Episode: Six
Date: 9th May
Story: Installation of a new lawn
Presenter: Neville Passmore

Installing a lawn can create wonders for your home, not only does it look and feel good but they can provide many practical benefits for garden landscapes and the environment. As part of ?WA?s Worst Garden? makeover Neville installs over 140 metres of Palmetto turf in Lynette?s backyard courtesy of ?WA Palmetto Group.?

Key benefits of lawn

Environment Benefits

• Lawns assist in cooling cities and reducing the use of air conditioners.
• Lawns reduce the runoff of urban pollutants.
• Lawns lessen soil erosion.
• Watering lawns also waters adjacent trees and shrubs.

Social and Economic Benefits

• Lawns provide a safe, high quality, play area for children.
• Lawns provide exercise opportunities to all ages (gardening is the second most popular form of exercise ? walking is the first).
• Lawns provide an exercise area for pets.
• Lawns provide beauty and relaxation to homeowners and the community.
• Lawns and gardens have a major impact on house prices.

Featured Products

Palmetto Buffalo-why choose Palmetto

• Superior shade and sun tolerant.
• Low maintenance and easy to care lawn- requires less mowing.
• Extremely waterwise and require less fertilizers.
• Soft leaf-unlikely to irritate tender young kids.
• Outstanding green colour all year round when properly maintained and renowned for its ?rich green winter colour.
• Excellent and fast growth across the ground.
• Has quickly become known as the tough hardwearing Buffalo lawn.
• More uniform appearance when grown under similar conditions.
• Less need for verti-mowing to control thatch.
• Can achieve excellent appearance with a rotary or reel mower.
• Surface runner and easy to keep out of gardens beds, unlike other invasive varieties.
• Once established, its dense growth makes it much harder for weeds to grow if properly maintained.
• Palmetto has good tolerance of gray leaf spot and is more resistant to pests and other diseases.

Installation and Establishment

• A 10cm layer of good soil is needed with a mix of loam or organics- sheep manure or compost makes a great foundation.
• ?Install reticulation and level ground to finish 3 to 4cm below paving.

• Install ?Palmetto Underlay? to improve the fertility of the root zone.  1 to 2 bags is all that?s needed per 10m2 and rake through top 5cm. This will provide a slow release source of nutrients and organic matter.

• Apply a wetting agent to the soil-granular or liquid. Wet the soil before laying the lawn and spread "Turf Start or Dynamic Lifter" at the rate of 20kg per 100m2.
• Lay the turf rolls in a stretcher bond pattern.  On hot days, lay the turf in sections and water well to prevent drying.
• After laying the turf, water in well and roll with a heavy roller or compact with a plate compacter to form good contact between turf and soil.
• Apply products (such as Wetlock Retain) hosed into the lawn which will help hold moisture in the soil longer.
• Contact the Water Corporation for an exemption certificate and watering schedule, to help your new lawn get established. Maintaining soil moisture for the next 7 days is critical. ?Watering can be eased off after that. 
• If lawn joints are drying out, clean sand can be added to help hold more moisture.
• Mow the lawn lightly 7 to 10 days after installation in the warmer months and after it has taken root in the colder months.

Click here for Maintenance, Mowing and Watering tips.

Contact

WA Palmetto Group

Greenacres Turf Farm
Lot 503, Henderson Road, Serpentine
www.greenacresturffarm.com.au
info@greenacresturffarm.com.au
P: South: (08) 9525 2400
F: (08) 9525 2469

Westland Turf
North: Home base Exp 55 Salvado Rd, Wembley
South: The Lawn Care Centre 25 Shields Crs, Booragoon
Farm: 209 Moylan Road Wattleup
www.westlandturf.com.au
westland@iinet.net.au
P: 9410 2571
F: 9410 1531
M: 0407 475 224

Bullsbrook Turf
Lot 1 Cooper Road (West) Bullsbrook
www.greenbull.com.au
jenny@greenbull.com.au
P: 9571 1275
M: 0429 905 617

Greenfields Turf
108 Franklin Road, Wanneroo
www.greenbull.com.au
jenny@greenbull.com.au
P: 9306 1065

Down South Turf Farm
Lot 6 Wonnerup South Rd, Busselton WA 6280
P: 9753 3282