When choosing a turf variety for your garden, there are a few different factors to look into so that your new lawn will thrive once installed. With so many different grass types available it can be difficult to know you are choosing the best lawn for your garden. To help you through this process we have put together a simple guide for choosing the right grass for your home lawn.
What grass type should I choose for a shaded area?
All grass does require some sunlight to survive. When choosing a turf variety, it is important to know how much sunlight the area receives. This is so you can choose the most suitable grass type.
Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo is one of the best performers when it comes to shaded areas in your garden. This variety can thrive in areas with as little as 3-4 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Sir Grange Zoysia, once established also has a high shade tolerance. However, during its growing in period it will need a bit more sunlight. It is best to either prune back trees and shrubs that create shade over the lawn or wait until the lawn is established to plant surrounding trees.
What is the most hard-wearing grass type?
If your lawn will receive a lot of traffic from pets, kids, or backyard games, choose a grass with a high wear tolerance. It is not only important to consider how much wear the lawn will receive now but in the future as well.
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is a great performer in high wear areas. It has a fast-repairing nature, so when it does get damaged by pets and kids your lawn will be able to repair itself fast.
Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo is a great performer for many backyard footy games! It can withstand high wear and will stay soft and lush for you to enjoy.
Another turf variety that has can stand up to high wear conditions is Eureka Kikuyu. Eureka Kikuyu is a vigorous grower and can stand up to a wide range of conditions. It has a fast-repairing nature, so when it does become damaged it is able to bounce back quickly.
What is the most drought tolerant grass type?
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is the only grass in Australia to be formally recognised with the Smart Approved WaterMark due to its drought tolerant qualities. TifTuf needs a fraction of the water other varieties require to get established. It can maintain a green colour under drought conditions where other common couch grasses will fail.
Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo too has a high drought tolerance and can stand up to the hot Australian climate. On hotter days, its broadleaf will curl up to help retain moisture. When the lawn does receive its next good water, the leaf will roll out again.
What grass should I choose for a high-end manicured lawn?
Sir Grange Zoysia is a fine bladed premium turf variety with a beautiful dark green leaf. This grass can either be mown short for a more manicured look, but also can be left unmown for a more textured look. Sir Grange’s qualities make it an ideal choice for any show garden or high-end lawn.
What is the best grass type to mow low for a bowling green look?
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is another fine leaf turf variety that looks great when mown low. TifTuf has a dense growth habit and fine leaf. This makes it an ideal for regular low mows that are needed to maintain a bowling green look.
Sir Grange Zoysia can also be mown down to 6mm and has a densely matted leaf, great for the bowling green look. It’s fine leaf and beautiful dark green colour can look like a lush green carpet when maintained!
What is the best grass for southern states?
In the Southern States of Australia, including Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart both warm and cool season turf varieties are ideal.
For climates that do reach higher temperatures over summer but cooler temperatures in winter, have a look at TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda. TifTuf has a high drought tolerance that can survive with little water during summer. TifTuf will also be able to recover quicker than other warm season varieties coming out of winter.
Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo is another great option for the southern states. Sir Walter loves both shade areas and full sun. In the cooler months when there is less sun it can still thrive in areas where other turf varieties will struggle to grow.
In climates that often deal with cooler temperatures throughout the year a cool season variety like RTF Fescue is an option to look into also.
What is the best grass for more northern states?
For the sun loving states, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Cairns and Darwin there is a wide variety of options when it comes to choosing turf.
Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo while shade tolerant does love full sun. This turf variety does have a high drought tolerance and has stood the test of time in extreme heat and drought.
TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda is another great option for the northern states. TifTuf loves full sunlight and can stand up to hot and dry conditions. It is the only turf variety in Australia to receive the smart approved water mark for its superior drought tolerance.
Sir Grange Zoysia is another great grass that can handle full sun and has a high drought tolerance once established.
Eureka Kikuyu is a sun loving turf variety that is best suited to areas where it will receive full sunlight. It is a hardy, fast repairing variety that is friendly on your wallet. Beware however, it can be extremely invasive and does not perform well in shade.
How do I find the contact details of my local turf supplier?
So where do you go from here?
When purchasing turf, make sure you are buying from a Lawn Solutions Australia accredited turf supplier.
All turf suppliers’ part of the Lawn Solutions Australia group are AusGAP Certified. This ensures that turf supplied are certified as true to type and will perform as they say they will. As a result, a turf supplier who is not AusGAP certified cannot provide this same guarantee.
You can find your local AusGAP Accredited Lawn Solutions turf supplier here.
