Akers Monthly – May 2023

Merry Month of May!

Winter is Coming

Winter will soon be upon us, meaning the days are beginning to shorten and cool down. It is important to spend time now preparing your lawns and gardens for a cold, wet winter to give them the best chance to come out the other end to a colourful spring. Read on for some essential tips and advice to keep your garden thriving throughout May.

Installing Instant Lawn + Lawn Seed

Time has almost run out to seed new lawns, as when winter sets in the soil will be too cold for quick germination. Most lawn seeds will still germinate but will do so a lot slower. If you are wanting quick results but are not ready to plant in early May, it would be best to leave it until spring when the soil warms up.

Instant lawn can still be planted through late autumn and winter, especially cool season grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass and Fescue. Other lawns such as Kikuyu and Tiftuf Bermuda can also still be planted, however they will take longer to establish than they would in the warm weather.

Autumn Leaves

This is the time of year that deciduous trees drop a large amount of their leaves. The autumn colours may look beautiful strewn across your lawn and garden, but they can do some damage if left too long. Large patches of leaves can block sunlight from reaching the grass, leaving patches of damaged lawn. Leaves can also start sticking together while decomposing, trapping water, and causing a moist and humid environment that is perfect for fungus.

If you are finding leaves on your lawn, we recommend to regularly rake or blow them off.

Fertilising

If you have not already – now is the time to fertilise your lawn!! This is especially important if you have a couch lawn as it is not recommended to fertilise them while they are dormant during winter. If your couch lawn starts to brown off as it goes into dormancy, we recommend using Lawn Solutions Colour Guard Plus, a liquid fertiliser and natural grass pigment, to instantly restore your lawn’s colour.

Fertilising during autumn encourages prolonged growth, thick coverage, and extended colour. The thicker and stronger a lawn is, the less susceptible it is to weeds and shade issues.

Things to consider when choosing a fertiliser:

• A Liquid Fertiliser can give a quick green-up and health boost as it is absorbed by both leaf and soil. It is easy to apply, gives a uniform application, and is a good source of essential nutrients. Liquid fertilisers can also be more effective in cooler months when lawns are slowing down and not taking up as much nutrient from the soil. We recommend using Akers Turf Tonic to help strengthen the lawn’s roots, followed by a treatment of Akers Kelp a month later.
• A Granular Fertiliser injects all the essential nutrients needed into the soil, to be absorbed by the lawn’s roots. As the granules gradually break down and dissolve, they deliver small but constant feed over 6-8 weeks. We recommend using Akers Organic Based Granular Fertiliser, ensuring that it is spread evenly and watered in well.
• What nutrients your lawn and soil need, or may be lacking in. As discussed in our last Akers Monthly, doing a Soil pH Test can help you know how healthy your lawn and soil is. Different fertilisers contain different levels of each macronutrient and micronutrient, so knowing what your lawn needs more of can help identify which fertiliser to use.

One of the essential nutrients needed for lawns to sustain their beautiful green colour is iron. Iron is important for the formation of chlorophyll, which helps feed plants and produce a strong green pigment. It also keeps lawns strong against frost and moss, common problems found in the cooler months.
If your lawn needs a bit of colour choose a fertiliser with higher iron content such as Akers Turf Tonic or Lawn Solutions Premium Lawn Fertiliser, or a specialised iron-based product such as Baileys Turfect Rapid Green or Lawnporn Green Light

Mowing

You may have noticed your lawn’s growth has started to slow down significantly. You can now reduce the frequency between mows, but do not stop mowing completely.

If you have a cool season grass such as Kentucky Bluegrass or Fescue, make sure you are continuing to mow frequently, as they grow faster in the cool temperatures.

If you have a warm season grass, and if you haven’t already, we recommend adjusting your mowing height up a notch until the soil warms up in spring. A longer leaf will help the lawn to absorb more sunlight, allowing it to produce more food for itself and stay strong, particularly through the shade that the cooler months bring.

Reminder: Do not remove more than one-third of the grass blade length at a time, and do not mow while your lawn is damp or wet. This can damage the lawn by tearing and bruising the leaf, and if wet clippings are left on the lawn, they can smother the grass. Mowing when the soil is soaked can also lead to ruts forming and an uneven finish.

Product of the Month

Akers 1.25L Hose On Turf Tonic

The perfect liquid fertiliser to give your lawn everything it needs to be the envy of the neighbours. Featuring a specially formulated combination of nutrients and trace elements, Akers Organic Based Turf Tonic boasts significant levels of nitrogen, iron, manganese and magnesium to deliver a strong green colour as well as steady growth over time.

Healthy turf exists when the root zone is well established, leading to a stronger plant that can resist extreme weather, pests, and diseases. Akers Organic Based Turf Tonic contains the ideal combination of elements to ensure a healthy root system. With the inclusion of copper and molybdenum to ensure optimal nitrogen efficiency for root growth, and added bio-stimulants and zinc for root strength, Akers Organic Based Turf Tonic gives your lawn the resilience it needs.

Akers Organic Based Turf Tonic aims to:

• Build and maintain plant health
• Improve plant protein development
• Improve and strengthen root growth
• Establish resilience to weather, pests and diseases
• Enhance overall soil health by encouraging microbes

Dal’s Gardening Tips

• Check roses for black spot or mildew and resist the temptation of pruning too early. Late June or any time in July is the right time for this. Treatment for Black Spot is left until after pruning, then sprayed with Yates Rose Gun, Yates Mancozeb Plus Fungicide & Miticide, or similar.
• The best time to plant classic herbs like rosemary, sage, lavender, and thyme is May. Coriander seed can go in as well.
• Now is a great time to plant winter veggies like silver beet, onion, spinach and Asian greens as well as carrot, peas, snow peas, turnip and broad beans. Planting broad beans and peas now. Once the season has finished, after final pickings, the plants can be worked back into soil as it adds nitrogen as it rots down, making for better soil for Spring veggies. To assist it to break down faster, add lime – We recommend either Amgrow 20kg Granular Lime or Manutec 8kg Dolomite Lime.
• Continue to maintain your regular essential mulching program as this will retain soil warmth. Add compost and gypsum to winter beds to improve drainage.
• Plant all types of deciduous trees in May as they are generally in their dormancy and planting now will alleviate the stress on the tree ready for their growth in spring.

As always, thank you for your support!

Best wishes,

Dal, Jacqi and the Akers of Lawn team