Small Biz Spotlight - Southern Lawns
Over to Daniel to explain how we created such an amazing home lawn…
Our lawn and landscape was a new installation and as such we had the luxury of improving the soil without too many obstacles in the way. This really is the easiest time to substantially improve the soil on a new build, before obstacles like trees, shrubs, garden beds and edging, drive and pathways are added.
It is also a great deal easier to cultivate the soil prior to installing an irrigation system, as there is less risk of hitting irrigation heads and piping etc.
Step 1:
The first thing we did was rip all the areas to be planted out with lawn and garden to a depth of 300-400mm. The soil here was uncontrolled fill, so basically a mixture of clay and rubble. Ripping is a great way to big time break up compacted soils, allowing for adequate root development as the lawn and landscape matures over the coming years.
Step 2:
After this initial ripping we marked out and edged the pathways and driveway to set our levels, and then spread approx. 100mm of a blend of Botany Humus and Mushroom Compost over the area to be planted out, both lawn area and garden beds, along with some Gypsum. We then rotary hoed the Botany Humus and Mushroom Compost into the already ripped soil, mixing the site soil and added organics together to prevent any layering.
If you don’t have access to the above equipment, you will need to get your mattock and shovel out of the shed and put your back into it. The more you can mix the added organics into the existing soil profile the better.
Step 3:
Now the bulk of the soil cultivation was done, we then installed the garden edging and irrigation system. We used MP Rotators by Hunter, partly because of their water efficiency, but partly also because they just look cool!
Step 4:
From that point I added a premium garden mix to raise the garden beds, both for appearance and drainage, and a skim of fine Nitro-Humus with a little sand over the top of the lawn areas to achieve final levels.
Once again, as this was a new landscape installation, and my home, I had the luxury of time so I was able to let the lawn area sit for a month or so, allowing the cultivated soil to settle, while also allowing any weed seed in the prepared lawn areas to germinate so I could kill it off with roundup. I watered the lawn a bunch of times throughout this month off, to aid settling and to encourage any weed in the soil to stick its head up so I could kill it, I didn’t want any ‘other grasses’ growing through my new cool season lawn.
Step 5:
After allowing the lawn to settle and killing off all weeds in the soon to be planted lawn area, I scratched up the surface to be seeded with my Power Rake, making multiple passes from different directions, breaking up the top 20mm or so of soil, allowing me to final level once again, spreading a little of the fine Nitro-Humus and sand over any low areas.
Again, if you don’t have access to a power rake, a simple garden rake will do the job, just rake the lawn area to level.
Step 6:
The final step was to slit seed with my 20” Hydraulic Slit Seeder. Slit seeding involves cutting slits in the soil at approx. 1 inch spacing and ½ an inch deep, and dropping seed into these slits. I made two passes across the lawn in opposite directions to ensure even coverage. If you’re doing this at home yourself, once again you could use a garden rake. Scratch the soil surface to create small furrows, the seed will settle in these furrows and will be covered with a small amount of soil with the first watering. This mixing of seed and soil will make it easier to keep the seed moist through the germination period.
I used my EVERGREEN lawn seed, a blend of Perennial Ryegrass, Creeping Red Fescue and Kentucky Bluegrass, which are all cool season grasses suited to my region. This blend will require regular care, along with regular watering over the warmer months, but the results speak for themselves.
Your local seed supplier will be able to offer advice on which seed blend best suits your area, and more importantly a seed which suits the level of care you are willing to provide. If I can offer one final piece of advice however, when buying seed be sure to buy the best quality seed you can afford. When it comes to lawn seed, you really do get what you pay for!
From that point it was simply a matter of keeping the soil moist for the next few months while the seed germinated and got itself established.
Ongoing Maintenance:
From an ongoing maintenance perspective, the lawn gets plenty of water through the warmer months, watering 45 mins a zone, 2-3 times a week. I manage the water manually over the cooler months, watering only as required, to save water.
It gets cut at 2 ½ inches most weeks throughout spring, summer and autumn, and every couple of weeks in the winter, with sharp blades, alternating the cutting direction for effect and to reduce wheel marks and compaction.
It also receives my Deluxe lawn care program of six seasonal visits per year, early spring, late spring, summer, early autumn, late autumn and winter. Each treatment includes an organic based granular fertilisation, along with weed and insect controls as required. Weed controls generally include a blanket broadleaf weed and pre-emergent in the spring, and then spot treat as required for the rest of the year. Insect controls generally include an early season preventative treatment around October/ November, and then depending on the weather, as required later in the season.
A similar lawn care program, whether it be provided by a professional lawn care company, or provide by the home owner, is absolutely critical in achieving the results you see here. When combined with proper mowing and watering, the end result is a lawn to be proud of.
Lastly, I’d like to make the point to all those houseproud homeowners and lawn lovers out there, it’s really not that difficult to have a truly great cool season lawn.
Prepare the soil well, get plenty of organics in there, install a well-designed irrigation system, ideally providing head to head coverage, employ a professional lawn care company to treat the lawn on a regular 2 monthly basis, or do so yourself, and be prepared to mow most weeks while the lawn is growing well, and at an appropriate height. I really can’t stress enough, proper mowing can be the difference between a good lawn and a great lawn.
Daniel Corry
Owner Southern Lawns
112 Burradoo Road
Burradoo
NSW 2576
www.facebook.com/southernlawnsau.