Author: Sarah

Have you ever applied a fertiliser or herbicide to your lawn and it has caused more harm than good? In this blog, we look at why fertiliser and herbicide burns can occur and look at the best way to apply products to your lawn for the best results.

Skip to: What is the best time of day to apply fertilisers and herbicides?  How to evenly apply granular products? Importance of ensuring products are safe for your lawn type. Precautions for applying hose on products.

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.

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!

Skip to: Mowing in your cricket pitch, Rolling your cricket pitch, How to paint a cricket pitch, Aftercare for a cricket pitch, How to create a backyard soccer field, Marking out your soccer field.

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.

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 back in full health.

Skip to: What does grub damage look like? What does urine burn look like? What does a scalped lawn look like? What does a compacted lawn look like?

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.

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.

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

Supplied and Installed by Turfco Australia

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.

Are you looking for a way to help keep your grass looking its best with minimal effort? In this blog, we have a look at 3 of our top secrets to keeping your lawn looking its best.

Skip to: What is a Plant Growth Regulator? Does Aerating Your Lawn Actually Help? Is It Worth Using a Pre-Emergent Herbicide?

What is a Plant Growth Regulator?

Plant growth regulators like Primo Maxx are one of the most underrated products when it comes to caring for your lawn. These products can help reduce the vertical growth of the lawn while encouraging the horizontal growth of turf. This means that mowing requirements will be less while helping your lawn grow thicker and improving its aesthetic.

These products are great to use throughout the warmer months of the year when your lawn is at its fastest and needs to be mown more regularly. They are also ideal to use if you are going on holiday and won’t be around to mow, or even if mowing just isn’t your favourite thing to do every weekend!

Primo Maxx or Primo HG (500ml) are great options to look into when it comes to plant growth regulators and is ideal for use on home lawns. If you are looking to reduce your mowing by 50% this spring and summer or want to take your lawn to the next level, look no further than Primo HG.

Does Aerating Your Lawn Actually Help?

Aerating is one of the most beneficial lawn care activities you can do for your lawn! Not only will it help prevent a number of lawn-related issues, but it will also help your lawn become stronger and healthier.

The process of aerating will help decompact the soil profile, allowing more space for water, nutrients and air to flow throughout the soil. This will help stop soil compaction, can aid in removing disease in your lawn, aid with drainage and help thicken up your lawn.

So, how do you aerate your lawn? Aeration can be done with a few different tools, but the most effective and common tools to use are a sturdy garden fork or a tine aerator. Drive the fork into the soil profile, then give it a good wiggle to help fracture up the surrounding soil. Then drive the fork back into the profile, aiming for spaces around 10cm apart and work your way across the lawn. For more information on how to aerate your lawn, check out our blog here.

Is it Worth Using a Pre-Emergent Herbicide?

Pre-emergent herbicides are another game changer product when it comes to caring for your lawn. Pre-emergent herbicides like Oxafert and Oxafert Plus work by forming a barrier at the soil level, targeting weed seedlings in the soil during germination before they have a chance to grow in your lawn. These are particularly useful products to use if your lawn is prone to invasions of Summer Grass, Crabgrass, Creeping Oxalis and Winter Grass.

Our Lawn Solutions Oxafert and Oxafert Plus also have the added benefit of a fertiliser component and Oxafert Plus also contains an insecticide, stopping damage causing insects on your lawn.

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

From reducing compaction to assisting in drainage, aeration has so many benefits for your lawn! We take a look at all you need to know about aerating your lawn…

Skip to: What is aeration? Why should I aerate my lawn? When should I aerate my lawn? How do I aerate my lawn? How to aerate my lawn if the soil is hard.

Firstly, what is aeration?

Aeration is the process of decompacting your soil by either punching holes into the soil profile with a garden fork, aerator sandals or extracting cores of soil by using a tyne aerator.

Why should I aerate my lawn?

Aeration has many benefits to the overall health of your lawn. Decompacting the soil base helps allow for air, water and nutrients to more freely travel down to the roots of your lawn. This will help the lawn grow its roots deeply to produce a stronger, more vigorous lawn.

A few common lawn issues that aeration can assist with include:

• Helping your lawn to grow thicker and stronger.
• Help alleviate soil compaction from high amounts of foot traffic and wear.
• Assisting where drainage is poor.
• Help your lawn spread back over bare sections of lawn.
• Better allow for nutrients to reach the roots of your lawn.

When should I aerate my lawn?

Aeration can be done at any time throughout the year, but the most common time to do this is in spring and summer when grass is actively growing. This is particularly the case when core aerating as there will be holes left in the profile where the soil has been removed. When doing this in spring and summer, this means that the grass will be able to grow back over at a faster rate.

Aeration can still be done throughout the cooler months, but you may not see the full benefit till the grass begins to actively grow.

How do I aerate my lawn?

There are a few different tools you can use to aerate your lawn:

Aerating with a garden fork is one of the most common ways to aerate your lawn. This method involves you driving a sturdy garden fork into the ground then giving it a good wiggle back and forwards to help break up the surrounding soil. Then continue this across the lawn, aiming for spacing around 8-10cm apart.

Aerating sandals are also another way to aerate the lawn. With aerating sandals, you attach the sandal to your shoe, then walk across your lawn. These sandals are a less labour intensive, however may not be quite as effective as other methods.

Core aeration is another method of aerating where the tines will remove plugs of soil from the ground. This particular method of aerating allows more space for your lawn to breathe and is ideal where there are high amounts of compaction present. Core aeration can be done using a manual core aerator fork, or if you have a larger area, you can hire out a mechanical core aerator.

How can I aerate if my soil is too hard?

If your soil has become too compacted and is difficult to get the tines to penetrate the soil, give the lawn a good water a few hours beforehand. This will help to help soften up the soil.

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