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Mowing

Download our care sheet for initial mowing of new lawn  

  • Lawns should be mowed regularly, weekly in warmer months, less in winter months.
  • Rule of thumb, only mow 1/3 of leaf blade at anyone time.
  • On hot days, lawn mowed during the middle of day, will enjoy to be watered after mowing.
  • Sharpen your mower blades as required, check the leaf blade tips, if they are badly damaged & have a brown tinge, it will suggest that your blades needs sharpening or you need to lower your mowing speed.
  • Always change the direction you mow your lawn each time you mow
  • Clippings can be left on most of the time unless they clump when the lawn is wet or too long like in summer months

TIP: After mowing your lawn it will appreciate a drink

Mowing Height
Be prepared for excessive growth of your lawn when first installed, this is common for all types of turf varieties because, the turf has come from our farm without any roots, so the turf will grow madly until they are fully established again. Once your lawn has stabilized, maybe six – twelve months later, you need to set your mowing height, ‘Sir Walter’ 30 – 40 mm in full sun, ‘Sir Walter’ in shade 50-60 mm, wintergreen couch 20-25 mm, blue couch 25 – 35 mm. You may need to mow it a couple of times to achieve this.

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Watering


Initial Watering of your new lawn is critical to it’s success, after laying completely saturate your entire lawn area until it is squelching under your feet, once you have achieved this, just constant top ups are required to keep your lawn thriving. This will depend on weather conditions as to how often a sprinkling is required, on hot days maybe 3 -4 times per day over the entire lawn area laid or in cooler months just once a day.

The establishment period will differ as to the time of year the lawn is laid, generally in summer 3 -4 weeks and in winter maybe 4 -6 weeks.

Continue watering of your new lawn on a regular basis, 4 – 10 days apart depending on soil types, slopes with run off and weather conditions, the regular watering will encourage the lawn to continue to grow strong and healthy roots.

However once the root system has become somewhat established 4- 6 months old, you will need to water on a needed basis which is easily done by visual inspection on the leaves, you will notice a slight wilting of the leaves and they will lose colour to a dull green in patches, this is the way the plant survives dry conditions. The leaf will close together to conserve moisture, which reduces the amount of surface area open to the elements.

Watering Tips
  • Deep & regular watering is preferred in the first six months
  • Deep & infrequent watering of an established lawn promotes a healthy root system
  • Watering in mornings or late afternoon is best
  • Watering after mowing is preferred
  • Watch out for irrigation systems which may have a dry spot in corners
  • In sandy soils water crystals are a great idea
  • Shady areas require less water


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Fertilizing

Initial Maintenance Your new lawn has no roots system established yet, so fertilizing program will be different for the first 12 months. It will always depend on your soil type and how much fresh & improved soil you have added to your site as to the frequency of the application of fertilizer.

Hopefully you have fertilized when the lawn was laid, this will be adequate for the first month or so, often you see a change in colour which tells you it is time to feed the lawn.

4 – 6 week period apply ‘Sir Walter’ Fertilizer @ 25 grams to the square metre (2.5Kg per 100 m2)
10-12 week period apply ‘Sir Walter’ Fertilizer @ 25 grams to the square metre (2.5Kg per 100 m2)

Continue this on a regular basis for the first 12 months, that is each time the colour starts to change, 8 – 12 weeks apart.

Regular Maintenance
Regular applications of fertilizer are essential for strong, healthy and deep rooted lawns. A mixture of organic and artificial fertilizer is recommended to promote steady growth, and the best times to do that are Autumn and Spring. Depending upon your soil, it may be necessary to fertilize more in the first couple of years until the roots of the turf have fully established.

You can continue using ‘Sir Walter’ Fertilizer constantly if you like as it is a complete fertilizer, however lawns are generally not fussy and anything with the N:P:K in the area of 15: 2 : 10 is okay.

Click here to go to our Turf Care Products for more information on fertilizers

TIP: Try using ‘SUPER GRASS’ by Katek produced locally here on the coast, it is 50/50 balanced mix of Synthetic & Organic fertilizer granules with major & trace elements, suitable for plants, vegetables and fruit trees, available from; Daleys Turf, Buderim Landscape Centre, Tenkate Landscape Supplies. RATE: 5 - 7.5 kg per 100 m2 see label for more information

Soil conditioners like ‘Dolomite’ & ‘Gypsum’ are to be regularly applied once a year, and the best time to do this is Spring. These products play a vital part in keeping your soil in condition, to allow for maximum benefit from fertilizers and allows maximum growth of roots RATE: 25kg per 100 m2

TIPS:
  • Always watering in well after fertilizing
  • Always use a pattern to fertilize to limit missing areas,
  • On pure sand sites use slow release fertilizers to limit leaching into drains
  • Use a ph test kit to test your soil condition before fertilizing, should be 5.8 – 6.5 range
  • Shady areas require less fertilizing, rule of thumb is 50 % less.


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Shade

Download our care sheet for Growing Sir Walter in Shady Areas  

It is difficult to gauge how much sunlight an area receives, so the only method of working it out is to watch the area during the day and find out which direction it faces. Areas facing North & East are better than areas facing West & South.

“Sir Walter” requires a minimum 3 hours of quality sun, that is between the hours of 9am – 3pm, outside these times more sunlight is required. Morning sun is more valuable than afternoon because it is more intense. Building shade is worse than tree shade because it keeps the ground temperature down.

Tree shade is also very hard to gauge as the foliage of the tree determines the amount of light let in and often a pruning of any low limbs will help with establishment of the new lawn. Shallow rooted and surface roots of trees are also a problem as the tree is established and therefore can be overpowering robbing the lawn of valuable moisture and nutrients. To combat this we suggest that at least 100mm or more of soil is placed over any exposed roots or if possible cut out some of the problem roots.

Palm trees ( especially Golden Canes) have a very aggressive root structure and commonly cause lawns to fail, this problem can be over come by digging a trench around the base of the palm about 1 metre out, down about 300mm to cut off these roots, then put a good amount of soil down before laying, this gives the lawn a equal start. So when around palms, extra watering may be necessary to feed both lawn and palm.

South sides of buildings generally have a situation where in middle of winter there is no sun for about 6 weeks, and then in summer it receives full sun for a couple of months. In this area “Sir Walter” has proven to be successful because over the year it has received enough units of sunlight.

Wear & Tear if your area receives light use it should be okay, however if you plan to use this area for kids then you need more hours of sunlight to allow for the lawn to recover(4-5hrs) and if there are dogs then at least 5-6 hours of sunlight.

There are a number of vital points to remember about shady conditions which can make the difference between failure and success.
  • Scalping is one of the worst things to do, that is where the mower is set too low or the undulation of the ground causes the mower to cut in and remove all of the green foliage.
  • The height of the lawn in shade is critical, the more shade the higher the height of the lawn 75-100mm is common.
  • Mowing in shady areas causes a major setback in the condition of the lawn and therefore should only be done 4-6 weeks in summer and maybe not at all during winter. Don’t mow your lawn just to pick up leaves, this causes stress and takes a while to recover.
  • Over fertilizing in shady areas burns off all new growth, so only fertilize when lawn is losing colour not when it is thinning out as this is most likely to be from lack of light. Lawn in shade requires less fertilizer than an area that is in full sun, the same applies for water.
  • Over watering prevents oxygen from reaching the root zone, so only water when lawn is not moist.
  • Poor drainage causes the soil to become stagnate, soil should be able to breath.
  • Lawn grubs like moist, damp and fertile areas and therefore shady areas are prone to attacks, so watch carefully with a new lawn.
If your lawn is thinning out and it is green, moist, lawn grub free, minimal wear and tear & has not suffered a major setback then most likely cause is the lack of light.

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Pests

Download our care sheet for Lawn Grubs  

Lawn grubs are a common problem in South East Queensland during the period from November to May, more so to couch lawns rather than ‘Sir Walter’ lawns, they are easily treatable if required, early detection and prevention is the simplest way.

There are two main types of lawn grubs to look out for.

SOD WEBWORM
These are commonly confused with cut worm, however both are treated the same and look very similar. They are transparent, but you can see the green materials they are eating so they can appear greenish. They are smaller than the army worm in size, about 10mm – 25mm, they are also active at night. The adult moth will lay eggs in flight; hatching should take place in 5-7 days time.
ARMYWORM

They are like a caterpillar, usually brown to dull grey, with black stripes on their body, size from 10mm to 30mm long, they are mostly active at night, feeding on the leaf blades of your lawn. They can devastate an entire lawn in 2 – 3 nights.


DETECTION 'choose one or more of these methods'
  • Patches of brown or thinning turf – may suggest there is grubs present, however you need to use one of the methods below to be sure.
  • A visual inspection of the leaf blade can be an effective method, you will actually see holes or part of the leaf missing like chew marks, in bad infestations there will be very little or no leaf at all to see.
  • Use a hose to flood an area, they will come crawling out to the leaf tips, do this in a healthy part of the lawn near infected patches as they prefer the greenest areas.
  • Try pouring a bucket of soapy water over your lawn & look for them.
  • Check under the eaves of your house for furry brown patches these are moth eggs waiting to hatch.
  • Try parting the leaf blades and look for an accumulation of fresh small green pellets of excrement, these are their droppings.
  • If there are orange / black wasps “The Ike Newman Wasp” (Leptobatopsis Indica) flying over your lawn, this will usually indicate that there are grubs present, as the wasp is looking for a host to lay its eggs.




Grub Droppings Moth eggs under eaves Damage to lawn Ike Newman Wasp

TREATMENT
Once you have determined that the grubs are still present, treating them will depend upon how bad the damage is. If you have a new lawn you must spray to control them, lawn grubs have the ability to severely damage new lawns. Spray, spread or hose your lawn with an insecticide, there are various types, Must follow label instructions. Now it is important to break the life cycle of the lawn grub by respraying in 7 – 10 days. If your testing has not produced any visual signs of lawn grub they in fact may have moved on to greener pastures, cocooned or reached moth stage, there for treatment will have no effect. If your lawn was damaged by grubs you can fertilize the patches lightly to aid the recovery. See our web for more info.

TIPS ON SPRAYING
  • Always spray in the evenings, the chemical you are using will breakdown in sunlight within 2 hours of application, which will be before the lawn grubs have a chance to come in contact with the chemical.
  • Don’t spray if rain is likely within 2 hours
  • Read the label on the bottle and always follow label rates
  • Only spray if there is evidence of lawn grubs present.
  • Only spray when protecting a new lawn or when they are in large damaging numbers.
  • Respray your lawn in 7 -10 days to help break the lifecycle.


PREVENTION
This is the best way to manage lawn grubs. Over fertilized lawns are prone to frequent attacks so fertilize your lawn correctly. Avoid fertilizing during summer months (Jan-Feb); fertilize for growth not a deep green colour. Keep the eaves around the home free from moth’s eggs, remove with a broom or mop. Remember insecticides can kill lawn grubs and all other natural predators, the lawn grub will recover first, this may cause you to spray until nature (winter or extended cold weather) takes over again, there for only spray if necessary. Outdoor lights & street lights with lush lawns within close proximity will attract the moths, hence lawn grubs, and therefore will be a likely starting point.

Download more information on other lawn pests  

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Weeds

Download more information on weed identification  

Weeds can be common in couch lawns but rarely in ‘Sir Walter’ as it has the ability to choke out most other weeds. The main thing about weeds is to correctly identify the weed, to help you with this try following the links below or take a photo and email it to us

For ‘Sir Walter’ lawns the only product to be used is ‘Sir Walter’ weed control, which will control most broadleaf weeds, it’s available from all big stores, Kmart, Bunnings, Mitre 10, Big W etc and all good nurseries. Please follow label rates

For all couch lawns there a number of weapons available, weed and feed, Kamba M, Kamba, and the list goes on, talk to your local nursery about which product they have in stock.

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Lawn Renovation

Download our Lawn Renovation Guide  

To improve your lawn, maybe repair some damage area or adjust your mowing height it’s a good idea to renovate your entire lawn area. It is like pruning your lawn and is often done in spring, we have a DIY sheet for you to follow or call our office and we will arrange somebody to come out.

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Top Dressing


To achieve the best results from a new lawn, top dressing should be carried out in the first spring (must be older than 12 weeks). This process levels out the lawn, improves drainage and improves the mowing finish.
  • The leaf blades should always be showing, so don’t smother them.
  • Use Mary River Sand for the best finish.
  • If fertilizing at the same time it’s better to do the fertilizing first.
  • Use a lawn leveller or a plastic rake to spread the sand.
  • When finished top dressing, hose the sand into the lawn for a better finish.


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