Proudly, we would like to introduce our newest team member, Jonathan Perez, a seasoned greenskeeper with experience and a proven track record in maintaining some of Melbourne's most prestigious turf. With a background that includes tenures at esteemed institutions such as AAMI Park, Melbourne Grammar School, Sanctuary Lakes Golf Course, The Sands Golf Course, and Kardinia International College. Jonno joined us at the end of November and has been an invaluable source of knowledge and experience. Jonno’s insight and understanding of turf is evident here in our shop with customers and here in our Newsletters and we are very excited to have him on our growing Team.
Welcome First name / fellow lawn addict to another instalment of “The Fulcrum”.
This week we have a slight change of pace, answering questions from you rather than us giving what we think is applicable. We find it is often easier to give you all the answers, to hopefully save you a bit of time and guess work.
Can I seed Kikuyu/couch this time of year? Generally, the answer is no. This is because the soil temperature is cooler this time of season for the seed to germinate adequately, and anything that does grow will have to survive dormancy during winter. A better option this time of year, although still not ideal, is to use instant turf or a technique called sprigging. Which is utilising the runners from the established turf and transplanting into bare areas. However, any seed applied this time of year will generally sit in the soil and wait until the warmer temperatures come. You just won’t see any or much growth from it.
How often can I aerate? The key thing here is to know there are 2 main types of aeration:- 1) Solid tining and 2) Core Tining. For a home lawn, we recommend to use a solid tine when applying granular fertiliser, this will aid the granular getting into the soil. However, it does depend on how much traffic the area gets. On higher traffic areas such as when I worked on AAMI Park and Goschs Paddock that was done it every 4-5 weeks. For core aeration the frequency changes, we’re only looking at 2 times per year, in spring with your major renovation, and then maybe 1 in early autumn, only if you’re willing to put soil back in. It is also a good time (when aerating) to dethatch/Verti-cut as well as this will help promote the vigorous growth we are after, but only if there is enough time for the turf to recover before dormancy.
How often should I water my lawn/ what is the best time of day/ for how long? I’m cheating slightly here by combining all 3 but they are all very much related. The warm season grasses only require water 1-2 times per week from spring-autumn. The cool season grasses are the same (1-2 per week), but in addition any day over 27°C will require an additional smaller water (3-8mm). The infrequent watering will train the roots to go deeper and search for water. Providing a healthier more resilient grass. For best time of day it is as early as possible when the soil temp is at its lowest. When given the opportunity curators and superintendents will usually water overnight, usually starting at midnight-1am. How long to water for depends on soil type and sprinkler type. I would head here if you’re interested: https://www.waterwiseprograms.com.au/# (link below) under the “how do I” tab. A good way to measure how much your sprinklers put out is to use tuna tins (or something similar low to the ground) and measure how much they catch. As each property can be slightly different. As always the use of wetting agents can make your water go a bit further.
Why does size of granular fertiliser matter? At the most basic level it is relative to how long the turf leaf is. As bigger prill (250SGN or 2.5mm average) has a higher tendency to be mown out on lower cut turf, and can sit on top of the leaf, rather than under, leading to fertiliser burn. Whereas a smaller prill (100-150SGN or 1- 1.5mm average) can more easily get under the turf canopy and result in a more even distribution then also being less likely to be cut and mown off in the subsequent days mowing.
What is the latest I can oversow? This is all based on soil temperature. You can go as low as 10°C – 15°C for cool season grasses. For warm season lawn around 20°C and above. The key here you need it to be a warmer air temperature for a sustained period 2-3 weeks. As soil acts like an insulator. The soil will take a little while to warm up, but also takes a little while to cool down. We would love to give you a formula for this, but there’s no substitute for a thermometer and measuring.
. Can I apply liquid pre-emergent over granular fertiliser and water in together? The label for Barricade says; “DO NOT blend BARRICADE onto dry fertiliser or any other granular material”. This is often misinterpreted to mean you cannot apply it over the top of a granular fertiliser. However, it refers to mixing Barricade into a combined herbicide and fertiliser (think oxstar / Pendi-pro). So, in short YES, you can apply Barricade over a granular fertiliser, just don’t try to make your own. This means it is a great opportunity to cover off a few applications at once. Providing they mix in your situation, a great way to cover off the twice a year application is to do it at the same time, combining Barricade with Acelepryn liquid is a great way to cover off any potential weeds and insects that may want to call your lawn home.
For the Addicts keeping up with our warm season free lawn plans, we’re approaching Special Fex applications, and for those who use it, Primo Maxx. Be sure to check the GDD calculator to ensure you are applying Primo Maxx at an appropriate time.
For the Addicts keeping up with our Cool season free lawn plans, we’re approaching Special Fex and Phosfighter applications.
