The Green Revolution

It is that time of year, the lawn has roughed it through winter and is looking a bit worse for wear, so it's time for a facelift. First things first, and that means getting some aeration into the lawn, especially when we have bare patches or stunted growth caused by compacted soils in areas of high traffic. Coring or, aerating your lawn can remedy this.

Give the area a good soaking, and with a pitchfork penetrate the lawn to a depth of 10 to 15cm (for large areas you can hire a coring machine).

For patchy areas, apply a fine layer of top dressing soil, such as Martins Top Dressing (a 30 litre bag will cover 2sqm). Rake the dressing smooth and fill in holes and dips in the lawn, creating a nice level area that lawn mower wheels won't drop into.

Mix your chosen lawn seed with Canturf Seed Starter (70 grams per sqm of lawn starter), spread the mixture evenly over the area and rake lightly. Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist (not wet) until the new grass is about 20mm high. Six weeks after the sowing, give the lawn another feed with Canturf Seed Starter to keep promoting quick growth and root development.

Choosing a lawn seed is easy with the Canturf range. The seed has been especially developed for the harsh climate of Canberra, and the specific blends of seeds will create a lawn that looks beautiful all year round.

Rough and Tumble

71% Tall Fine Fescue, 24% Kentucky Bluegrass, 5% O'Connor's Strawberry Clover

Rough and Tumble Alturf mix is the most popular mix for Canberra and surrounding areas. Rough and Tumble is a hard wearing, drought and scarab resistant mix, well suited to back yards, ovals, playgrounds and commercial areas. The O'Connor's Strawberry Clover discourages scarab grubs and provides a natural source of nitrogen for the other grasses. Tall Fescue is slightly courser than the other cool season grasses but is the most drought tolerant.

Hardy Green

75% Tall Fine Fescue, 25% Kentucky Bluegrass

Hardy Green is similar to Rough & Tumble but without the O'Connor's Strawberry Clover in the mix. This lawn is well suited to those areas where appearance is important but still requires a drought resistant, hardwearing lawn. The Kentucky Bluegrass provides good colour as well as an ability to repair damaged areas by self-propagating.

Prestige Green

80% Fine Rye-Grass, 20% Kentucky Bluegrass

Prestige Green is a fine textured lawn and may require a higher level of maintenance than Rough and Tumble or Hardy Green. It is ideally suited to a prestigious front lawn if given regular water and fertiliser. Prestige Green's high quality has made it the grass of choice for many golf courses including Royal Canberra and Moss Vale.

Sunshade

80% Kentucky Bluegrass, 20% Chewings Fescue

Designed for those hard to grow areas, Sunshade Canberra Mix produces an older style fine lawn and is recommended for the shadier parts of the garden or for over sowing an existing lawn struggling under trees.