|
| Seasonal
hints :September
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Lawns: Set mowing height to 25-30mm as kikuyu emerges from
winter dormancy. Santa Ana, Casablanca, Greenleas Park,
Wintergreen couch hybrids all thatch easily. Overwatering and
excess fertiliser speed up this problem. Overcome thatch by
one very low mowing of couch in spring or early summer. Raise
the mowing height to 50mm for tall fescue lawns (Arid,
Droughtbreaker, etc). Tall fescue turf grasses may be showing
signs of water stress if the weather has been warm. Tall
fescues are winter-active grasses that will continue to grow
through summer if they have adequate moisture. Lack of water
at this time of the year will set the grass back so that it
will not be able to withstand the heat of summer. Handreck
(CSIRO, 1994) states that tall fescue requires half as much
water again as does couch to maintain an acceptable
appearance.
|
Watering: Remember that a good
soaking of water every few days is more useful than frequent
light sprinkling. Avoid watering the foliage late in the day;
leaves remain wet for hours during the night, increasing the
possibility of germination of fungal spores
Dry patches in turf are often caused by water
repellence. The grains in
sandy loams sometimes become water repellent by being coated
with organic residues from some plant materials. Decomposition
of the thatch produced by turf growth can produce hydrophobic
materials that accumulate in the thatch and upper part of the
root zone.
Testing for water repellence may be simply assessed by
placing a drop of water on the dry soil and observing how long
it takes for the drop to disappear. Times under 8 seconds
indicate no water repellence. Times over 4 minutes indicate
severe repellence.
The best way of overcoming water repellence and dry patch
is by the use of agricultural wetting agents. It has been
found that three light applications, spread through the dry
season, give better results than one large application early
in the season.
Apply the wetting agent towards the end of the winter wet
season (in September).
Repeat applications should be made in November and
March.
After each application, irrigate at a low rate, about
5-10mm per hour, so that the water can penetrate deeply into
the affected area.
Shallow coring recommended in the 1980’s by the Western
Australia Department of Agriculture has been found to be
unnecessary in all but the most stubborn
patches.
|
|
|
|
Weed control: September to November
is the best time to treat lawns with selective herbicides,
when the leaves are young and growing fast, and the weeds have
not yet flowered. Selective herbicides contain plant growth
depressants which are taken up by the leaves, not the roots.
They upset the growth pattern, causing the plant to
die.
|
This month is a good time to oversow bare patches in
lawns.
Top dress with a mixture of organic compost and sandy loam
or topsoil, and add an appropriate lawn seed according to the
position - sun or shade.
If obtainable, use seed that has been husked because it
germinates faster.
The young seed needs to be kept moist all the time,
a sprinkle with the hose before you go off to work is not
sufficient.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To have a look at some more
weeds that can be a problem during
September,
download Sept. Weeds
 
Hypochoeris radicata (flatweed, cats ear) Trifolium repens (white clover)
If you have any of these weeds ,
that need to be controlled, contact your
local ALMA lawnmowing contractor for
help. Find a Contractor
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
76 Winston Avenue
Melrose Park
South
Australia 5039
Phone 08 8293
4338
|
|
|
|
|
