Akers Monthly – March 2023
Hello, Autumn
What to Expect this Season
Now that summer has come to an end, it is time for some autumn lawn care! Prepare your lawn for the cooler months to come by first and foremost aiding it in recovering from any stresses it has faced over the summer. Getting your warm season lawn healthy before going into its winter ‘dormancy’ is of utmost importance to make sure it wakes up healthy in the spring.
The following are a couple of things you should do to ensure your lawn has the best chance at recovering before the weather starts to cool down:
Aerate
If you haven’t already aerated the lawn in the last 12 months, now is an excellent time to give it a good Core and condition. The summer heat and extra foot traffic on your lawn can cause it to become quite dry and compacted. Aerating your lawn will help this by allowing better water penetration, stronger root growth, and better absorption of nutrients and oxygen into the soil.
Fertilise
Applying fertiliser during autumn is crucial to giving your lawn the strength and good health it needs to withstand the cooler weather coming. As the weather cools down, so too does your lawn’s growth, meaning that if your lawn is a little unhealthy and nutrient poor it will likely go into winter unprepared for the colder conditions. This leaves it more susceptible to winter weeds, compaction, shade related issues and frost – so now is the perfect time to give your lawn a boost!
Watering
Don’t put your hoses away just yet! Although the weather may start to become cooler there is no guarantee there won’t be more hot weather just around the corner. Monitor your lawn and the weather to ensure your lawn stays well hydrated. To check if your soil is getting enough water use a moisture meter, dig into the soil to manually check, or use a catch cup to measure how much water the rain or sprinklers are supplying.
Weed & Apply Pre-Emergent
Weeds are a pesky problem all year round, but are especially prominent when the weather gets cold. Autumn is the perfect time to get a head start on these weeds by applying a pre-emergent to your lawn. Pre-emergent herbicides target seasonal weed seeds during germination, reducing the chances of winter weeds and cereal grasses appearing in your lawn. For the best seasonal weed control we recommend applying a pre-emergent every 10 weeks depending on what you use (please see directions on the product chosen).
OxaFert
OxaFert is a combination pre-emergent and fertiliser that lasts in the soil for up to 12 weeks. It is an easy to apply granule in a convenient 3kg bag that is perfect for use on Kikuyu, Buffalo or Tiftuf Bermuda lawns. Read more here.
Spartan Herbicide
Spartan Herbicide is a liquid pre-emergent that is safe for use on all lawn types and is effective in the soil for up to 6 months. A liquid treatment is a great option for pet owners as it is safe once watered in and fully dry. Read more here.
Freehand Herbicide
Freehand Herbicide is a granule pre-emergent that is safe on Kikuyu, Buffalo and Couch lawns, and even in the garden. This is a great option if you have applied a fertiliser recently as it only contains pre-emergent. Read more here
Pendi Pro
Pendi Pro is a granular combination of pre-emergent and fertiliser that is safe for Kikuyu and Couch lawns. It comes in a large 20kg bag and one application provides 6 – 8 weeks of control and feeding. Read more here
Oxa Pro
OxaPro is a granular combination of pre-emergent and fertiliser that is safe for Kikuyu and Buffalo lawns. It comes in a large 20kg bag and one application provides up to 12 weeks of control and feeding. Read more here
Echelon Duo
Echelon Duo is a combination of pre-emergent, fertiliser and insecticide presented as a ready to apply granule that is safe for Kikuyu, Buffalo and Tiftuf Bermuda lawns. It provides up to 90 days of weed & insect protection and does it all in one application! Read more here
Please note that pre-emergents will also target lawn seeds, so avoid re-seeding any treated areas for 4 months.
If you are needing assistance with some autumn lawn care we can help! We offer Coring either on its own or with another service, and fertilising and pre-emergent treatments as part of our Follow Up service. Give us a call to book in!
Product of the Month
Akers 15kg Top Dressing Mix is made up of 70% sharp sand and 30% Akers Soil Builder.
Top Dressing Mix is perfect for small renovations, applying with seed or filling small patchy areas such as patches caused by pesky Black Beetle that has been so prominent recently. If you have Black Beetle treat it first with Acelepryn and then a few days later a light application of our Top Dressing Mix will encourage turf to recover, or if you have already treated your lawn now is the time to patch up those damaged areas!
For a light dress, one bag can cover up to 1.5m2.
Dal’s Gardening Tips
- Keep an eye out for fungus. Autumn can bring extra soil dampness and humidity, which are perfect conditions for fungus to grow.
- In severely compacted areas add gypsum to help break up the soil structure.
- Apply organic fertiliser to help build up humus level and microbiology activity in the soil.
- Roses could do with a light pruning and general tidy up early this month. Remove spindly or dead wood and give a good feed using MK Garden Fertiliser. In 50 days you should get “Autumn Flush” blooms.
- Aerate, mulch and feed your gardens ready for winter veggie planting.
As always, thank you for your support!
Best wishes,
Dal, Jacqi and the Akers of Lawn team