Akers Monthly – October 2023
Warm Weather is Here!
Spring is in full swing and is quite a bit warmer than last season!
Read on for advice on what to do this season to ready your lawns for Summer.
Pre-Emergent Reminder
If you haven’t already applied a pre-emergent, now is the time to do so!
Pre-emergent herbicides target seasonal weed seeds during germination, reducing the chances of Summer Grasses and Cereal Grasses appearing in your lawn. During spring is the best time to apply a treatment to prepare your lawn for the new set of weeds that warmer weather brings.
If you need more info about what we stock please refer to our last Akers monthly here
pH Testing Your Soils
If you are following us on our socials you may have seen our posts on Soil pH! Did you know the average soil pH in South Australia tends to be slightly alkaline? Knowing your soil’s pH level can be a game-changer for your outdoor spaces!
Most plants prefer a pH range of 6.0 to 7.0. In South Australia, you may often find soil that is slightly more alkaline, so knowing how to adjust it can mean the difference between a good garden and a great one!
You can test the soil pH of your lawn with a simple test kit like this one.
If your soil is too acidic (pH < 7), your lawn can become susceptible to moss growth and certain nutrient deficiencies like calcium and magnesium.
On the flip side, alkaline soil (pH > 7) can lead to deficiencies in iron, manganese, and zinc.
What is the next step if your soil’s pH isn’t quite where it should be?
Too Acidic?
If your soil is more on the acidic side (pH < 7), consider applying lime to raise the pH. Lime also adds calcium and magnesium, essential nutrients for plant growth.
Too Alkaline?
Alkaline soil (pH > 7) may require the addition of sulphur or organic matter like compost to lower the pH level. This will also help your plants access vital nutrients like iron, manganese, and zinc.
Nutrient Deficiencies?
Remember, unbalanced pH can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Consider using fertilisers tailored to address these imbalances such as:
- Akers Organic Soil Builder – a finely screened humus (contains humin, humic acid, and fulvic acid) that is perfect to use as a natural soil improver and plant food. It is low in phosphorus and ideal for all plants including acid-loving plants and natives.
- Akers Soil Booster and Lawn Food – a fertiliser containing high levels of sulphur to assist in resistance to extreme weather, such as the heat of summer. Sulphur also assists in the uptake and use of nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth, colour and nutrient uptake.
Regular Monitoring
Soil conditions can change, especially after treatment. Regular testing every season can help you stay ahead of any potential issues.
With a balanced soil pH, you are setting the stage for a lush, vibrant, and healthy garden. So take action based on your soil test results. If you are struggling to manage your soil’s pH levels, don’t hesitate to consult a professional. The right guidance can make all the difference!
We stock a number of different products instore and online to help improve your soil, take a look here.
Spring Watering
Roots are shallow after consistent winter rains and many lawns will dry out quickly once the rain stops. As the weather has warmed up so quickly and the rains have been few and far between you may begin to find signs of stress on your lawn such as:
- Discolouring to a grey and/or brown.
- Crunching/squashing underfoot rather than bouncing back.
It is time to get your watering systems going, giving deep soaks once or twice a week (weather dependent) to encourage deeper root growth and stronger lawns coming into Summer!
If your soil is water repellent we would highly recommend Coring it to open up the soil to allow water, oxygen and nutrients to get in to the soil and encourage deeper root zones.
Another option is to apply a Wetting Agent to improve dispersion, retention and also provide better absorption for water to penetrate deep down to the lawn’s roots. We will touch base on this more in the November Monthly!
Reseeding + Top Dressing
Spring is a great time to think about top dressing your lawn. Top dressing is the spreading of a mix of sand and organic matter to even out uneven lawn surfaces, or to assist in re-growing areas. It also helps to increase the soil’s nutrient retention, resistances to pests and diseases, improves drainage, and is best done after Coring and/or Scarifying.
If you are looking at doing your own small patch up or re-seeding, we can provide you with our Akers Top Dressing Mix in 15kg and a variety of Seeds in different pack sizes. Remember it is best to restrict top dress to about 1/4″ each application for faster recovery of the lawn.
*Please note we only offer top dressing as a service in accompaniment with another rejuvenation or re-seeding services.
New Product
Millers Falls 30kg Spreader
We are now stocking the 30kg Millers Falls Spreader!
You may recognise this one if you are on our Follow Up Service as it is the one our technicians use.
This walk-behind spreader provides a wide and smooth distribution of fertiliser while reducing the necessary time, energy and fertiliser to cultivate your lawn.
Key Features:
- Ideal for fertiliser, seed, sand or any free flowing material.
- Solid control linkage to eliminate sticking and stretched cables.
- Includes Hopper screen & Rain cover.
- Hopper Screen to prevent material to prevent unwanted clumps.
- Rain cover to protect hopper for all season use, and prevent materials from getting wet and clogging.
- Durability and long life: features heavy duty steel frame, durable aluminium gear inside of gear box, and zinc plated axle to prevent corrosion.
- Vertical plate and hardware in the hopper is made of stainless steel.
Rate setting control on handle for precise adjustments.
Product of the Month – Extended!
Due to popular demand we have extended September’s Product of the Month – Akers Organic Based Granular Fertiliser for another month!
It is a unique fertiliser established for all lawn types which is ideal for Australian conditions. With over 35 years’ experience in the industry, Akers of Lawn has built a reputation for outstanding service, knowledge and advice in the lawn industry. Using this knowledge and experience, in consultation with certified Agronomist Ryan Sheridan (M.Sc.Ag), we have developed our own unique blend aiming to maximise fertiliser efficiency and results. It is formulated using a unique organic coating, with added bio-stimulants and all essential nutrients, that will make your lawn flourish.
Dal’s Gardening Tips
- If you haven’t already fertilised your lawns now is an excellent time to give them a boost using our Organic Based Fertiliser which is currently on sale!
- Top up the mulch in your gardens to preserve moisture.
- Compacted and waterlogged soil or lawn? Coring and conditioning will help!
- If your lawn is getting hard to mow or getting a spongy spring to it, now is a great time to scarify and thin out your lawn. This will make it easier to mow and help water penetrate through better.
- Now is a good time to plant vegetables such as Beans, Beetroot Carrot, Lettuce, and Parsley, Pumpkin, Radish, Tomato plants, Silver Beet and Spinach to name a few.
- You can now plant Dahlia Tubers during this month as well as planting tropical plants such as Hibiscus, Frangipani, Passion Fruit and Bougainvillea from this month.
- Some flowering annuals to plant this month are Antirrhinum, Begonia, Carnation, Cosmos, Dahlia, Daisies, Dianthus, Foxglove, Marigold, Petunia, Zinnia + more!
Christmas Bookings
We don’t mean to alarm you BUT…This is our busiest time of year!
If you are entertaining this Christmas and wish to have your outside space ‘Christmas Ready’ for the rellies, especially if you love BBQs, outdoor cricket and rolling around on the grass as much as we do, please call 8326 3255 now as we have a small window available and are booking out FAST!
Do you have any lawn or garden questions?
We want to hear from you!
Send us any questions or topics you want covered and they may get featured in our next Akers Monthly!
As always, thank you for your support!
Best wishes,
Dal, Jacqi and the Akers of Lawn team