With the shorter winter days, it is a great time to get your favourite winter jackets out of the wardrobe, but your lawn isn’t as appreciative of the change in climate.
The question is, what can you do to help your lawn combat the cold?
MORE WEEDS
Winter is the perfect time for fighting winter weeds because you can control them before they produce their seeds and spread further across your lawn.
Weeds thrive in winter so it’s important to stay on top of them. Remember, when applying any herbicides to always do this in the morning as these products tend to work best with a full day of sun after application.
It is also important to make sure you wait for any dew to dissipate before applying any herbicides.
One of the quickest and easiest ways to manage many types of weeds is to simply pull them out by hand. If you have some undesirable weeds growing in your lawn, then removing them in most cases like this is pretty straight forward. But there are some weeds you shouldn’t pull out by hand.
By doing so, you can actually make the spread of these weeds worse. This is usually as a result of leaving nasty bulbs or nuts behind in the soil, that continue to spread and multiply out of sight before emerging again. A lot of action can be occurring below the ground and it’s important that this is considered before going straight in there for the pull.
If you have any of these particular weeds in your lawn, here’s what you need to know.
NUTGRASS
A noxious weed, nutgrass is part of the sedge weed family which also includes Mullumbimby Couch. Nutgrass gets its name from the nut-like tubers found on the roots (rhizomes) of the plant.
This weed is identifiable as it is usually a lighter green than the rest of your lawn and tends to grow taller.
Nutgrass has three blades that shoot up from the stem and has a triangular stem rather than a circular stem like most grasses.
TREATMENT
If you find nutgrass in your lawn, it is best you act quickly before it spreads and becomes almost impossible to remove. If there is only a small amount, you can remove it by digging it out with a small spade, but you have to be extremely diligent with this to ensure there is no roots or bulbs left in the soil, as nutgrass will reappear if left behind.
Simply pulling the nutgrass out by hand will leave these nut-like tubers in the soil, allowing them to continue to spread.
If there is a large amount of nutgrass in your lawn, you will need to treat it with a selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia Sedge Control or Sempra.
Please note, there are weed types that require several applications to ensure eradication and continued control so please be sure to closely read the product’s instruction leaflet.
These weeds can be controlled with Amgrow Bin-Die Selective Lawn Weeder (a herbicide) and is safe to use on our premium turf varieties (Sir Grange Zoysia, TifTuf Bermuda, Sir Walter DNA Certified and Nullarbor Couch).
For more information on types of weeds that can affect your lawn see our useful Weed Identification Guide.
DORMANT GRASS
The unique climate in South East Queensland means we don’t feel the full effects of winter dormancy, but the tips for dormancy are still good to follow.
Warm weather grasses such as Nullarbor Couch enter dormancy in winter, with the impact being a loss of colour and less growth.
When mowing, it is important during winter to raise your mower blades and leave more leaf to help your lawn combat the cold.
The longer the leaf across winter, the more opportunity your lawn has to maintain an appropriate level of photosynthesis as there is less sunlight during winter, and your lawn needs a certain amount of sunlight exposure during the day to maintain its health.
If you experience any issues helping your lawn combat the cold and you find your lawn now has a loss of colour, there is a product that can apply a permanent, non-removable green pigment to your lawn to create that healthy, lawn appearance.
ColourGuard PLUS is available via our online shop and can be used for general use in winter or to prepare for a special event, such as a birthday party or engagement party.
LESS WATERING
Now that winter has arrived, there is less room for growth and less heat exposure, resulting in your lawn requiring less water.
Save your time and water by reducing your watering schedule. For example, we recommend a through watering every two weeks during winter.
FERTILISING & OVERSOWING
For a healthy lawn during winter, and all-year-round, fertilising your lawn will replenish your lawn’s nutrients. A fertiliser high in potassium is a suitable product to protect your lawn across winter.
You can also over sow turf varieties such as ryegrass. Simply spread the seed over your existing lawn and it will flourish through winter.
Helping your lawn combat the cold with oversowing now will mean when spring arrives, your lawn will have the best chance at being at its best or coming back to life quicker than you expected.
LAWN CARE
All year lawn maintenance is required to keep your lawn weed-free, pest-free and growing to the best of its ability.
CONTACT US
Call the name you can trust in turf on (07) 3113 9071.
Jimboomba Turf Group is open Monday to Friday between 7.00am and 3.00pm (pick up only until 3.00pm) and Saturdays between 7.00am and 12.00pm. You are welcome to visit and see first-hand the quality turf varieties in stock at office at 1/243 Bradman Street, Acacia Ridge. Get directions here.
If you are ready to get growing, head over to our online shop and place your turf order or lawn maintenance order – our online shop checkout is 100% secure (for Visa, Mastercard and Zip). Place your order online here.
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