grass, keeping it healthy. We recommend mowing regularly enough so that only removing one-third of the leaf with each mow. When a lawn isn’t mown regularly, it causes the grass to go under stress as lots of the leaf blade is removed. This can cause your lawn to thin out, making it more susceptible to weeds.
Mowing your lawn in different directions will also help keep your lawn thick. If you always mow your lawn in the same direction, the grass tends to stay pointed in that direction. By mowing in different directions, you will help the leaf grow straight up, leaving more room for the blades to grow in next to it.
Will fertilising my lawn help it grow thicker?
Applying fertiliser will help give your lawn a boost in growth. By providing the lawn with the nutrients it needs, you will help with the overall health of the lawn. When it comes to using fertiliser, it is best to use a well-rounded fertiliser that contains all the nutrients your lawn needs. Something like our Lawn Solutions Premium Fertiliser or Exceed Liquid Fertiliser is ideal to help thicken your lawn to block out weeds.
Increasing sunlight to shaded areas
Is your lawn struggling to thicken up in highly shaded areas? Turf is like any other plant; it needs sunlight to photosynthesise and grow. Shade-tolerant turf types like buffalo, usually need a minimum of 3-4 hours of direct light. Other turf types like couch and kikuyu will usually require more sunlight, usually 5-6 hours minimum to thrive. If your lawn is struggling due to insufficient light, we recommend improving light to the area where possible by pruning back some of the surrounding trees and shrubs. Check out our blog for more information here.
Will aerating help thicken my lawn?
When soil is compacted and hard, it can be difficult for air, nutrients, and water to reach down to your lawn’s roots. By aerating your soil and decompacting the soil base, your lawn will be able to grow its roots deep into the soil to produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn. Aeration is also advantageous as it can help prevent many compaction-related problems including drainage issues, bare patches, fungal disease, dryness and more.
So, how do you aerate your lawn? You can aerate manually using a sturdy garden fork if you have a small area. Simply insert the fork into the lawn and wriggle it back and forth to fracture the soil profile. If you have a larger area, consider using a spiked roller or hiring out a motorised lawn aerator. For more information on aerating your lawn, check out our blog here.
We hope this blog has shared some insights on how you can thicken up your lawn to better block out weeds. For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.
ColourGuard Plus is a fantastic lawn pigment that can instantly improve your lawn’s colour. ColourGuard is especially great to use in winter when lawns can naturally lose some colour. In this blog, we go into detail of how to apply both the ready-to-use and concentrate ColourGuard Plus.
Is ColourGuard Plus safe to use on all lawn types? Yes, ColourGuard is safe to use on all lawn types!
Is ColourGuard Plus safe to use around pets? Yes, it is safe to use around pets. However, we recommend keeping pets off the lawn for a few hours to ensure the pigment has properly dried and absorbed into the leaf. After the pigment has been absorbed, we also recommend watering the lawn to wash off any excess product the grass hasn’t absorbed.
Can ColourGuard Plus be used year-round? Yes, it can be applied at any time throughout the year.
How long will the pigment last on the lawn for? Once applied, the pigment is locked into the leaf. Therefore, the pigment will be removed with the leaf when the lawn is mown.
What can I do if I apply the ColourGuard to another surface? If you apply the pigment to another surface, it is best to wash it off immediately with water to avoid staining.
Will ColourGuard Plus work on dead grass? As this product needs to be absorbed into the leaf of the grass, it will work best on a lawn that is healthy. If applied to a dead lawn, the grass won’t be able to absorb the pigment. It may still give it a slight green up; however, it won’t work as effectively when applied to healthy grass.
PRECAUTIONS
• Do not apply to wet or dew affected grass
• Avoid footpaths, driveways and other hard surfaces
• Allow up to 24 hours before desired result
• Allow adequate time for lawn to dry before walking on or applying water
• It’s advisable to water well 2 to 3 days after application to wash off any excess.
IMPORTANT CLEANING INFORMATION
For common hard surfaces like concrete, we recommend using a two to one mixture of white vinegar and bi-carb soda and scrubbing with a scrubbing brush. Leave this for 5 minutes or so and then remove with a clean cloth or hose it off.
For tiles specifically, but also sealed concrete, one of the most effective methods is to scrub with lemon juice concentrate, using the same method.
If the stain is on a porous hard surface or is being particularly stubborn you can use a dedicated concrete cleaner – If doing so, be sure to follow label rates and instructions to avoid damaging grout or concrete when using these products.
Due to the porous nature of some hard surfaces, some stains may not be removable, but should fade with time.
Unsealed Concrete or porous surfaces – Concrete Cleaner
Tiles or Sealed Concrete – Lemon juice, Vinegar & Bi-Carb Soda
SAFETY:
Keep out of reach of children. Avoid contact with eyes and skin. If contact occurs, flush with water and consult a doctor. May be harmful if swallowed. If accidental ingestion occurs consult a doctor.
See Material Safety Data Sheet below and additional information at lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au or please call 1300 883 711. Lawn Solutions Australia is not responsible for any misuse of this product.
