Tips for the Best Lawn in the Street

Want to be the local lawn guru in your neighbourhood? How about the feeling of a lush carpet under foot and the smell of a cut lawn to give you that gardening mojo…

Here are some tips…

If you already have a base of grass species (but it looks a bit ratty) and don’t want the hassle of ripping up your lawn, rotary hoeing and reseeding then the key to getting a lawn back to something respectable is to water and fertilise.

1. 1. The best time to start this process is either in the Spring (Sept-Nov) or Autumn (Feb to end April) periods;
   2. Give the lawn a good water (a spade to see how far the water infiltrates into the profile is a good idea) to 50-100mm in depth;
   3. Follow the above by applying a mixed Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium blended granular fertiliser such as 8-4-10 or similar (on the side of most bags or containers) @30g/sq metre and water in until the granules dissolve;
   4. Water well once a week thereafter (depending if you get rain or not). Don’t let your lawn go ‘blue’ – this is a sign of water stress!
   5. Once lawn is looking reasonably healthy, if you have broadleaf weeds, spray with a knapsack a broadleaf herbicide such as Brunnings Weed and Feed (Active Constituents – MCPA and Dicamba) at the recommended rate (wear protective clothing);
   6. Apply 8-4-10 at 30g/sq metre again in Spring or Autumn and urea at 15g/sq metre every six weeks in between.

Starting a new lawn?

1. 1. Spray out the existing lawn with glyphosate to kill all weeds and grasses in Autumn or Spring. Make sure you wear protective clothing when doing so!
   2. Once browned out (ie two weeks) water to soften up profile and follow with rotary hoeing to a depth of 100mm. Rake out old grass/weeds and dispose.
   3. Level surface with a rake or levelling implement before sowing with either ryegrass or fescue or a blend of the two. Fescue performs well under shade and is hardier. Sow at 25grams per sq metre and rake into top 25mm of soil followed by rolling (to get soil seed contact);
   4. Water lightly on a daily basis to ensure seed is damp and is allowed to germinate;
   5. Apply 8-4-10 at 25 grams per sq metre and water in approximately 4 weeks after emergence – be careful not to burn the lawn if spreading by hand (dropping clumps will do this!)
   6. Apply 8-4-10 at 30g/sq metre again in Spring or Autumn and urea at 15g/sq metre every six weeks in between.
   7. Keep the water up to the lawn and ensure the blades on your mower are sharp!

Good luck…

Ian Scutt  |  CEO
AgLink Australia Pty Ltd