MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
Some advice and a few tips to ensure a beautiful lawn
This information is for the benefit of my clients who are interested in a beautiful lawn. Following these basic rules and tips will render the best result for a weed-free, beautiful green and healthy lawn.
The products we use are safe for humans, animals, and birds. All you have to do is water and mow, the rest is up to me.
- Do not mow your lawn for at least 3 days before and 4 days after my application of liquid fertiliser/ insect treatment. The grass needs the foliage to promote the “chemical reaction.”
- Irrigate the grass within 24 hours after the chemical / organic fertiliser treatment unless it rains.
- Adding 25 mm water once per week depending on the weather (heat) is normally enough for most grasses. During hot summer months this could be increased to 50 mm per week. In this case, it is also advisable to cool the soil down by applying just a little water at midday. Kikuyu requires more water than St. Augustine (LM) or Cynodon.
- Watering in the morning is preferred and healthier for your lawn. Irrigating your lawn in the late afternoon lengthens the dew period and can cause all sorts of problems (Fungal diseases). Remember, municipal or even borehole water is not rainwater. Irrigate for 40 /45 minutes per zone once a week, rather than a few minutes every day.
- Four to 6 hours is required after treatment, or herbicide treatment, before watering. This helps the plant to absorb the herbicide. (Depending on humidity, the higher the humidity, the longer the waiting period).
- Do not mow the grass too short (kikuyu needs at least 3-4 cm foliage if mowed regularly and 5 – 6 cm in shade for photosynthesis to produce chlorophyll. Any short causes stress to the plant and a stressed plant is not a healthy plant. A stressed lawn also gives weeds a foothold. The length at which you mow the lawn can make up to a 10ºC difference in the temperature. In warmer months it can cool it by up 10ºC. And in the winter months keep it warmer by up to 10ºC. The average blade length of LM should be 6-7 cm.
- Your lawn will go slightly off colour after herbicide treatment. The grass will however revive within a few days. Herbicide within a few days cannot be applied in windy conditions, as other plants may be affected by herbicide and cannot be applied too close to other plants or even trees, especially trees that do not have “flower beds” around their trucks. The hair roots can absorb the chemicals and although the tree will not die, it might shed leaves. Here again, weeds need to be removed manually.
- Nutsedge / sorrel / wild garlic are particularly hardy. It might be necessary to repeat the treatment up to 3 or more times 14 / 21 days apart. Please be patient, the herbicide needs to work through the root system to be effective.
- Bunch grass / Paspalum / Poannua, (winter grass) cannot be treated chemically if situated within the lawn area It is more cost-effective to remove the weed manually.
- Wind, birds and lawnmowers bring in new weed seed: your lawn will definitely remain beautifully green healthy and weed free if you keep to the 13-week schedule. Some weeds must be treated more than others: an analysis will determine what treatment to apply.
- Urine, specifically dog urine, leaves yellow marks and no treatment is available for this problem.
- Traffic, especially continuous traffic, (vehicles and / or feet, human, canine or feline) has a negative effect on lawns and is best avoided as far as possible.
- PLEASE – PLEASE Do not attempt to add your treatment with an additional fertiliser boost. The combined effect with the Greenfields treatment may be very detrimental to your lawn and can cause irreparable damage.
- Depending on infestation the treatment may not always be a “quick fix” although we have a very good track record. Rather exercise patience. It is a logical conclusion that a badly infested lawn will take longer to cure. It only needs more TLC (tender loving care).
- Topsail is used only to level the lawn OR if there is not enough depth for the roots to grow deep enough for the good of the grass / plant. There is no other reason at all ever to use topsoil 99 % of the time since it only brings in new weeds Never, never apply top dressing to LM, it will not tolerate it and my die off.
- I will pay your lawn a visit. Regularly after treatment and during the course of the 3-month season, to do site inspection and / or maintenance. Should we have missed any spots, or you feel an area or areas need additional treatment, please do not hesitate in contacting me: Greenfields Lawn Services cc
