The Village Crier - Home - Village Green Turf · 2015-08-19 · The Village Crier WINTER ISSUE 2011 A LASTING LEGACY ... mining town in the far north of Queensland, a wheat-belt town
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NEWSLETTER FOR THE VILLAGE GREEN COMMUNITY THE VILLAGE CRIER | 1
Don’t risk diseased turfWhen purchasing turf for your next project, it pays to consider what else you might be buying.
You could be bringing in weed seeds, nasty chemical residues, diseases, insects and worst of all – Sting Nematodes.
Sting nematodes have managed to hitch a ride on turf to many parts of Australia including a mining town in the far north of Queensland, a wheat-belt town in Western Australia and exclusive golf courses in NSW and Victoria.
Nobody really knows where the sting nematode originated from and there is a theory that it isn’t a native species of Australia.
One thing that we do know is that it is bad news for turf root systems - particularly on sand soils. Even at low numbers in the soil, the sting nematode has the capacity to stunt a root system to the point that turf could be rolled up and taken away months after being laid. And once the nematode is on a site, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it.
The sting nematode is reasonably large for a plant parasitic nematode (up to 2mm long) but it is still not visible to the naked eye
and the best way to determine if you have sting nematodes is to have an experienced Nematologist test your soil.
When you are buying turf it makes sense to purchase turf from a local supplier who you know has quality clean turf. Don’t take the risk of importing some cheaper unknown turf that could be a carrier for something sinister such as sting nematode.
Nematode damage
WELCOME
This issue focuses on case studies from users around the country, including some some well-known media identities, plus advice on planting and establishing Village Green®.
We also showcase the recent Village Green® Product Launch in Echuca, where the green carpet was rolled out to greet the VIP guests.
As always, there are valuable maintenance tips to keep Village Green® looking great all-year-round.
According to Turf Consultant, Ken Johnston, of Sports Turf Technology, there are four things to remember when it comes to maintaining Village Green on sports grounds: nutrition, mowing, watering and renovation.
“In most situations nitrogen is the most important nutrient for maintaining the desired level of growth, colour and density,” he says.
“The leaf tissue nitrogen levels should be maintained at about 2 per cent during the warmer months and 2.5 per cent in the cooler months.”
In some very high wear situations, or in extreme soil pH situations, the turf might need a foliar application of the trace elements iron and manganese during the cooler months.
Gardening identity recommends Village GreenRegular listeners to Perth’s local ABC broadcasts would be familiar with Steve Woods on the talkback gardening show.
In the last edition of the Village Crier, we featured an article on Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) and how the turf was coping outside the National Tally Room.
Since that story, this piece of ground has seen lots of action – including the Summernats street machine festival, the Royal Canberra Show and the National Folk Festival. Not to mention the dry Canberra summer.
“It’s copping an absolute
hammering,” Jonathon said, “and it’s hanging on quite well.”
Despite several frosts in May, Jonathon reports the turf at EPIC still looks “nice and lush”.
“They absolutely love it,” Jonathon said. “We’ve been told they can’t keep the kids off it – they want to play on it all the time, it’s so spongy and soft.”
“This lacked some early maintenance, but still looks quite good.”
“We only covered about 15 per cent of the ground so it’s a lot more cost effective.”
According to Jonathon, it’s looking good so far.
“The surface coverage isn’t too bad given the time of year that we had to plant the turf,” he said.
“The survival rate of the planted material seems to be quite high and I’m sure that as soon as things start to warm up it will spread quite quickly. As far as winter colour goes, it is holding a much better colour than Epic has this year, therefore looking quite respectable from a distance.”
• Verti-mowing all lawns to break through the thatch layer, but not damage any sub-irrigation systems.
• Removing debris from verti-mowing and mowing all lawns to a 12mm cutting height
• Soil and leaf tissue analysis and fertiliser and/or wetting
agents applied to correct any deficiencies
• Coring the section of lawn that does not have sub-irrigation
• Topdressing and levelling all lawns with a nutrient-rich topsoil to aid in moisture retention, decrease thatch and re-invigorate new growth.
As far as maintenance, Turf Care’s program involves a weekly mowing in spring, summer and autumn and fortnightly in winter.There is also ongoing organic fertilisation as far as practicable and, in the dryer months, the application of a good quality soil wetta followed up with a moisture retaining agent.ContactMichael MartenzTurf Care WAPhone 0414 233 240
Darren, seen on TV’s The Garden Gurus and Greenfingers, has used the hardy turf in both residential and commercial jobs, including for a primary school where it’s used as a playground surface.
“It has performed brilliantly,” he said. And with more than 20 years’ experience designing, installing and maintaining gardens throughout Perth, his opinion counts.
He said it stood up to Perth’s hot, dry summer “very well” with lower water use than other turf varieties.