Karl Johnson (KJ) is no stranger to growing the ultimate lawn - most recently as the Turf Manager of Hamilton’s Seddon Park and FMG Stadium Waikato. The Turf Master-Craftsman has been in the business over 30 years. A snapshot of career highlights include: building and maintaining cricket and rugby pitches in Dubai, completing cricket grounds in India, consulting in many other countries, and more recently working for the All Blacks in Samoa on the ground for their inaugural Test match against Manu Samoa. We caught up with him to get his expert opinion on creating a match-ready lawn.
Hey, I’m hearing you may be after a few tips of looking after your lawn! I won’t let you near my lawn as it’s like a mechanic’s car, a builder’s house, at the moment… However, with over 30 years’ experience in the turf industry here’s a few things that may help you out:
How low should you mow
Never, ever cut more than a third of the leaf of at any one time – i.e. if the leaf is 50mm long don’t mow it to 10mm! Nice sharp blades will always cut better and mean less shredding of the leaf - would you cut your hair with blunt scissors?
Feed your hungry lawn
Use a good quality turf specific fertiliser such as Tui LawnForce to ensure your turf gets a balance of N-P-K. I would advise always washing in as soon after application as possible, to minimise any turf burn. The best time to fertilise is when it’s raining.
The best watering technique
I believe watering early in the morning is the best time. Watering during the heat of the day means you lose water through evaporation, plus the wind effects the sprinkler throw. Watering at 6pm means the turf plant sits wet during the night - which is an invitation to turf diseases. I like to teach the plant roots to chase moisture: deep watering and then drying out your turf before its next irrigation application is a great way to achieve this.
When dry conditions strike
Applying a good quality wetting agent to assist the turf profile to take water is certainly a great wee trick to prevent lawns getting extremely dry. Once the ground has become anaerobic (very dry) it is extremely difficult to get water into these areas. Hand fork them over and hand water isolated dry areas.
Dealing to patchy lawns
The best time of the year to sow any seed is March and April. I see so many people trying in summer and watch them struggle! Give your new seed the best chance by sowing in autumn.
Remember turf is a living thing: it needs air, water and food just like you and I. So ensure your turf gets, air, water and fertiliser.
Enjoy growing great quality turf, as it’s a real challenge but also very enjoyable!
KJ
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Tips from the Turf Expert KJ Comments
I was disappointed that there was no information regarding dealing with weeds in the lawn. I have sown a new lawn only to find that the compost I used has introduced creeping oxalis into the lawn and I can't find a broadleaf spray that kills it without killing the lawn
Tracey Schubert
How do i kill kaikuia in my lawn
Ross
Hi Ross, kikuyu is a hardy lawn weed. A glyphosate based spray will be effective on kikuyu but will also kill the rest of the lawn, you therefore need to spot spray the kikuyu with it. Thanks, Tui Team
jenna
Hi Tracey, thanks for your feedback. Information on killing weeds is generally specific to the type of weed. Tui Hydrocotyle Eliminator (Triclopyr is the active ingredient) will control creeping oxalis. Make sure your new lawn is at least 16 weeks established before spraying, all broadleaf weed control products need that time for the lawn to establish. Creeping oxalis is a wind blown seed and conditions have been perfect for weeds over the summer and autumn months. A well nourished lawn will have a better chance of keeping weeds at bay. We hope this information helps, Jenna ^Tui Team
jenna
Hi, I have a great deal of moss in my lawn and I have no idea how to get rid of it. Cheers Tricia
Tricia Trixl
Hi Tricia, there are product you can use to eliminate moss in lawns, Tui Lawn Fertiliser contains Sulphate of Iron to help eradicate moss, as well as feed the lawn and you can also purchase sulphate of iron which can be mixed up in a watering can and applied to your lawn. The moss will go black over a week or two, it will need to be raked out and the area re-seeded with lawn seed. But, the moss will return next season if the reason it is there is not corrected. Moss grows in cool moist shady areas, it could be on the south side of the house caused by the shadow, trees shading the area or poorly drained soils or heavy clay soils. The soil can be aerated by wearing digging a fork into the soil, walk around with spikes on your shoes or by using a scarifier (can be purchased from garden centres or DIY stores). Drainage can be improved by raising the soil level by adding top soil and resowing the lawn. Bury drainage coil or dig a trench and add scoria in to the wettest parts of the garden to improve drainage. If the soils are heavy clay soils apply gypsum to the area to help break up the clay soil and improve the soil structure.
Lianne