Love your LAWN
If you want a good price for your house it pays to put time into a great lawn writes Gareth Carter
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH conducted a few years back ranked a well-maintained lawn as one of the most significant influences in achieving a good sale price and strong value in your home.
A nice lawn is actually not hard to achieve as long as the straightforward maintenance outlined in this article is followed.
Lawn grasses establish best either in autumn, from March to the end of May, or in spring from September to November. The soil is still warm and autumn rains will soon moisten it completely. In areas where early severe frost can occur seed should be sown in spring from September to November.
A really good lawn can be obtained only by intensive soil preparation before sowing; once the lawn is established it is difficult to level off an uneven surface or eradicate undesirable weed species.
Initial preparation
The first step is to remove all existing pasture type growth. Most grasses and perennial weeds are effectively controlled with glyphosate based sprays such as Grosafe Glyphosate, Yates Zero or Roundup. Harder to kill species such as blackberry and onion weed can be removed with Roundup Tough.
If topsoil has been brought on to the site it is advantageous not to sow immediately but to leave bare for about 2-3 weeks allowing any weed seed present to germinate.
It is important at this stage to consider drainage. Most grasses prefer a welldrained loam or sandy loam soil rather than heavier wetter soils. Good drainage means better penetration of water and air to the grass roots. It also means moss and hydrocotyle weed, which can thrive and more resistant to the invasion of in moist lawn areas, are less likely to weeds. Fertilising in spring and autumn invade the lawn. with a specific lawn fertiliser such as Tui
On some very heavy soils it is wise Lawn Force Slow Release will ensure to import some sandy loam soil, grass remains strong and healthy. In
wet●of spreading it over the area 8-10cm heavier soils it is beneficial to also deep and incorporate it into fertilise with garden lime once the topsoil. In extremely a year. Garden lime should be situations permanent applied in August or drainage may need to be September 2-3 weeks installed. before the application of
It is worth putting lawn fertiliser. Garden lime time into preparing the increases the ph of the soil to the correct levels soil which makes more and contours. nutrients in the soil
For small areas a rake, available to the lawn to fork and spade will suffice use. It also has the benefit but for larger areas a rotary adding calcium to the soil hoe will save time. The soil which plays a major role in the should be worked up to a depth physiology of the plant, of about 8cm using a rotary hoe or strengthening its physical structure, garden fork until the soil is a fine tilth. increasing nutrient uptake and
Any lumps or clods should be removed protecting it from disease. or broken down. Level and compact When sowing a new lawn use fertiliser lightly, making the surface as even as Tui Lawn Force for New Lawns. This you can to avoid “humps” and “hollows”. specific fertiliser has been formulated for
The area should be left to consolidate application when sowing seed. for a week, walking over the area for grading, raking and destroying weeds plus watering or rainfall will help with this process. If the soil is still soft and spongy all over rolling may be necessary. To avoid too much compaction only roll or tread the soil when it is damp, not wet.
Grass health and fertiliser
Like all plants, regular feeding will keep grass in good health and the turf thick
Selecting and sowing seed
There is a wide range of seed blends available to suit the particular requirements or the situation. We recommend a range of seed called Ican Specialty Lawn Seed. This range of seed comes in a range of blends to suit different property conditions, including Everyday Blend, All Seasons, Hot & Dry and Premium.
A calm day is best when sowing grass seed, as seed is small and light. To assist in achieving an even sowing it is recommended that you divide the seed into halves and then spread the first half in one direction and the other half at right angles to it. After sowing the soil surface should be lightly raked, on light sandy soils a light covering of Tui Lawn Preparation Mix is recommended. This will help to retain moisture and help to prevent seed washing away during watering or rain. The soil surface should be kept moist with light watering until seedlings have germinated. Water the lawn less frequently as the seedlings grow stronger, this encourages the roots to grow deeper.
It is very important that young germinated lawn seed is kept moist otherwise it will die.
A good lawn can be obtained only by intensive soil preparation
Establishment care
Watering should be cut down to once a week and when grass is 3.5-4cm high it should be mown lightly and clippings removed. The first mow should not remove more than 10 per cent of the height of the grass. After the 3rd-4th mow the cutting height can be gradually reduced. After the first or second mow the lawn should be fertilised with Tui Lawn Force for New Lawns, again using the recommended rates on the bag.
Putting in the hard work now will have you relaxing and enjoying your lawn in the months to come.