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Autumn lawn care: How to Prepare your lawn for Winter
April 7th, 2021 | by chilliDuring the warmer months it can be a hassle working outside in the heat, so April is a great (and cooler) time to start your Autumn lawn care to ensure it’s as healthy as possible throughout Winter and well into Spring!
Your grass needs sunlight
When it starts to get cooler during the Autumn and Winter months it’s a good idea to remove all leaves and lawn clippings from your yard. Removing this debris means that your grass will get more of the sunlight and air it needs to thrive. Trees should also be trimmed back to make sure your grass is receiving as much sunlight as possible.
Mow higher & less frequently
During the cooler months, grass grows much slower which means your lawn should be mowed less frequently. If you do reach the point where your lawn needs to be mowed, the height of your mower should be raised (greater than 2.5cm) to avoid damaging your grass and potentially creating brown spots.
Aerate your lawn
Traffic across your lawn and high temperatures can increase the risk of soil compaction. This compaction often prevents lawn roots from receiving proper nutrients. However, aerating your soil either manually or by professionals will drive oxygen, water and fertiliser down to the roots, encouraging your grass to grow.
Fertilise your lawn
As previously mentioned, grass grows slower in the cooler months. However, this does not mean it needs less nutrients. Your grass will still need to be fertilised to ensure that it remains lush and thriving. If you’re looking for a great fertiliser for your lawn, we recommend our Autumn Blend Lawn Fertiliser, this blend will support, strengthen and feed your turf and soil for up to 3 months.
Lay new turf
If your yard needs a lot more than a little TLC, Autumn is a great time to start thinking about laying new turf. It’s not too hot and still provides plenty of sunshine that your new lawn will need to thrive!
If you want your yard to flourish throughout Winter and in Spring, we’d suggest getting out and working this Autumn!
Contact our team today for a free turf quote or use our online turf calculator to see how much turf you need!
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The Importance of Laying Turf on Same Day as Delivery
August 22nd, 2019 | by chilliLaying turf may sound easy. However, the key to the successful installation for lush green grass is all within the preparation. There are a few steps you have to consider before laying turf to ensure its survival within a new environment. So, we’ve written this handy blog to inform you of the urgency and importance for laying your turf on the same day as delivery.
What is pallet burn?
Have you ever heard of pallet burn? Pallet burn is a term used to describe the heat stress in which turf slabs endure when left on a delivery pallet for too long. The process of pallet burn begins in the centre of the slab, combined with nitrogen in the leaves, moisture in the soil and the weight of the turf. As a direct result, parts of the turf eventually die off and you are left with unsightly dead patches across your new lawn.
Why is laying turf a time-critical process?
There are a few reasons for laying turf in a time-sensitive process. Firstly, most people forget that turf is a living product. This means that it has a short window from harvest to installation before it begins to slowly die. So, laying turf on the same day as delivery will increase its chance for thriving and surviving. We always explain to our customers, the healthier the turf when first laid, the better start to life as your new lawn it will have.
What are the signs of pallet burn?
The first sign of pallet burn on your turf order is the presence of semi-circle patches. It’s hard to miss and this is a clear sign that the pallet had begun to combust. Unfortunately, there are no real preventative methods for avoiding this other than laying the turf on the same day as delivery. Preparation is key, so to avoid being out of pocket, we highly recommend laying the turf as soon as possible.
Do you have a strategic turf laying plan?
Before the delivery of your new turf, have you considered a strategic turf laying plan? This involves completing any necessary gardening, clearing the ground, performing a soil analysis and making necessary improvements. Not to mention the aftercare post-installation such as mowing, fertilising and upkeeping plans. If you’re unsure of these steps mentioned, take a look at our installation instruction handbook for more information.
“Correctly preparing your yard for new turf is vital to successful installation and lawn growth”
If you’re looking to pick up the turf from any farm, we highly recommend that you lay it on the same day. The same rules apply for turf that is delivered to your home or work. Did you know customers of Go Turf can take advantage of our efficient delivery service, straight from our Beerburrum farm to your doorstep? This will ensure you have the freshest turf possible. We also offer next day delivery on orders made before 2 pm, dependant on weather conditions.
Go Turf is the largest independent turf producer on the Sunshine Coast. Supplying developers, builders, landscapers, homeowners and other turf producers. Call us on 1300 781 175 today and be confident in the quality and service of your brand new, green lawn.
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Your Guide to Turf Types: What’s best for your lawn?
August 23rd, 2018 | by chilliIt might seem simple enough, I mean, grass is grass right? Not really.. Certain turf types can thrive or take a dive in your backyard depending on how much direct sun your yard gets, your soil type, where you live and more. We thought we would put together a handy guide on the types of turf, their characteristics and their benefits so that you can choose the most suitable turf for your home. However, if you would rather speak to our team about your requirements you can also call us on 1800 959 176 and we can help you find the perfect turf for you at the best price.
Sapphire Buffalo
An Australian grown turf breed, Sapphire Buffalo has a soft and fine-textured leaf, making it lovely under foot. Known for being a fast growing turf, it will recover quickly from excessive wear, making it ideal for household lawns and recreational areas. Thanks to its deep system, Sapphire Buffalo will keep a nice, green colour throughout the winter months. People often refer on Sapphire Buffalo as the ‘street-envy’ turf, thanks to its truly deep, rich green colouring. As Sapphire Buffalo turf tolerates shade and cold quite well, it’s an excellent choice for coastal and inland regions. Yet another benefit of Sapphire is less seed (39% less than other Buffalo turf varieties) making it a great choice for people who suffer from allergies as there will be less seed in the air when mowing etc.
Wintergreen Couch
Wintergreen Couch is a hybrid green couch that, such like its name suggests, retains its colour really well throughout the year and has a fine, dense foliage, making it a common choice. It is perfect for families who want a durable yet soft lawn at an economic price. It has produces slightly higher seed head and has a finer leaf than other couch varieties, giving it a lush, dense turf surface. Wintergreen is used extensively in home lawns, council parks and housing estates ad is the most common choice in Queensland. Wintergreen couch prefers full sun, so if you have a shady backyard you should consider another turf variety.
Empire Zoysia
Empire Zoysia is extremely durable and easy to look after. It has excellent wear tolerance and thrives in heat and humidity, making it the most suitable turf for our South East Queensland climate. Zoysia grows well in the shade and will generally out-compete weeds once established. One of the biggest benefits of Empire Zoysia is that it generally needs less watering and less mowing than any other turf variety in Australia. It’s also labelled as a drought tolerant lawn, making it a great choice for those of us who live in a drier area or have a knack for ignoring the lawn.
Nara Native
If you live in an area with a higher salt level soil, such as near the ocean, Nara Native turf may be the best choice for you. It is low maintenance and very salt tolerant with a beautiful fine texture that’s lush under foot. It’s quick to establish, requires little maintenance such as mowing or edging and rarely gets pests of diseases. Extremely well suited to humid and dry climates and although can show signs of rust in wet winters and colder areas, it will tolerate them well and affected areas will generally be camouflaged in the mature leaves.
We are the biggest (and best) turf supplier servicing the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. So whether you need a lot or just a little, the friendly, local team at Go Turf can help. Call us on 1300 781 175 or send us an enquiry for a free quote. We offer delivery and installation services or you can pick up your new turf directly from our farm in Beerburrum, we make it as easy as possible for our customers.
Image Source: Empire Turf
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The Beginner’s Guide to Mulching for Healthy Plant Life
August 24th, 2017 | by chilliA lot of us spend a considerable about of time caring for and watering our plants. While the majority of the time, the sun is a great friend to our plant life, it can also dry out your plants and soil through evaporation. As a way to combat this issue and keep your plants and soil moist for longer, we use mulch.
What is mulch?
Mulch is an organic matter that’s spread over your garden beds and surrounding plants in order to protect your plant life and soil and well as support healthy growth in your garden.
The best mulches are generally organic and can come from a variety of garden and food by-products, which we will cover below.
Why mulch?
Mulching has many benefits, including:
- Reducing the water loss from your soil through evaporation
- Weed prevention of up to 50-70%
- Controlling soil erosion
- Reducing need for chemical sprays
- Increases biological activity in soil, e.g. worms and good bacteria
- Improves plant health
- Improves the appearance of your garden
What to use
- Compost material is highly beneficial for your garden’s plants and soil. Generally, the older the better as broken down compost has a higher level of nutrients.
- Old wood chips, such as pine or eucalyptus. The wood chips will need to be old, as fresh woodchips can strip your soil of nitrogen.
- Dry leaves, lawn clippings or plant material (twigs and thin branches can be shredded using a lawn mower)
- Straw and hay.
Tips
Mulch size
When it comes to mulch, bigger is better. Coarse mulches are proven to be much more effective at allowing water to pass through the mulch and into the soil, whereas finer mulches tend to absorb a substantial amount of water themselves, reducing the amount available for the soil. Generally speaking, mulch material should be at least 5mm in size for the best results.
BYO is best
Using a compost bin and making your own high-nutrient mulch requires little effort from you, but saves a lot of energy cost from transportation as well as money to buy pre-made mulch from a store. Allow the mulch to mature for a few weeks before applying it to your plants
Prepare your soil for mulching
For the best results from your mulching efforts, ensure the area your garden area is free from weeds and wet the soil prior to laying your mulch down. Apply your mulch to a depth of around 75mm and avoid mulching right up to tree trunks or plant stems as the mulch can cause rotting or burn the plants.
Mulching is an effective way to improve the health and moisture or your soil and plants, creating a luscious and appealing garden for your yard. Mulching is accessible to us all (with a little effort), and it not only saves water, and therefore saves us money. But it’s a great excuse to get out in the yard and into the sunshine. For more tips on how to care for your yard and turf or improving the look and feel of your backyard, visit the Go Turf website or find us on Facebook here.
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