NEWS & TIPS FOR DECEMBER 2024
Tony's lawn tips
Hi lawn enthusiasts,
Like many of us, you may have sown a new lawn this year, or worked hard to improve or maintain your lawn, only to watch it struggle and go backwards during summer. I thought I would share a few tips around management techniques and some clever products that you can use to give your lawn the best chance of staying in top condition.
The first issue to deal with is watering. How much and when. This varies a little depending on your grass species. For example, a Ryegrass lawn will need frequent watering over a hot dry spell, whereas warm season grass such as Kikuyu or Bermuda grass (Couch) will need far less. Let’s focus on cool season grasses for now, as they are the most likely to struggle over the summer months.
We all know that water is precious, whether you have town supply, tank water or have another source, we need to maximise the efficiency of any watering we do to ensure we are using this resource well. Be careful not to put your irrigation system on a timer to go on every day, as in most cases this will be too much water and often not the correct type of watering and can cause issues such as fungal diseases. Think about deep watering less often to achieve good vertical movement of water.
The other tool you have is Greenkeepers Choice Lawn Wetter Granules. These granules work in three distinct ways.
- Enable water to penetrate dry, water repellant soils
- Helps water spread vertically and horizontally around the root zone
- Attracts more water to the root zone
This product comes in a fine granule that doesn’t burn your lawn even on the hottest day and can be watered in when it’s convenient.
The other important thing to note is that the healthier your lawn is going into summer, the better it will cope with stress.This is where Greenkeepers Choice Vitality becomes your best friend. This go-to stress management product is specifically formulated with a complete range of plant derived amino acids, humics, kelp and carbohydrates to support lawn survival during stressful periods. It also contains beneficial bacteria to assist root health. This is a very safe, organic product and comes in a handy 1L liquid form which should be applied once a month for best results.
GREENKEEPERS CHOICE - VITALITY
Used extensively by turf professionals both in New Zealand and Australia to get their turf through stressful times.
Christmas is fast approaching and as we race full speed ahead towards the end of the year, there seems to be more jobs than hours in the day. Right now is a good time to start thinking about your Christmas shopping list. Quality gardening tools are always a great option for the gardeners in your life. We have a good range of both the German made Wolf Tools and the excellent Niwashi range, as well great little stocking fillers like bird bells, lawncare products, vege seeds and gift vouchers!
Here at Newtons, we will close our retail shop from midday Monday 23rd Dec and reopen at 8am on Monday 6th Jan 2025.
Any online orders placed during this time will be processed on our return, so please be patient as we take a well deserved break.