Home lawn tips

Lawn Grubs

2012-02-07T10:51:00.000+10:00

I don't think I have ever seen them as bad as they are at the moment. If you are like me and hate chemicals, there is a better way. We use Neem Oil. It's cheap and not poisonous and just stops the grubs eating thereby solving the problem. We buy ours from Plants of Health, phone 07 3865 1288. or we use Molasses - grubs hate sugar and it kills them. It also kills Nematodes; not guaranteed but worth a try.

Mowing your lawn after prolonged wet weather

2012-01-27T16:22:00.000+10:00

When mowing Buffalos, whether it be Sir Walter, Sapphire or Palmetto, after a prolonged wet spell such as we are experiencing at the moment, it is important not to take too much off at once. With Nara Zoysia it won't have grown too much so just mow normally. Couch, especially Wintergreen you may have to shave it down and then let it grow back to your desired length otherwise you will always have brown patches in it.

FREE TURF

2012-01-14T17:28:00.000+10:00

At Horton's Turf we are so confident in the quality of our turf that we offer free samples so you can try before you buy. We have Sapphire and Shade Invader Soft Leaf Buffalos; Nara Native Zoysia, CT2 and Wintergreen couches. We offer samples of one or all of these grasses for you to try. Pick up on Saturday morning only and inspect our farm at the same time.

Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo

2012-01-13T06:38:00.000+10:00

Sapphire Soft Leaf buffalo, bred from Sir Walter, crossed with Shademaster is certainly a winner. It has the highest shade tolerance, better than all other buffalos, zoysias and of course couches and has a finer leaf and beautiful colour.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

2012-01-12T09:53:00.000+10:00

Horton's Turf owner David Horton says "we are the most environmentally friendly company in Australia. We back this by generating more power than we use and grow a product that produces oxygen from carbon dioxide. Our product helps to cool the planet and reduce dust and we use waste products to grow our grass as well as using microbes to improve the soil. We collect all our irrigation water from our farm and recycle all run-off. We do not spray chemical for insects and we grow native grass that only uses a fraction of the water that common Couches and Buffalos use."

Time to Fertilise

2011-12-14T19:46:00.000+10:00

With all of the wet weather we've been having lately your fertiliser is probably leaching from the soil so it would be a good idea to fertilise now.

Choosing the Right Turf

2011-12-08T21:02:00.000+10:00

If you have heavy shade it is a no brainer, Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo. It is a cross between Sir Walter and Shade Master Buffalos and according to DPI tests has the best shade tolerance.

If you are using bore water or have a limited water supply Nara has a very high salt tolerance and a low water requirement. Nara is also great by the beach and has some shade tolerance.

In full sun you can use any grass you like. Couch is very hardwearing and cheaper than the others.

Life cycle of the Lawn Grub

2011-12-05T13:45:00.000+10:00

Most of you will have seen the small greyish spots, about as big as your small fingernail, underneath your eaves particularly where a light is left on at night. These are Lawn Grub eggs. From these small grubs emerge on fine webs and can travel for kilometres. When these tiny grubs land on your lawn they start to feed. They don't eat the roots, they just dethatch your lawn. At the end of their growing cycle they are about 2.5cm long they then burrow into the ground and make a cocoon. At this stage you may notice a red wasp flying around just above the lawn. This wasp is a predator and it stings the cocoon and lays it's eggs in it. It is at this stage that most people spray for the grubs that have already gone. Any grubs that survive the wasps emerge as a small grey moth that lays eggs under your eaves and so the whole cycle begins again. In Brisbane a lot of our infestation comes from the Downs when we have strong Westerly winds.

The moral of the story: Don't spray lawn grubs!

Lawn Grubs

2011-12-05T13:33:00.000+10:00

Lawn grubs are the most misunderstood insects. Most people consider them a pest but they can be your best friend, their job is to clean up unhealthy plants. A lot of people fertilise their lawn with a high nitrogen fertilser which gives them a lovely green lawn that looks great but is in fact full of starch which makes the plant unhealthy. A good balanced fertiliser produces a healthy lawn full of sugars making the lawn unpalatable to the lawn grub.

2011-12-05T13:26:00.000+10:00