Oh No! Whats wrong with my turf?!

gumboots · Nov 19, 2010 5:18 pm

Hello!

Hoping someone can help me - we laid turf (Palmetto soft leaf buffalo - we tried to get Sapphie but were told the supplier stopped growing it

) in April this year.

We sprayed clay breaker on the area a few days before, then layed a 100mm layer of lawn mix soil and laid irrigation pipe underneath with sprinklers fitted. From there we followed the directions on the information sheet that came with the turf to the letter, which involved all the watering frequencies and after care, kept the dogs off it for 6 weeks, spreading around whatever stuff they tell you to spread around (food? not sure) twice after installation.

The weeds started appearing soon after installation and I repeatedly pulled them out by hand as I was advised there was no weed and feed suitable for Buffalo. About a month ago I used the newly released Yates weed and feed for Buffalo which seems to have killed a few weeds but not all. I have also used seasol on it before the couple of hot days we have had.

In about June I started calling the landscaper asking her advice for the weeds in the turf and she said some might have blown in or passed via birds from the surrounding area. She came out to have a look in late July and advised to try the new weed and feed but said it was the worst weed infestation she has seen, particularly in roll out turf and that some varieties of weeds weren't local to the surrounding area. I then tried the weed and feed and waited the four weeks on the packet for it to work with poor results. From there I rang the supplier to see if someone can come and look at it and advise. The guy was supposed to come out Monday but didn't show up, and I haven't had a response from the e mail I sent to the grower.

I gave about 18sqm of leftover turf to my father in law in Brunswick to lay in his front yard and from my last visit it looks like he is having the same issues as us.

I have put a few pictures on this album of when it was laid and what it looks like now:
http://s35.photobucket.com/albums/d151/laurenz53/Turf/

Can anyone help with fixing my grass? I think I counted about 18 different weeds - from the standard big prickly ones to some that look like parsley to winter grass. It did look a bit better after a mow but its obvious there is only a couple of sheets that aren't infested.

Thanks very much!

Lungy · Nov 19, 2010 5:28 pm

gumboots

then layed a 100mm layer of lawn mix soil

Could be the weeds originated here where did you get it?

gumboots · Nov 19, 2010 5:45 pm

The soil is from Werribee or Hoppers Crossing and I think the grass grower is around there as well.

My sister said when she used to work in the garden section of Mitre 10 they would occassionally get a batch of soil that was infected with weeds and they would have to refund whoever came forward with the problem.

I don't know if that will fly where we got it from though, hard to prove I guess?

IkonInteriors · Nov 19, 2010 5:52 pm

It looks as though the turf has mostly died off and the weeds have taken over? I'm no expert though by any means. Fu should be able to give you some pointers... I'm going to bet though that he says it has something to do with soil preparation

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 19, 2010 7:59 pm

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TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 19, 2010 7:59 pm

Oh dear......

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 19, 2010 8:04 pm

you need some Amgro winter grass killer that has "endothal" in it. That will sort most of your problem grasses without hurting what is left of the buffalo... which is somewhere there

... I think

No point in blaming anyone or anything.

Most of those varieties of grasses are pretty common around your part of town and I'd lay money the seeds have blown in on the wind rather than been present in the soil or even in the turf. That just wouldn't happen. Even if there was seeds in the soil, the plant would not have the energy to push through even 20mm of turf roll.

But when a soil is not well, the plants are not strong. When the plant is not strong, it's gonna get picked on.

Your soil is....

If only you had read my turf laying summary

... If only

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 19, 2010 8:21 pm

Do a quick search on spraying and use my username in the search.
That will offer a few guides to how to spray with best effect.
Top dress with certified organic soil if you can, apply molasses. There's a thread in here on that too

Using just any compost or "lawn top dress" just doesn't cut it. It really must be certified organic compost. see BAAG for that. (Bulleen Art and Garden)

The methods used and recommended are not anywhere near what I would do but are accepted industry practices unfortunately. The method you have been advised to use will result in a shallow root system that will be subject extremes of heat and cold and will directly effect the integrity of the turf.

gumboots · Nov 19, 2010 11:03 pm

Oh no!

I do have some winter grass killer, its in a little orange box, I hope its the right one. I thought in my head I didn't want to overdose it on all sorts of killing stuff so I held out on that one after i did the weed and feed and seasol. I'll put that on this weekend, after checking the box for endothal ::lol::

Should i keep trying to weed it (sacrificing my poor soft office hands) or let all this stuff I am going to put on it do it's thing?

On a positive note there is some buffalo in there somewhere - two lovely thick rows of it against the retaining wall ::celeb::

. That part has some weeds, mostly the parsley things and clovers rather than the ugly ugly grasses but its a sight better than the rest of it.

I shall persist with it anyway despite my black thumb. Thanks for all your help and I will update if it gets better... or worse ::cry::

.

Lex · Nov 20, 2010 7:33 am

I know all about soft hands

... I do not dare touching anything in the garden without leather gloves on

. Bnngs currently sells some bright blue super soft gloves which are lined with some thin cotton fabric inside. They also have velcro fastening

and are the rare gloves that come in S size and are soft

. These are the best I found so far

, they will certainly totally save your hands

, you wouldn't even know what you've been doing in the garden.

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 20, 2010 3:10 pm

As for the weed and feed bizzo, well there are products suitable for buffalo. There is heaps of info here at Homeone on this subject

Again

if only you had been with us earlier

Amgro do one called "Bin-die" and is far cheaper for the exact same thing as some of the "specialised" buffalo products. Don't pay for a label

If you do a quick search on that, you will find a heap of my posts on how best to apply it and get it too work.

The success of weed and feed sprays depends on many things. It can't rain after it has been applied and best to have dry days following as well. Always spray in the evening so the leaves of the weeds absorb it all through the whole day. If you do it in the arvo you'll expect some average results

Add seasol to it

It amplifies the effects if you like. Seasol works far better than any other method like adding urea or sulphate of ammonia.

Try to avoid ready to use weed and feeds.

Some remaining weeds will need to pulled out by hand. If it were me, in that area, I'd just grab the spade and get into digging them up.

Melrich · Nov 23, 2010 11:44 am

It doesn't look like a huge area. I would poison it all and start again.

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 24, 2010 2:48 am

It would be realistic to say that once the weeds are eradicated, easy stuff, we can get that back no worries. Seamungus green crumble, dolomite of lime (where you are) and molasses. If it gets hotter which no doubt it is going to or has happened :lol:

then maybe a wetting agent as well and I'd only suggest Saturaid, but that is all down the track

ibfragalot99 · Nov 26, 2010 11:28 pm

Poisen the lot, then start again - I'd try a grass that is itself a weed - Kikuyu!

Unstoppable.

TheGardenWhisperer · Nov 27, 2010 6:53 pm

I can't condone the recommendation to poison everything and start again. If I did, I would have recommended it. It would be a case of using poisons for the wrong reasons.

To me that would be a waste of money. They is enough there to bring things back and with good diligent care it is doable. Resist the urge to use chemical fertilisers on it. If something is not going well in the garden, the last thing that should be done is to fertilise it. You don't go into a hospital and take someone from a bed and get them to run a marathon.

I have posted what needs to be done and it will be fine