Pics of your lawn! - Page 2

XR6-VCT-2000 · 14-10-2009, 12:00 AM

I don't do too much to look after my lawn , the occasional once a month weeding for a few hours followed by filling the holes with good topsoil and a few seeds. We have alot of weeds around this area as I'm in the country, I'm sorounded by capeweed fields !. Every now and then I will water the lawn of a late arvo if it has been a dry/hot day ( I have tanks to do so ). Once every 2 months or so I gove the whole lawn a watering with 'Seasol', and once every roughly 6 months whack over the surface with a prodder attatched to the back of my ride-on lawnmower (you can do the same with a rake or fork puncturing the surface), then apply a light coat of topsoil and rake it over low spots etc. The topsoil I use is a nice mix of top soil combined with ratio of sand and chook poop. cheers.

gtfpv · 14-10-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by benoxr

your on. Does this mean I wont get an answer now about what fertiliser's work better?

this year i'm using number #17 . i have used many others . the best results i've had so far is with SCOTTS lawn fertiliser . i used to pay MR COUCH to look after the lawn monthly . they had about 17 differant ingrediants in the truck , and changed them seasonally , but i still wasnt happy , i wanted that bowling gree look . i've never acheived it for more than 2 weeks . from what i have observed . couch appears to have a 6 week cycle . . ie shave lawn back to roots , then work on it for 4 weeks , mowing every 2 days , and watering daily after 4 weeks of hard maintenance you have 2 weeks of lush green , then its starts going off and you start again . from the gurus in my street with it .
couch owners are fanatical about thier lawn though and reluctant to give secrets away . the ace in ouir street seems to have the bowling perfection look constantly . he says the stuff he uses is a secret and you cant buy it :togo: nough said there .
i have never acheived the look i want with mine . they should of called santa anna couch "bastard"

**GasoLane** · 14-10-2009, 05:40 PM

If it's near perfect lawn(s) you want, visit Cockington Green in the ACT to see how it's done

http://www.cockingtongreen.com.au/ga...intenance.html

So much so that they put signs up saying that NO it's not fake grass

fordOwner · 14-10-2009, 05:44 PM

Tip number 1: Weed & Feed should be called - FEED THE WEEDS. AND DO NOT USE ON BUFFALLO!
Tip number 2: Soil Wetting agent, soil wetting agent soil, wetting agent!! (ie 'Soil Wetter') Our Australian climate dries soil right out and the key to a healthy lawn is to not let the soil dry out. This is impossible with our climate and water restrictions. regullarly apply soil wetting agents as reccomended by the manufacturer or a rule of thumb at the end of winter, and middle of summer - Liquids work 100% better than granual our studies have found.
Tip number 3: Do not over fertalise. The complete fertilisers you buy at the shops is like buying mixed vitamines. Your lawn may not need any of the minerals and only need Nitrogen. So an "insider tip" to green your lawn up with out the explosive growth is to buy a Nitrogen based fertiliser such as Urea but only sprinkle it on lightly too much will not make it greener and the soil will then ahve a build up of nitrogen which will make your lawn too lush.
Tip Number 4: Lush lawns are unhealthy. A lawn that is too thick, with soils too wet can have all sorts of problems including, pests and a problem that is hard to solve - Fungi, an exapmle is dead circular rings (Fairy Ring) due to the constant humid wet conditions Fungi loves it and once in the soil it can wash down a hill to other lawns/plants and can be carried to another lawn by simply walking on it.
Tip number 5: Mowing, do it regulrly, at th ebotanical gardens we mow our state war memorial lawns twice a week at 9mm. the other areas we mow once a week at 30mm. REGULAR MOWING is essensial as the lawns will not respond as you want it when mowed willy nilly. Half the mowing rate in the cooler months.
I could go on forever but there is a beautifull balance between regular feeding, watering, mowing and wetter soiling for a beautifull lawn

duaned · 14-10-2009, 07:05 PM

Another tip is top mow your lawn in alternate directions. For example, mow east-west and then the next mow do it north-south. This reduces the chance of the lawn mower wheels leaving tracks in the soil, and cuts the grass at different angles.

fordOwner · 14-10-2009, 07:59 PM

If you have a reel (roller) mower this is highly recommended regards to mowing directions.
I soo cannot wait to show you guys the lawns I look after at work. We use a Toro 5 gang (5 reels) mower. Its essentially a Fairway mower and my god does it stripe up the lawns amazingly. We use Kikuyu and as I mentioned we cut it a 9mm twice a week to keep it ultra short for optimum health and appearence.
We change the direction of cut at 45 degrees every time we mow it in a clock wise direction. One of my lawns in the botanic gardens its about 20,000 + sq meters (MCG is about 18,000) but the area is like a huge amphetheatre with a lake at the bottom (pics to come) Where concerts and weddings are held and If "cross cut" the appearence looks just as good as an american baseball stadium would.
If I have the time Ill be creative and mow a half cirlces cross cut and zig zags.. looks bloody awesome. and yes I love my job.

PS - when watching a footy game next - have a look at the stripes on the field. The lighter stripe means the mower was cutting away from you and the darker stripe means the mower was heading towards you. This is due to the "Shade and Reflection" effect of each individual blade of grass collectivly producing a mass of shade (grass leaves rolled towards you) or a mass of reflection (grass leaves rolled away from you)

benoxr · 14-10-2009, 09:20 PM

Some real good information here, thanks guys.

One bit of info stood out, and that was cutting the buffalo at a height of 9mm. My kikuya is the same, but instructions with that grass are to mow at a height of 40mm in winter and 50mm in summer. The longer length in summer helps the soil from drying out too much. But 9mm? I certainly dont doubt what is being said, but 9mm sounds very short and I wouldnt have the nerve to cut it that short.

:

Good simple info of the cockington greens site Gasolane. Again, they use a reel mower. Might have to check these out.

GUTLES · 14-10-2009, 09:50 PM

I'd like to thank Google Street View for taking the photo's of my lawn when it was at its worst during the drought. Will post some photo's up of what I've got it back to soon.

landau460 · 14-10-2009, 10:12 PM

This lawn mowing stuff makes me sick i love nice lawns but way to lazy to bother bout it. The other bloke that wanted to do hellies before is welcome to do it at my place it might get my grass down a little.

XR6-VCT-2000 · 14-10-2009, 11:33 PM

If anyone wants to know the mixture of the seeds I use (pre-mixed), I dug out the bag from the shed for the specs . The seeds are endophyte enhanced to maximize pest resistance (can't be used for pasture).
It Contains 5% Quantum Leap Kentucky Bluegrass, 35% Calypso II Perennial Ryegrass, 20% Silhouette Chewings Fescue, 15% Marquis Kentucky Bluegrass, 10% Limousine Kentucky Bluegrass and 15% Creeping Red Fescue.
Recomended to Seed at 5 lb/1000 sq ft. Cheers

GUTLES · 15-10-2009, 10:14 PM

I found these which I took a while ago, the grass has got greener now & the trees/plants are heaps bigger.

AC/DC · 15-10-2009, 10:58 PM

Gets mowed with a Scott Bonnar cylinder mower, and in the summer months gets done twice a week.

I have only recently fertilised with Crop King 88 now that its getting hot again.

Its very addictive !

XR6-VCT-2000 · 15-10-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AC/DC

Gets mowed with a Scott Bonnar cylinder mower, and in the summer months gets done twice a week.

I have only recently fertilised with Crop King 88 now that its getting hot again.

Its very addictive !

Nice lawn too mate ! ;)

kyro_02 · 16-10-2009, 10:04 AM

damn wish i had grass as healthy as that!

this is where my front law should be...

AC/DC · 16-10-2009, 10:09 AM

Is that fence strong enough to bomb dive off ? , , , and are pools popular in melbourne ? ? ?

AC/DC · 16-10-2009, 10:15 AM

The back bit.........

Noddy · 16-10-2009, 11:17 AM

Now i better make a point that i have nothing to do with the gardens and lawns at my place. The wife does everthing from the mowing to feeding the plants. I think what has made it a little easier to maintain is a good inground computer controlled watering system.

XR6-VCT-2000 · 17-10-2009, 02:37 AM

Very nice grass guys , it's a shame it isn't smokable ! ..lol

AC/DC - that swing set needs to replaced with a hot tub ino

, nice palms and grass.

fairmont1998 · 17-10-2009, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duaned

I love my grass so much that I went to the effort in moving ( and changing) the letterbox so the postie doesn't ride his bike across the grass! Sad!

I've done exactly the same! Demolished a large brick letterbox and put in a small one on a post on the other side of the driveway at the edge of the foot path to stop the bastard carving a trench into my lawn.

AC/DC · 17-10-2009, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR6-VCT-2000

Very nice grass guys , it's a shame it isn't smokable ! ..lol

AC/DC - that swing set needs to replaced with a hot tub ino

, nice palms and grass.

Too hot up here for a hot tub ! ! !

ieatsports_cars · 17-10-2009, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kyro_02

damn wish i had grass as healthy as that!

this is where my front law should be...

that is how every yard should look like, to those guys who have the fully sick grass, you all suck lmao, you have too much money and time on your hands, lmao. well done guys seriously

you guys should start a new thread on who has got the cleanest house lmao !

DoreSlamR · 17-10-2009, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieatsports_cars

that is how every yard should look like, to those guys who have the fully sick grass, you all suck lmao, you have too much money and time on your hands, lmao. well done guys seriously

you guys should start a new thread on who has got the cleanest house lmao !

Shame exposed aggregate is HUGELY expensive, but when done right..looks absolutely brilliant

(makes sure you seal it!)

ieatsports_cars · 18-10-2009, 12:00 AM

yep that is for sure to you would have to have a far bit of expansions in them too, so they dont crack

duaned · 18-10-2009, 12:21 AM

They become quite slippery in the wet I assume?

duaned · 18-10-2009, 12:22 AM

Any more pics people?

XR6-VCT-2000 · 18-10-2009, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duaned

Any more pics people?

A bit late to be taking anymore pics tonight , but I did manage to dig up another photo showing a bit more of the front lawn. Although this photo is a few months old now and the grass on the nature stip is nice now too.

:

sneaky · 18-10-2009, 10:00 AM

do the pics have to be the whole yard? i have a nice green 'landing strip' in my yard

. looks good now, but it turns into a soggy wet muddy patch with a bit of rain

benoxr · 18-10-2009, 05:09 PM

my recent pics of the front lawn

XR6-VCT-2000 · 18-10-2009, 10:22 PM

Nice lawn 'benoxr', I'm asuming your not watering it with Adelaide tap water ! (it wasn't even drinkable last time I was there). I put it up there with the top lawn catagory ;) . cheers

Paxton · 19-10-2009, 10:33 AM

My Dog died last year, and, I decided that while we were 'between dogs', I would have a go at creating a nice back lawn. My front lawn is a fickle beast, with a dirty great big gum tree in the council strip, which uses the front lawn like a straw, of which to water itself. The back has no such problems.

I don't have a fancy pants mower, just a Mulch 'n Catch Victa, and am quite pleased with the fertilizer that goes down every three weeks in Summer (providing it is raining).