Akers Monthly – December 2022
Tis’ the Season!
Is Your Lawn Christmas Ready?
We have an abundance of products available to help your lawn look healthy, green, and entertainment-ready for your Christmas celebrations (they are also great as stocking stuffers!). Some lawns may just need a simple fertiliser boost, or some may need a little extra TLC. Here are some important ones to consider applying this season:
Growth Stimulant
Warm weather is crucial to helping warm-season lawns start growing. With the lack of warmth we’ve had heading in to summer, a growth stimulant can help your lawn grow stronger roots and thicken up.
Akers Liquid Kelp also contains liquid fertiliser, giving your lawn essential nutrients, improving drought stress, stimulating cell division, and improving fruit production. It can also be mixed with most insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Liquid Fertiliser
Liquid fertilisers are ideal for giving your lawn a good boost of health. They are absorbed into the leaf quickly, giving you lawn everything it needs to be strong during the growing season.
Akers Turf Tonic boasts significant levels of nitrogen, iron, manganese and magnesium to deliver a strong green colour as well as steady growth over time.
Granular Fertiliser
Granular fertilisers are the most commonly used for lawn as they provide slow-release nutrients for consistent greening and extended feeding. They are easy to apply and must be watered in to break-down and activate.
Akers Organic Based Granular Fertiliser contains bio-stimulants and all essential nutrients to make your lawn flourish. It boosts root growth, improves stress, pest and disease resistance, improves lawn colour and consistency, and improves soil microbial activity.
Soil Wetting Agent
Soil wetting agents are important for helping water stay in the soil, which helps lawns stay greener for longer during the heat of summer. Some soils, particularly sandy based soils, can also become hydrophobic, making a soil wetter vital to ensuring lawns and plants are able to absorb the water we provide them.
Soil treated with a soil wetter will be able to absorb and hold water better, promoting even water coverage and better uptake of nutrients provided by fertilising. Soil wetters should be applied early spring, early summer, or autumn.
We recommend applying a product such as Grosorb Liquid, Grosorb Granular, or Maximiser G a couple of days before fertilising.
DIY & Turf Cut-Offs
Although it is now too late for us to complete any newly enquiring jobs before Christmas, it is not too late to get your hands dirty and put that lawn in yourself. For information on how to DIY, check our How-To Guides section on our website!
For lawn supply, please keep in mind that the delivery trucks can fill up fast. If you are wanting to order turf for delivery before Christmas, we recommend booking ahead to ensure you don’t miss out.
Sunnyside Instant Lawn
Lawn types: Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo, Nullarbor Couch, Eureka Male Sterile Kikuyu, Tiftuf Bermuda and Sir Grange Zoysia.
Last delivery day: Thursday 22nd December
Orders must be made before 3:30pm on Tuesday 20th. We recommend booking in advance to avoid missing out.
First delivery back: Tuesday 10th January 2023
Brook Turf
Lawn types: Noonan Fine Leaf Dwarf Kikuyu, Santa Anna Couch, Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo and Kentucky Bluegrass.
Last delivery day: Friday 23rd December
Orders must be made before 11:30am on Thursday 22nd. We recommend booking 1 – 1 ½ weeks in advance to avoid missing out.
First delivery back: Tuesday 10th January 2023
How long before you can walk on a newly laid lawn?
It is best to wait until your new lawn has started to take root into the soil. The warmer it is, the quicker your turf will be able to do this. Depending on your turf type and the weather it can take anywhere from 3 days – 3 weeks. You can test by gripping the lawn and gently pulling up. If there is resistance it means the roots have established into the soil below and you should be able to walk on the lawn no problems.
Acclimatising To The Season
We are reiterating the importance of adjusting habits to suit the season because the spring weather is only now starting to come in. It is important to make sure your lawns and gardens are getting enough of what they need, depending on the current weather conditions.
Pre-Emergent
Pre-emergent herbicides are best applied in early spring, however with the constant fluctuating weather we have had this spring we are a little behind! Weeds that normally sprout through spring may continue to do so well into December, meaning now may not be too late to give your lawn a dose of pre-emergent.
These herbicides target seasonal grass seeds before germination, preventing them from growing and becoming an eyesore. They will not affect already grown weeds, so getting in before they appear is ideal.
Find the best pre-emergent option for you here. Available instore and online.
Pests
Being a little behind in weather has also delayed the emergence of pests, meaning they will likely become a problem over the next couple of months. Make sure to keep an eye out for signs of pest or beetle damage and apply the appropriate insecticide. Find a range of products here to help keep the insects at bay!
Watering
While we have just experienced a very cold and wet spring, and the forecast is suggesting the rain could continue, we recommend keeping an eye on how much rain is making it through to the soil and root system. You can check if your soil is getting enough water by using a meter, by digging down into it, or by using a catch cup to measure how much water the rain or sprinklers are supplying.
Akers recommend giving your lawn, garden and plants long, slow soaking applications rather than light regular sprays. Lawn ideally needs between 1½ – 2 inches of water once or twice each week, depending on the weather and your turf type. Lawns such as Kentucky Blue, Fescue and shady lawns may need more water than others. To test how long to leave your sprinklers on, place a catch cup on the lawn, turn the sprinklers on and time how long it takes to fill to the 1 ½ – 2 inch mark. That time is how long to water your lawn each session for a good deep water.
Mowing
Mowing can be a challenge when the weather is wet, but it is important to do once your lawn has dried out. Mowing encourages lateral growth, and is crucial to keeping your lawn strong, thick, and even. Warm-season lawns will be starting to grow faster, meaning the longer that is left between mowing, the higher chance that your lawn will be left with patchy colouring. It should recover quickly with water and sun, but regular mowing will train your lawn into that height, and encourage even colour and growth.
Warm-season lawns should be getting mowed every 5 – 7 days, while cool-season lawns may be left a little longer pending growth. Please be aware that these times are guidelines and you should always be guided by your own lawn’s growth. Lastly, remember not to cut more than a third of the leaf off at any one time to avoid causing stress to your lawn.
Product of the Month
Akers Organic Based Turf Tonic is 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.
Dal’s Gardening Tips for December
- After lots of rain soils can become depleted of nutrients. Coming out of a very wet spring, it is important to apply a good fertiliser to your garden, and then keep up a regular fertilising schedule.
We package the perfect multi-purpose plant fertiliser – Akers Organic Based Garden Fertiliser, used and endorsed by Adelaide’s Garden Guru Michael Keelan. It promotes root growth and rapid establishment, contains high levels of essential macro and micro-nutrients, and is the perfect supplement to promote colour and stress resistance. - Hot weather is coming! To help save water apply thick mulch around your plants after you fertilise, keeping it back from the stem of plants. This helps supress weeds and retain moisture.
Stuck on gift ideas for Christmas?
Check out our pre-selected, limited time bundles!
Perfect for your favourite lawn-lover or plant-lover, or even yourself!
If none of these options are what you were after, we have Gift Vouchers available instore and online!
Product Delivery Cut-Off
Get your product orders in before Monday 12th December for guaranteed delivery before Christmas.
Shipping available Australia-wide*
*for interstate shipping please phone us for a delivery price.
Christmas Closure Notice
As always, thank you for your support!
What a challenging year we have had. Thank you everyone for supporting our family business, from our family to yours, have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year! We cannot wait to see what 2023 brings.
Best wishes,
Dal, Jacqi and the Akers of Lawn team