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There are many varieties of turf that is grown in Australia. The variety of grass you choose will depend on its climate and purpose and cost, Different types of grass have their pluses and minuses, some grass varieties are more resilient in both colder and droughted out conditions. below we list some of the most common grasses that we find around most Aussie gardens. Buffalo Grass Buffalo Grass is a great all round grass, perfect for most Australian conditions absolutely thrives through Summer even with minimal water and extreme heat and is great for shaded areas. Buffalo lawn was widely used and most lovingly referred to as Ol' Scratchy, due to its coarse and sharp leaf blades, times have changed dramatically for the better for this well loved favourite lawn grass in Australia. Buffalo grass is versatile and hardy, many factors which cause most other lawns a problem are not a problem for Buffalo lawn grass. Today's new buffalo lawn varieties are a vast improvement over the old days, these new grasses are soft, able to withstand wear and tear, and they have the best shade tolerance amongst almost every other lawn type at around 70% shade tolerance. Buffalo grass is great when it comes to garden beds and walk ways as it doesn't put out creepers like other grasses like Couch or Kikuyu grasses, and can be an excellent all round choices for Australian homes today. Soft leaf buffalo grasses go very good and grow well in sandy, lightly salty, or alkaline soils. Lawn Mowing Requirements Buffalo Grass is a beautiful green and lushes type of grass that is great to look at, cutting heights should always be higher than most other types of grass varieties. Buffalo grass, typically a height of 30 - 65 mm is normally sufficient to maintain a great looking buffalo lawn, regular mowing is important in the warmer months every 2-3 weeks is the go with 3-4 weeks during the Winter months should keep things under control. So Whats The Differance? - Sir Walter - Palmetto - Shademaster - Sapphire..So what's the difference between all these different names well nothing really Buffalo Grass is Buffalo Grass, each name just signifies a difference in the breeding process which has occurred between each brand name. The difference in names is defining these breeding differences. Overall RatingLeaf Type Fine | Medium | Coarse Type Warm Season | Cool Season Aggressiveness Low | Medium | High Traffic Tolerance Low | Medium | High Sun Requirements Low | Medium | High Shade Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Salt Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Ideal pH 5.5 - 6.5 Botanical Name Stenotaphrum secundatum Also Know As St. Augustine Varieties : Sapphire, Sir Walter, Palmetto, Shademaster, ST26, Matilda, Original Buffalo, and many other names. Kikuyu Grass A proven performer in most Australian climates, Kikuyu Grass is a vigorous grower that stands up to a wide range of conditions. Good for both home lawns and larger spaces such as racecourses or parks. If you’re looking for a grass that is an economical all-rounder, then Kikuyu Grass variety is your choice of lawn. Its medium-coarse bright green leaves give a Kikuyu lawn superior colour, which is maintained year round in warm climates. In cold climates, growth and colour is maintained well into autumn and early winter. Kikuyu also has superior disease resistance and reasonable cold weather tolerance. Problem With KikuyuJust like all grasses, Kikuyu too does have its negative sides which need to be taken into consideration as well. Expect to have to mow more often than not as Kikuyu is a very strong growing grass, mowing in warmer months will need to be done every two weeks and 3-4 weeks through the Winter months, also this grass tends to spread into places you least want it to be as it puts out fine seed heads that can spread through garden beds and a like, so keeping on top of the mowing is critical. if we are to plant a Kikuyu lawn, then it’s always wise to choose a male sterile Kikuyu which is far less likely to produce viable seeds heads, meaning less chance of the seed spreading to places you less desire them to be. Overall RatingLeaf Type Fine | Medium | Coarse Type Warm Season | Cool Season Aggressiveness Low | Medium | High Traffic Tolerance Low | Medium | High Sun Requirements Low | Medium | High Shade Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Salt Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Ideal pH 6.5 Botanical Name Pennisetum clandestinum Also Know As Male Sterile Kikuyu Varieties: Eureka + many other brand names Couch Grass Couch Grass is by far one of the most popular lawns used in Australia, and has so been for a long time. Couch lawns is an old favourite for both Australian homes, and recreation areas. In times gone past there were very little differences with Couch grass, and most lawns made up of this turf variety were of the ‘common’ couch type. However like almost every other lawn grass, extensive breeding has improved this lawn type considerably in the past decades. The quality of Couch grass has improved considerably over this same time to now give better colour, better drought tolerance, and better softness in these new variants. Known for its fine leaf, bright to dark green colour, it's love and tolerance of full sunny conditions, excellent wear and tear and repair capabilities, drought tolerance, and its ability to establish almost anywhere and thrive, it's easy to see the appeal which Couch has enjoyed over so many decades. Lawn Mowing Requirements Couch is best mown every 5-7 days in the warmer months and every 3 weeks in the Winter months. Its low dormancy means it has an early start to growth after winter, and it has rapid recovery from wear and other stresses. It's a very easy lawn to let get out of control especially throughout the warmer months. Overall RatingLeaf Type Fine | Medium | Coarse
Type Warm Season | Cool Season Aggressiveness Low | Medium | High Traffic Tolerance Low | Medium | High Sun Requirements Low | Medium | High Shade Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Salt Tolerance Poor | Good | Excellent Ideal pH 6.5 Botanical Name Cynodon dactylon Also Known As Bermuda Grass Varieties : Wintergreen, Greenlees Park, Santa Ana, Windsor Green + many other brand names If you're still keen to get out there in the garden this Winter and grow some Veggies you might be able to give some of these cooler weather vegetable varieties below ago, even in our cold climate here in Melbourne, you can have a Veggie garden producing over the colder months. Some vegetables that thrive in a cooler climate include:
 50% Chance of an Elnino event in the second half of the year according to Australian Meteorology...looking like below average rainfall over the Winter period...but soil moisture is looking okay....  WITH THE END OF AUTUMN FAST APPROACHING IT'S A GOOD TIME OF THE YEAR TO PRUNE UP YOUR GARDEN SO IT'S ALL READY TO GO FOR SPRING SO CALL TODAY ON 0478 495 211 TO ORGANIZE YOUR FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE....
 Weeds are a pain and are unsightly, there's only two ways to deal with them. The first recommendation would be to pull the weed roots and all if possible were possible, and may need to be backed up with a weed spray for extra cover, especially in garden beds that do not posses adequate weed matting, because those suckers can really deep root themselves something bad, weed spraying is a very useful tool in the weed control crusade but otherwise weekly weeding can do the trick if your keen and it's much easier to pull them when their smaller it creates less green waste as well and can be quite therapeutic as well.
Then there's the weed spray poison or Glyphosate, only really recommend this as a last resort and a budget thing really, some people need to use it unfortunately, but caution needs to be advised as this stuff is really bad for your health and is cancerous and should only be used in areas where kids don't play and should avoid areas like play grounds also humans and animals should stay well clear of the weed killer at least until it's dry and has been absorbed into the weeds on completion of the weed spray service. CHECK THIS ARTICLE OUT ON WEED SPRAY AND IT'S POTENTIAL DANGERS... http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-16/councils-still-using-herbicide-that-probably-causes-cancer/7168464 Their's no doubt about it, that weed control can benefit your garden, by keeping a lid on the weeds and hopefully killing them off over time before they have a chance to seed and then spread through the garden to pop up in the next growing cycle this will help keep unwanted weeds popping up in places like in your grass or within cracks and potentially up the sides of the exterior of the house or building and up and over the fence and into the drains and who know's were really.  This is one of the most hotly debated topics among lawn enthusiasts when it comes to grass care is how often you should mow. Getting the timing right is essential for growing and maintaining a world-class lawn and keeping it looking good, and if you get it wrong, you can do your grass some serious damage. A lawn that's kept too long, aside from looking unkempt, makes for a perfect habitat for snakes to live in and other undesirable creatures. Read on to find out how to strike the perfect balance when cutting grass. REGULAR MOWING How often you mow your lawn ultimately depends on the time of year, type of lawn you have, and its overall condition. A good way to gauge this is to keep an eye on the grass, and how fast it's growing. Typically, most healthy, green lawns should be cut once a fortnight, according to The Lawn Guide. During the winter season, when grass grows more slowly, once a month should suffice. WHEN TO MOW Depending on the type of grass you have, though, you may need to change your routine a little. That's because cool-season grasses will grow very quickly throughout Autumn and Spring whereas warm-season species will shoot up in the summer. This means you'll have to mow more often during these times. YOU COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOU LAWN If you don't mow your lawn often enough, you run the risk of damaging it when you actually do mow it. If your lawn looks like an untidy jungle and you've decided that it's finally time to give it a trim, you could be tempted to cut it shorter than it really needs to be. Setting your mower blades too low can mean that the grass can actually go into shock, on top of the damaged finish. Grass can take a long time to recover from shock leaving it to look rather ordinary! SO WHAT'S THE TAKE OUT 1, It pays to mow every 2-3 weeks in Spring,Summer,Autumn and in Winter every 3-4 weeks should be okay. 2, Some types of grass might grow more rapidly, either in the warmer or cooler months so adjusting to the different times of the year is important for the regularity of the lawn mowing schedule required to maintain a healthy and great looking lawn. 3, Leaving grass to overgrow will cause it to go into shock once it's cut, leaving it looking not so great and very unhealthy potentially causing serious damage to your lawn. Also letting your lawn get out of control could create a habitat for unwanted guess like Snakes, Rats, Mice, Spiders and many other unwanted critters. As you can see from the picture below, we found this little Tiger Snake hiding in knee high grass at a residential backyard in Tarneit in Melbourne's Western Suburbs near Skellington Creek, thank goodness there were no children around at the time, who know's what could've happened to them. Here at Te Puni Lawn Mowing Services we offer great regular lawn mowing rates and will help you keep your lawn looking awesome all year around call us today on 0478 495 211 for a free no obligation quote. For more information on lawn care go to thelawnguide.com.au/  |