Month: July 2022

“One year of seeds brings seven years of weeds!” – This could not be any truer than when it comes to the fight against Winter Grass in your turf.

 

If you have an invasion of Winter Grass, you’ll definitely want to treat it before it goes to seed.  If you allow it to drop its seeds, next winter it will be back, twice as bad as it was the previous year. Best plan of attack is to treat it as soon as it appears or better yet, apply a pre-emergent like Oxafert to stop it germinating at all.

What is Winter Grass?

 Winter Grass, or Poa annua as it is scientifically known, is a low growing turf grass. It has soft, drooping green leaves grown in tufts with triangular shaped seed heads.

Winter Grass is widespread in Australia and spreads throughout the cooler months.

When does it appear?

This weed begins germinating in the soil in some areas as early as March. You will start to see it emerging within your turf as the temperatures begin to decline. It will continue to spread throughout the Winter months.

How do I get rid of Winter Grass?

Winter Grass can be removed very easily by hand as it doesn’t have particularly deep roots. It doesn’t have any runners and will grow in simple clumps. Removing it by hand can be somewhat tedious so fortunately there are specifically targeted herbicide controls you can use.

Winter Grass Treatment

Winter Grass Killer is a selective control that will kill Winter Grass by targeting the roots, so it is extremely important to spray early in its life cycle before seed heads appear. Munns Winter Grass Killer is another option that is safe to use on kikuyu lawns.

Winter Grass Prevention

Targeting it before it emerges is the key to preventing it from germinating and going to seed. A pre-emergent like Oxafert can be applied and it will target the Winter Grass before it emerges from the soil.

A 3kg bag of OxaFert treats up to 100m².

Once it goes to seed, they will be present again in your turf the following year and the cycle will continue. Using a combination of a pre-emergent like Oxafert and a selective control like Winter Grass Killer at the correct time of year should ensure it is eradicated from your lawn.

Oxafert is also available in a 20kg bag known as Oxa-Pro

 

As always, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us for free expert advice on 1800ALLTURF (1800255873) or 07 5543 8304.

The magical winter wonderland created by frost can be a pretty sight, but what does frost mean for your lawn? When temperatures are cool overnight, the dew on your lawn freezes. For warm season turf varieties this can cause some discolouration and damage to the leaf blade of the grass. This can be a common occurrence for the more southern states of Australia.

In this blog we will investigate why this is occurring and what you can do to help minimise the effects of frost to your lawn.

Radiation Frost

Southern States of Australia suffer from what scientists call radiation frost. This is where the ground and ambient air cools down by the loss of heat to the atmosphere, causing frost. This commonly occurs under clear skies and with little or no wind. These frosts can occur when the temperatures have dropped, and overnight temperatures are at 0 degrees or below. The frost itself, is the result of the dew freezing on your lawn, which typically occurs in the early morning. The drop in temperature then causes the moisture inside the leaf blade to freeze and expand. The cell wall of the grass then ruptures, damaging the turf. This frost also causes significant discolouration to the blade of the leaf. When this damage does occur, the grass can become yellow and brown, often in patterns across the lawn. The discolouration occurs as result of the damage caused by the frost to the cell walls of the grass, slowing down photosynthesis.

Difference between cool season and warm season grasses

The amount of discolouration and damage caused by these frosts will be dependant largely on the type of variety you have. Cool season grasses like fescue and rye contain proteins which prevent them from freezing. Warm season grasses like buffalo, couch, kikuyu and zoysia, don’t have this protein and are much more susceptible to these frosts. Warm season varieties are also the most common types in Australia, as they are more suited to Australian conditions overall.

What can you do?

It is important that whenever there is frost on the lawn you stay off it. By walking across it, you are actually causing the blades to break and causing more damage. This too includes mowing. If you do still need to mow, best to wait until the frost has melted to prevent damage. This also means it’s best to keep your car off the lawn when there is frost as well.

A very light watering just before the sun comes up in the mornings, to remove frost from the leaf can help too. This will melt the frost quicker and more evenly, reducing the appearance of brown patches on the lawn.

The health of your lawn is one of the most important factors in ensuring your turf is able to tolerate frosts. Using a fertiliser with increased iron before winter will help strengthen your lawn for the frosty months ahead.

How to improve the appearance of a frost damaged lawn?

An application of ColourGuard Plus will instantly restore your lawns colour. ColourGuard Plus is a natural green pigment product that is sprayed onto the lawn and is absorbed into the leaf of the grass. This means that once absorbed the colour won’t run, bleed or stain. ColourGuard Plus can increase the surface temperature of your grass, helping to limit the damage that will occur from frost. So, the best time to apply it is before the frosty mornings occur.

As always, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us for free expert advice on 1800ALLTURF (1800255873) or 07 5543 8304.

While your lawn has slowed in growth, there may be some pesky weeds infiltrating or some nutritional or appearance related issues that need to be addressed during this time.

Here’s some winter lawn care products that you may require, or want to consider using over the coming months…

Winter Lawn Care Products | Treating and Preventing Lawn Weeds

Winter Grass Killer

If you are looking for a selective herbicide for the control of Winter Grass in lawn turf, Winter Grass Killer is the answer. Winter Grass Killer mixes readily with water for easy application. Breaks down quickly so there’s no residue left in the soil.

Selective Winter Grass control in Blue Couch, Common Couch, Brent, Buffalo (including Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo) and Brown top Lawns.

• Cannot be used on kikuyu or fescue lawns.
• 2-3 applications required.
• Active constituent: 175g/L Endothal as the Dipotassium Salt.
• Will treat 200m2 in total.

Should be applied with a fine spray as soon as the winter grass appears and before it has a chance to flower and set seed.

All Purpose Weed Control

All Purpose Weed Control can knock out common weeds such as Bindii, Creeping Oxalis, Catsear, Clover, Cudweed, Dandelion and Thistles.

This weed killer is suitable for established couch, bent, kikuyu, paspalum, buffalo, zoysia, fescue and rye lawns and turf.

Easy to use, clip on hose on attachment will make application easier than ever. No need to measure and mix up concentrates.

Lawn Solutions All Purpose Weed Control 2L ready-to-use bottle treats up to 200m2.

Amgrow Bin-Die Selective Lawn Weeder

Amgrow Chemspray Bin-Die is suitable for use on most grasses including Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo Lawn, Nullarbor Couch Grass, Eureka Kikuyu, RTF Fescue, Platinum Zoysia and all other lawn types.

This weeds killer will treat bindii, catsear, clover, creeping oxalis, cudweed, dandelion, plain thistle and other broad leaf weeds.

Hard to control weeds such as clover often need a follow up spray.

Active ingredient: Bromoxynil

Highly concentrated 250ml will cover approx. 400 sq metres.

Monument Herbicide

Monument Herbicide is the broadest spectrum selective post-emergence herbicide for turf.

Delivers long lasting results with rarely needed follow up applications.

Monument Liquid Herbicide by Syngenta controls, Burr Medic, Bindii, Ryegrass, Winter Grass, Catsear, Chickweed, Clover, Cotula, Creeping Oxalis, Curled Dock, Milk Thistle, Mullumbimby Couch and Nutgrass.

• Highly effective in controlling Poa annua, Ryegrass, Kikuyu, Sedges and a wide spectrum of broadleaf weeds in one pass
• Convenient liquid formulation
• Complete couch solution for Poa annua (Winter Grass)
• Fully systemic action (xylem and phloem) with root, shoot and leaf uptake

Monument Liquid Herbicide is safe to use on – Common Couch, Hybrid Couch, QLD Blue Couch and Zoysia – DO NOT USE on Kikuyu or Buffalo

For best results:

• Consider weed growth stage at time of application
• Consider the soil temperature at time of application
• Always apply with a non-ionic surfactant

Read label before use – ensure correct application rates are applied.

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Winter Lawn Care Products | Lawn Nutrition and Colour

Exceed Liquid Fertiliser

Exceed Liquid Fertiliser is a premium, professional foliar fertiliser designed to bring out the best in any lawn.

Providing health and colour to your lawn during the growing period.

Exceed is ideal for correcting nutrient deficiencies quickly, addressing stress related issues or for a general boost to overall health.

Exceed can be used on all grass types including kikuyu, couch, buffalo, zoysia and cool season varieties.

ColourGuard Plus 

Wanting to keep your lawn looking as best it can until the warmer months?

ColourGuard Plus is a liquid fertiliser and a natural grass pigment that instantly restores the colour of your lawn.

Apply this 100% natural grass colourant to keep your lawn looking green year-round.

Just one application can give your lawn up to three months of great colour.

ColourGuard Plus delivers micron-sized pigment solids into the tiny pores of leaf tissues via water spray. The colour pigments are organic and natural making ColourGuard a safe product for the environment, pets, and people.

Once it’s dried, it’s locked in. ColourGuard won’t bleed, run, or stain once absorbed.

Easy to use, works on all lawns, in extreme heat, rain, cold and frost. Plus, ColourGuard reduces the amount of fertiliser and water your lawn requires.

Lawn Solutions ColourGuard can dry on your lawn in as little as 2 hours when in full sunlight and will work like a lawn paint.

ColourGuard Plus is available in 4 convenient sizes:

• 2L Ready-to-use Bottle
• 100ml Concentrate
• ColourGuard Plus 2.5lt Concentrate
• ColourGuard Plus 10lt Concentrate

Easy to use, works on all lawns, in extreme heat, rain, cold and frost. Plus, ColourGuard reduces the amount of fertiliser and water your lawn requires.

Lawn Solutions ColourGuard can dry on your lawn in as little as 2 hours when in full sunlight and will work like a lawn paint.

Lawn Rescue

Lawn Rescue is a blend of liquid fertilisers, seaweed extracts and wetting agents and is ideal for use during establishment, post establishment and for post-winter revival.

Promoting the development of root systems and growth in new lawns, Lawn Rescue stimulates, supports and protects root growth in established lawns year-round.

Featuring both nutrient and rehydration properties, Lawn Rescue is the perfect solution for tired, slow-growing lawns.

Will restore colour and health to lawns that are looking dry and thin and is suitable for all lawn varieties.

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As always, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us for free expert advice on 1800ALLTURF (1800255873) or 07 5543 8304.

Winter weeds can be a real nuisance and undo all the hard work you put into getting your lawn looking superb during the warmer months.

The best time to treat winter weeds in your lawn is during winter. By doing so, you have a better chance of getting them before germination. This will stop them from dropping their seeds back into the soil and coming back again next season.

Here are some of the most common weeds that appear during winter and what you can do to remove them from your lawn.

Winter Grass

Winter Grass (Poa Annua) is a low growing turf grass. It has soft, drooping green leaves grown in tufts with triangular shaped seed heads. If you allow Winter Grass to drop its seeds, next winter it will be back, twice as badly as it was the previous year.

Winter Grass can be removed very easily by hand as it doesn’t have particularly deep roots and it doesn’t have any runners, growing in simple clumps.

Using a combination of a pre-emergent like Oxafert and a selective Winter Grass control like Winter Grass Killer at the correct time of year should ensure Winter Grass is eradicated from your lawn. Amgrow Winter Grass Killer is safe to use on buffalo lawns (including Sir Walter DNA Certified), blue and common couches. However, Amgrow Winter Grass Killer should be avoided on Kikuyu and red fescue lawns. If you do happen to have a Kikuyu lawn an alternative post emergent herbicide is Munns Professional Winter Grass Killer.

You can find more information on managing and treating Winter Grass here.

Bindii

Bindii is possibly the most annoying weed due to the pain it causes to our bare feet! It is a low growing weed with a flower at its centre. At maturity, the flower produces a prickly seed pod. This seed pod is a particular menace during the warmer months when we are trying to enjoy our lawns. Bindii can be managed by hand or by applying a selective broadleaf herbicide like Bin-Die or Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control. This will help to eradicate these weeds in all lawn types including kikuyu and couch. It is safe to use on most varieties of buffalo except the ST varieties. A repeat application may be required.

The best time to target Bindii is in Winter before it produces the seed pod and spreads throughout your lawn.

Check out our blog on Bindii here for more information.

Clover

Clover is another common winter weed. It is one of those legume plants, like beans and lucerne or alfalfa, that draws nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots.  As the roots die back, the nitrogen is replenished into the soil but where there is sufficient nitrogen in your soil to keep your lawn healthy, the clover struggles to survive. In most cases when you see clover growing in your lawn it means that there isn’t enough nitrogen. So, a fertilise will help increase the nitrogen and slow the clover down.

Clover can also be managed by applying a selective broadleaf herbicide like Bin-Die or Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control.

For more information on removing clover click here.

Creeping Oxalis

Creeping Oxalis has small light green heart shaped leaves, very similar in appearance to clover. (Oxalis, have heart shaped leaves while clover has oval shaped leaves.) The flowers are small, about 3-4mm in diameter and bright yellow in colour containing five petals. Creeping Oxalis, as its name suggests, quickly runs along the surface of the soil and produces roots from the leaf as it goes. When seed pods mature, they dry out and explode, causing the seed to spread.

Once again, a selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control will help to eradicate these weeds in all lawn types including kikuyu and couch and are safe to use on most varieties of buffalo except the ST varieties.

You can find more information on Creeping Oxalis here.

We  carry a wide range of weed and pest control products for buffalo and other lawn varieties. Remember to always follow manufacturer’s instructions on the pack.

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As always, if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to contact us for free expert advice on 1800ALLTURF (1800255873) or 07 5543 8304.