NIDA'S MOWING

How long should your grass be allowed to grow and why?

It’s best not to cut your grass to short.  Trying to cut back on the frequency of  mowing by cutting it short can damage your lawn’s health. Some grasses do not do well when they’re cut short.

Lawns maintained around 35-70 mm will avoid yellowing and lightening of the colour, reduced density, exposed roots, pest and disease risk.  

Are there other benefits to leaving the grass a bit longer? 

We face drought and heavy water restrictions in Brisbane at times, increasing your lawn height will help to protect the soil from losing water through evaporation.

Longer grass is more protected from extremes of weather, temperature, weeds, and pests. Try frequent trims without taking too much off, or just let it grow for a bit longer.

Add Nutrients

A lush, carpet of rich green lawn  depends on more than just sunshine and rain. Regular fertilising of your  grass is the best way to ensure good health and appearance. Fertilising also helps with water penetration to decrease the need of watering. It can even reduce weed growth and pest attacks, which are always a threat in Queensland.

Why it’s Important to Aerate your lawn?

Hardy lawn grasses need a healthy well established root system below the ground. The stronger the root system the more tolerant and resistant to weather extremes, fungus, diseases and pests your lawn will become. A strong well established root system is better able to take in air, nutrients and water. Your lawns’ roots need to ‘breathe’. 

What is Coring? 

With regular aeration,  solid tines are used to simply punch holes in and loosen the ground. Core aeration takes out a plug of soil from your lawn which loosens the surrounding compacted soil by giving it more room to spread out. It also provides a direct channel to the root system for water, fertiliser, sand, hydrated lime or gypsum.

When should I aerate?

Aerate warm season grasses during active growing periods like spring and summer if possible. Aeration though can be done at any time of the year if needed. Always aerate before fertilising or performing any other major lawn care operation such as top dressing. It is also a fantastic time for aeration after rainfall, as it will make this process much easier. 

What are the benefits of Aerating your lawn?

A quick list of just some of the many benefits to aerating your lawn. 

• Soil absorbs more water
• Reduces soil compaction
• Thatch breaks down easier
• Lawn is more resistant to heat and drought stress
• Oxygen uptake of soil increases
• Stronger root development
• Fertilizer and nutrients in soil are more easily used by grass
• Water runoff decreases significantly

Test your pH 

After you aerate your lawn is also a good time to check your soils PH level. The ideal pH range for your lawn is somewhere between 6 and 7.

Soil pH affects your lawns ability to absorb the minerals and nutrients it needs in order to thrive. A soil pH level that’s less than ideal can be treated and corrected. Ask us how?

Improve your soil type:

A pH value over 7.0, indicates alkaline soil. Your soil is low on nutrients like phosphorus, iron and manganese.

Increase acidity with compost, manure, or clippings.  Sulphate of Iron or Alum may be needed if the pH reading is high.

Soil pH value below 7.0, is acidic. To balance acidic soil add lime, dolomite or poultry manure.

Can you have a dog and a perfect Lawn?

Dogs use our lawns more than we do, they cause wear and tear, particularly if you have a large dog or one that likes to run the same path up and down the fence line day after day.  Some dogs like to dig holes, maybe trying to escape, burying bones or just boredom. Wear and tear or urine and faeces burns, all damage your lawn. 

I have brown/dead spots on my lawn is it the dog or lawn grubs/beetles? 

Is your dog's urine causing the problem? Or a pest or disease of the grass. Check by grasping the grass shoots and lifting them up. If the roots are still firmly attached, it's likely to be urine burn. Whereas if the roots are loose and come out of the ground easily, it may be caused by a bug or grass disease. 

Can you have a perfect Lawn and a dog?

Your best mate can live in harmony and enjoy your perfect lawn. Dog Rocks are a natural and safe Australian product. Dog Rocks - Homepage  Add to your dog’s water and they can reduce if not eliminate urine burn marks from your lawn. Female dogs and Large Breeds cause more urine scalding on the grass because of the quantity of urine deposited in one place.

Keep your dog, or the neighbor's cat, off an area of your lawn you are trying to repair.

A product called Skedaddle Dog & Cat Deterrent Granules is available.
Spread it on the lawn and the dog or cat will avoid that area. Multicrop 500g Skedaddle Dog And Cat Deterrent - Bunnings Australia This is a non-toxic product made up of natural aromatic oils.  Proper training is also imperative.

What are Lawn Grubs?

Lawn grubs are prevalent during the warmer Australian months (i.e. October through to March). This is the time when your lush green lawn is most susceptible because it is healthy, fertile and full of nutrients. Following their maturity, lawn grubs turn into moths and beetles (an unfortunate and never ending cycle!). 

Identifying Lawn Grub Activity

1. Sponge-like texture

2. Increased moth/beetle activity

3. Increased bird activity

4. Brown patches

As the grubs feed on the lawn leaves and or the root system, the lawn will develop visible brown patches and be easily pulled out. 

To catch or not to catch? Grass clippings that is. Should you catch, rake or leave your grass clippings when mowing your lawn?

There is no simple answer, a bit of both may be needed for your lawn. Leaving clippings on the lawn can be a great source of nitrogen and act as a natural fertiliser for your lawn. Recycling  grass clippings can actually account for 25% of its annual nitrogen requirements.

Mulching Mowers

Using a regular mower, then only leave small amount of clippings every now and then. 

A mulching mower, cuts clippings up much finer, so it is ok to leave these fine clippings, evenly distributed on your lawn.  Smaller clippings easily fall through your grass to the soil surface where they are most beneficial. 

Do turf varieties need to be treated differently?

The type of grass you have in your lawn needs to be taken into consideration when deciding whether to catch your clippings. If you have a fine couch lawn and want a manicured finish, it’s best to catch the clippings. For mixed grasses, buffalo or kikuyu lawns, mulch mowing is the best option.