How to look after your new Readylawn

Your lawn is already about a year old and has been through the early traumas of germination, weed infestations, pest and disease threats and it has been mown, brushed, sprayed, fed, watered and rolled until it has become strong and mature enough to transplant to your place.

It just needs some simple common sense inputs to make the transition successful.

Here are some pointers:

Watering

The turf mat and the soil beneath must be kept moist until the turf is well rooted in, but that does not mean it should be kept flooded. In summer this could mean watering at least once a day, in winter maybe not at all.

Apply water until it has penetrated the turf mat and the first 50mm of soil, lift the corner of a few rolls to check.
Watering in the early mornings is best so the sward will dry fairly quickly thus reducing conditions when fungal disease can thrive.
Avoid watering in hot sunlight and don't allow the water to pond.
Few people put sufficient water on when hand watering - use a sprinkler. The simple cyclone sprinkler gives sufficient water in about 15 minutes.

Mowing

Mowing is a most important part of the success or failure of your new lawn.

Mow when the grass is half as high again as when laid and mow back to the original height. In practice this means mowing when it reaches 30mm, with the mower set at 20mm. This could be within a week of laying in good growing conditions.
Reel mowers give the cleanest cut (if sharp and properly set). Only reel mowers should be used on Fine Turf. Rotary mowers seem to encourage soft leggy growth and increased thatch. Rotary mowers are alright on Sportsturf (Amenity Ryegrass) but should be kept sharp.
Mow Fescue / Browntop at 15-20mm (5 - .75 inches), Sportsturf 20-25mm (.74 - 1 Inch). Mow only one third grass length at one mowing. Remove clippings, especially in the early days.

Fertilising

Your Readylawn comes at a fairly high nutritional status and benefits from Prelay fertiliser added to the soil prior to laying. Some pointers:

Focus on watering and allow the turf to establish without further stimulation.
If after 2-3 months the colour is 'off' or the vigor drops away (and it is not winter) then the turf probably needs more nitrogen. Apply a general lawn fertiliser (eg, Readylawn Food) at 20-30g per square metre and water in or apply just before or during rain.
If the response is negligible have your soil tested (we can help there) and follow the recommendations.

Pests, diseases and other problems

Diseases

Your Readylawn has been treated for weeds, pests and diseases and should have no such problems in getting established. However it is well to be aware that the process of transplanting is stressful to the turf and the frequent watering required to get the grass established can cause a flush of soft growth - both factors which allow greater than normal opportunities for fungal invasion. Some pointers:

A healthy turf sward is a hotbed of fungal activity; lawn clippings, dead leaves and stems are broken down by beneficial fungi and turned into nutrients the grass can use. Like 'flu' germs, harmful fungi are always about, waiting for suitable conditions to attack the grass.
Watch for yellow, brown or reddish patches. If you see fine spider web-like filaments in the early morning it suggests conditions are ripe for fungal activity. Fungal attacks can occur any time of the year, specially in humid or drizzly conditions. Most fungi enjoy soft lush growth, ie growth promoted by high nitrogen levels, copious water, insufficient or irregular mowing, mowing too high, especially with a rotary mower, lack of air movement, and shade. Red Thread fungus (red mycelia can be seen growing out of the grass leaves) is encouraged by low nitrogen levels.
Toadstools are usually the fruiting bodies of saprophytic fungi which feed harmlessly on dead organic matter in the soil. They are harmless to the grass but do indicate that conditions are right for fungal activity, including harmful ones.

Treatment

Spray with a fungicide at the recommended rates - Bravo, Taratek (Watkins Fungus and Mildrew Spray), Thiram, Rovral, Captan. It is advisable to alternative fungicides for repeat applications as fungi can build resistance quickly
Reduce the conditions which encourage fungal activity - reduce shade, improve air circulation, water less frequently and in early morning rather than the evening, improve drainage, rake out thatch debris, reduce mowing height as recommended, moderate fertiliser applications - use slow release fertilisers
Remember that any activity - mowing, raking, even walking over active fungal infestations can spread it around. Spray before carrying out physical treatments
Apply a nitrogen fertiliser (eg Sulphate of Ammonia, Calcium ammonium nitrate or a complete lawn fertiliser) to control Red Thread

Pests

There are only two pests which cause significant problems for Canterbury lawns - Porina and Grassgrub. Both are NZ native insects Readylawn is treated before sale!

Porina:

The Porina adult is a the fat brown moth that flaps around your lights in the summer. When you see them they have probably just laid a few hundred eggs on your lawn. The best time to control the resultant caterpillars is 5-8 weeks after you see the moths, ie late Febuary / March. Porina graze nocturnally on the grass foliage and you probably do not realise you have them until winter when the grass growth slows down, their grazing becomes apparent and the vertical tunnels become obvious.

Grassgrub:

The grassgrub adult is the Brown Beetle which also attacks roses and the plant foliage on summer nights. The life cycle is similar to Porina and the best time to control them is before you realise you've got them.

Treatment for both:

Apply Diazanion (aka Lawnguard, etc) prills in late afternoon in late February / March. Water lightly to release chemical on the grass; after two nights water thoroughly to wash chemical down to the root zone to get any grassgrub feeding there.

Good Luck!

Call us if you still have problem