Plant Care
Lawns
Lawn is one of the most pleasing ways to cover a large area in the garden. A rich green lawn sets off your house to its best advantage and makes a wonderful area for children to play, and adults to sit and enjoy the scenery.
Choosing Grasses
A lawn can be easy to care for but, remember it’s made up of living plants and, like all living things, they have needs that must be taken care of. Start by choosing a grass that is suitable for your climate and conditions. Most grasses are sun-lovers so in very shaded areas it may be better to select another ground cover.
GRASS TYPES:
Warm Season Grasses
Grow best in late spring, summer and early autumn.
- Kikuyu – A fast growing, running grass that is vigorous and needs to be regularly mown to keep it as a good looking lawn. Takes a small amount of shade. Can be established from runners, seed and turf.
Cool Season Grasses
Grow best in autumn and spring.
- Chewings Fescue – This grass is most often mixed with other grasses to form a fine turf. It is normally grown from seed.
- Kentucky Bluegrass – Usually grown from seed, most often in seed mixtures. Shade tolerant but needs good watering to survive hot summers.
- Browntop Bent – A fine textured lawn grass that has relatively high maintenance requirements. It can be established from runners or turf.
- Turf Type Tall Fescue – Selected forms of what was originally a coarse, hard wearing lawn grass. Modern cultivars are finer and softer. Once established, it’s more drought tolerant than other cool season grasses but always need to be left with plenty of leaf. Available as seeds or turf.
- Ryegrasses – Fine-leafed perennial ryegrasses are most often included in seed mixes. They germinate readily and grow quickly, but need good watering during dry periods. Usually grown from seed.
Mowing
With established lawns, cut warm season grasses to 2.5 cm and cool season grasses to 4 cm. Cut as frequently as possible and remove as little growth as possible. Never mow grass too low or ‘scalp’ the grass. Grasses need their leaf blades to make food for the plant.
Lawn watering
Water in the morning rather than the evening and give thorough, less frequent soakings rather than short, frequent waterings. Don’t allow surface runoff.
Fertilising Lawns
Regular light fertilising during the growing season is better than infrequent, heavy fertilising. Use a correctly balanced fertiliser (such as Thrive Lawn Food). Don’t use highly nitrogenous fertilisers like Sulphate of Ammonia. Yates Lush Lawn Lifter is an enriched organic-based lawn food with a good combination of slow release organic particles and fast acting minerals. Lush Lawn Master lasts for up to 3 months.
