Below is a The Zeal Groups turf maintenance chart that will ensure your lawn looks good all-year-round. Please consult with your turf supplier to check that this is the right routine for your turf variety as some may vary depending on the location and weather conditions.
1. Prepare Your Site
2. Lay Your Turf
Soil Preparation prior to turf being Delivered
Any living weeds left behind will sneak up between the new turf joins. Dead weeds/lawn will hinder the roots of the new turf from finding the soil underneath and will prevent your new turf from establishing evenly.
You will find that if you already have couch or kikuyu in your yard, it is very hard to permanently remove. We recommend spraying with say Roundup, as you will never dig up all the runners, even then you will probably find it poping up in time.
Introducing new soil will pay for itself with the remarkable variance on how well the turf does.
Spread on appropriate soil conditioners if desired i.e. for acidic soils add lime, for heavier clay soils add gypsum, for sandy soils simply mix in small amounts of organic material.
If you are adding organic material – make sure that you only use a small percentage and mix it in well with the soil. If the turf is layed directly onto organic material, the roots will not be able to get to the soil and will die. Organic material is porous and heats up really easily.
Make sure that your soil is finely broken up. If the slabs/rolls of lawn are placed upon clods of dirt, it create air pockets. The air pockets prevents the roots from holding mosture and therefore the lawn will die.
Remove all building waste, rocks, old lawn & weeds.Dig up or turn over soil and consider introducing new soil.Use a Rotary hoe or a shovel to turn the soil over.
Level the surface.Eliminate drainage problems by making the soil drain away from the house.
Allow for the height of the turf along paths. If you are installing buffalo or kikuyu leave your soil height below the top of the path by around 40mm and if installing couch leave around 20mm. This will allow the leaf of the grass to be above the path.
Laying the Turf
During warmer weather in Summer, please lay the turf immediatly one tip we find usefull is, dampen down the earth prior to laying the turf. Then lay a small section of turf, water it, then lay the next section. Soak the turf intially then keep the soil below the turf damp. You will need to water the turf morning and night for the first 3 to 4 weeks.
Our soft leaf buffalo varieties and Kikuyu are cut in slabs around .450 widex2.250 long x.040 thick while the couch and Tall Fescue is harvested in rolls.
Lay the turf within a couple of hours of delivery.
For best results your new instant turf should be installed as soon as it is delivered.Turf layed a couple of days after delivery in summer will be dead. In the cooler weather it will still mostly survive but it will take longer to establish and may have some areas die back (Buffalo grass, Couch grass & Kikuyu grass will regrow in these spots).
Don’t let the slabs/rolls of turf dry out.
On hot days the unlaid stack of turf should be in the shade and sprinkled with water – do not soak, just a light misty spray. I our opinion it is better practice to stack turf rolls in a shaded area and or wait till cloud cover.
Apply a ‘lawn starter’ fertiliser
Spread your lawn starter fertiliser evenly over the area and lightly rake or water in (If you forget to put it under, it is not crucial and it may be placed over the top).
We can provide a free start up fertiliser for orders over 30 square meters
Dampen down the area where you are going to lay the turf.
Do not lay turf onto dry soil, especially in the warmer months. It is ideal to dampen down the area about 4-12 hours before you lay the turf. You do not want it muddy when you go to lay the turf as it makes a messy uneven job and harder work.
Start laying.
Remove all the plastic net wrapping from around the turf.
You should start laying turf away from your stack of turf if possible, to avoid walking continually over the newly laid turf.
Just remember that each roll of turf can be up to 20kg in weight, so if you wish to lay a large amount of turf – find some friends! It is tough going on your own.
Allow plenty of time to lay the turf. If you are unable to finish the job on the day, just dampen down the turf yet to be laid and place it in the shade if possible. Don’t put a tarp or a plastic cover over the turf, as the turf will sweat. Find something that will breathe ie. old wet bedsheet or wet shadecloth.
Use a brickwork pattern.
Choose your straightest and longest edge; start with rolling your lawn out without pulling or stretching the turf, pushing the edges together, staggering the joins in a brickwork pattern. You may need to peg grass on sloping areas to prevent movement.
Avoid gaps as this provides a perfect environment for weeds to grow.
Avoid overlapping the turf as the roots will dry out and the turf will die.
Avoid leaving narrow strips
Your turf will naturally die back on the edge of the roots after being harvested. Strips of turf at the outer edges of the area may struggle to retain moisture, especially if not top-dressed.
Laying on hot days.
On hot days lay a section of turf and lightly water, then lay the next section. Repeat until all the turf is laid.
On cool days all turf can be laid at once.
Trim the turf with a bread knife or shovel.
If trimming is required just use a shovel or bread knife to cut around edges.
Top dress the turf.
Top dress the turf with top soil (sandy loam or a “lawn mix”) or washed river sand (1 cubic metre per 100 square metres of turf).Top dressing improves the establishment of the grass significantly.
Apply a thick layer on top of the joins, narrow strips and any low areas.
Apply a thin layer to the rest of the turf.
Top dressing the turf holds additional moisture for the turf, therefore reducing the turf being shocked after harvesting and using your water more efficiently.
Soak the Turf.
The newly laid turf needs to be watered immediately.
Squash the turf down beneath your feet, or roll the turf, to remove any air pockets.
Keep the roots of turf damp for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
This can fluctuate depending on the season and earth temperatures.
Watering for the first two weeks is critical.
In late spring and summer, the turf may need to be watered from above the ground twice a day to be kept damp.
Mowing the turf.
After the lawn has been down a couple of weeks it can be mown, the first mowing is usually done a little higher than normal. Please do not mow Palmetto too short, as it does not like having its runners exposed.
Settling in of the turf.
Please, please after all your hard work and hard earned dollars spent – remember that lawn is a living product and you will need to continue to water it regularly (depending on the whether, but say weekly in summer). Yes it is drought tollerant, but it is not cement.
Turf generally takes about 6 months before it settles in, after you have mowed it a few times. Consider fertilising the turf about 2-3 months after laying to give it that extra boost.
You will find that during your first winter, the turf will loose more colour than what it will in the subsequent winters.
3. Water Your Lawn
5. Turf Maintenance
6. Insects and Weeds
7. Turf Diseases
We see many lawns throughout the season. Using our protable turf cutter we inspecvthe sb surface turf has been laid on. Not suprisingly the sub surface is crushal to a good top surface.
Fertilising Your Turf every 6 – 8 weeks is crucial. A healthy fertilized lawn remains uniform and maintains its original grass species and is weed free. The regular growth of a well fertilised lawn helps decrease the amount of mowing and is less susceptible to diseases, stress and damage.
Site preparation should be done before ordering your turf. Visit ourSite Preparation page for more information on preparing your site and how to measure and calculate your turf needs for odd shaped properties.
Are you planning to lay down your own turf? Check out our Turf Installation page for handy hints and tips before you get started. Did you know that turf needs to be installed and watered immediately after delivery?
Laying turf not your thing? Let Sydney Lawn & Turf Supplies take care of all your installation needs. Let us give you a no obligation quote.
Your lawn, like garden plants, needs watering and the amount of water will depend on weather conditions. Always water your lawn immediately after fertilising to reduce the chance of burning the grass. Need to know more about watering your lawn? Visit out Lawn Watering page for handy tips and hints that will have your lawn looking great all year round.
Our turf maintenance programs will help protect your investment and save you time and money over the long term.
Too many times we have seen lawns which have been laied and left to go wild, finding it weedy, patchy or in ppor condition generally.
Be informed about some of the most common turf weeds and insects that could affect. OurTurf Weeds and Insects page will provide you up-to-date information on how to prevent against such diseases.
There are many turf diseases that affect Australia if a proper maintenance program is not in place. Our Turf Diseases page will inform you of some of the most common turf diseases in Australia.
For healthy, vigorous good looking lawn, fertilise every 6 – 8 weeks
Why should I Fertilise?
A healthy fertilized lawn remains uniform and maintains its original grass species and is weed free.
The regular growth of a well fertilised lawn helps decrease the amount of mowing. Well fed lawn is stronger and less susceptible to diseases, stress and damage.
When should I Fertilise?
Wait at least 5 weeks after installation to fertilise your new lawn. A regular routine of fertilising every 6 – 8 weeks should then be implemented.
Fertilising heavily in autumn (March and April) to ensure the lawn stays strong as it goes into winter. Winter can be a peak stress time.
Early winter heavy fertilising will keep the lawn as green as possible for as long as possible.
What sort of Fertiliser should I use?
Lawn fertilisers are very different from standard garden fertilisers. Choose a lawn fertiliser that has about twice as much nitrogen as potassium, but with only 1-2% phosphorous.
Call us so that we can recommend the best possible fertilising programe to be implemented to keep your lawn looking strong and healthy. This is especially important with the soft leaf buffalo as all the varities respond well to fertilising programes.
How should I apply the Fertiliser?
Spread the fertiliser evenly with a gloved hand or with a hand trolley. Rem mbering it is extreamly important to water the fertiliser in immediately to prevent it from burning the grass. We have seen many lawns treated in a a DIY fashion that have ended in poor outcomes.
Posted by The Zeal Group. Call us on 1300882787
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