Growing for Success | Lawn care tips that really grow on you

Spring is a great time to establish a new lawn or repair an old, tired, existing one. With a little bit of warmth in the ground, sunny days, a bit of moisture about and hopefully no hot drying winds, a newly sown lawn can germinate quickly and grow into a nice, thick, lush lawn in about half the time.

When deciding what type of lawn to grow, you need to consider the use of the area, the amount of water available, the amount of time you have to maintain it, the amount of shade over the area, the competition it has from overhead trees, the gradient it is growing on and if you would like it to be green all year round. There is a huge range of types of lawns you can choose from, each with its own benefits and downfalls, but not all types are suited to our region.

Spyder 2 fescue is a cool season grass that, unlike most other fescue varieties, has a lateral spread habit. This means that as it matures, it will start to creep and intertwine, making it much more durable and self-repairing. Spyder 2 fescue is green all year round and dark green in colour. It prefers to be cut a bit longer than some other grass varieties but makes a beautiful, lush-looking lawn. It is soft to the touch and ideal for kids to play on. Spyder 2 fescue can be sown all year round but germinates a lot faster over the spring-summer months. It has a reasonable shade tolerance but prefers a full-sun environment. It would be my choice for all the cool season grasses, and I would sow it down as 100 per cent pure Spyder 2.

Intense perennial rye-grass is another cool-season grass that performs very well here. It is a hard-wearing variety that is often used in heavy-use areas like sports fields. It has the ability to tolerate a low cutting height and makes an excellent companion grass for other cool and warm season grasses. It has a reasonable shade tolerance, dark green colour and fine leaf texture. Intense rye-grass grows all year round but does particularly well over the winter months.

Creeping red fescue is a fine-leafed grass with a hint of red at the base of the leaf. It has a rhizomatous root system that gives it the ability to creep and grow quickly, giving it good cover. It is one of the most shade-tolerant varieties we carry in stock, and having a low water requirement once established, it competes well with overhead trees. It is often used as a companion grass when extra shade tolerance is required to fill in among other grasses. Creeping red fescue has a lovely soft dark leaf and is another cool season grass that is well suited to our region.

Bermuda couch is a warm-season grass that will go dormant in our cool winters. It has a creeping or running habit of growth that makes it extremely hard to wear. Bermuda couch can be cut exceptionally low, is very drought tolerant and extremely hard-wearing. The seed is super fine, almost dust-like, and best sold as a coated seed for easy broadcasting. The rate of application is very sparse, so it is often broadcast in a mixture of dry sand and seed. There are several varieties of Bermuda couch, but most have a soft leaf and good summer colour.

Kikuyu grass is a very aggressive, quick-spreading warm-season grass that will go dormant quite early in the cooler months. It has a quick growth rate over the summer months and will require regular edging and mowing to keep it in control. It has a light green colour and thick stems. Kikuyu grass is usually grown from sprigs or rolls of turf rather than seed, and when sold as seed, it is usually sold mixed in with about eighty per cent or more of quick-growing cool season grass. This germinates first and gives good cover until the Kikuyu grass gets going and takes over.

Soft-leaf buffalo grass is another warm-season grass often grown in our area. It is not as aggressive as Kikuyu in terms of growth rate or spread. It has a harder, thicker leaf that will hold its colour for longer as the cold weather settles in before going dormant over winter. It is hard-wearing with good colour and heat tolerance but does poorly in shady areas. It will require weekly mowing and edging over the summer months and mown down close once a year to minimise build-up in depth.

In the garden centre, we sell many of these varieties of seed by kilogram and can advise you what type of grass will best suit your situation. We can also advise you on how to prepare, sow and care for your new lawn. So drop by and have a chat — we are really into grass.