Year of the Lawn – March

Finally, some welcome rainfall in Sydney. With some areas seeing more than 150mm of rain already this month, we are seeing some significant improvements in our residential, commercial and sports turf surfaces. It’s the second summer in a row with below average rainfall up until this point, which may be an indication of how future growing seasons may be heading. At least there is some welcome reprieve for now and we can begin to focus on preparing our lawns for the rest of Autumn and into winter.

Its that time of year in our Platinum Turf Lawn Programs where we look at preventive treatments for those nasty winter weeds. With the cooler months being particularly wet through Sydney, broadleaf weeds and winter grass are generally the two biggest pressures we are dealing with. There are a few preventative herbicides on the market and the Platinum Turf Preventative application will give you 6 months resistance against those weeds popping up. This application with a few added post-emergent applications will ensure you are keeping weed pressure to an absolute minimum which is key for maintaining a high-quality surface.

A beneficial adjustment to your cultural practices is raising the height at which you cut your grass. By increasing the height by 15% - 20% will relieve some of that growing stress the surface has been under all summer. It will also allow the lawn to thicken up a little which improves density. This is another way to help reduce winter weeds from appearing. And finally, Autumn is a wonderful time to hit the lawn with a high-quality slow-release granular fertilizer. It will see sustained growth over the next 10 – 12 weeks ensuring your lawn heads into winter as healthy as possible. With the hottest part of the year behind us, watering can be scaled back slightly and the duration between cuts might become a little longer.

Make sure if you have any questions to get in contact with Liam or the team. They will be happy to give you some advice or come out for a consultation, free of charge of course!

Liam Ash
Managing Director – Platinum Turf Solutions