Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Jan 20, 2010 11:50 pm Hi Fu, I am looking at laying turf in the next few weeks but am unsure on the approach i should take to minimise nut grass infestation in the future. Our whole estate is covered in nut grass (along with various other grassy weeds) and it seems that not many are winning the war against 'the nut'. I have treated the whole block with sempra (which is ridiculously expensive but supposed to be the only thing that works) twice over the last week and the nut grass is starting to yellow. I will wait another week and hit the entire lawn again with a mix of sempra and roundup to kill the other weeds (is killing the other weeds necessary???). I am unsure of what step i should take next, should i then try to get rid of the remaining grass / weeds or just get the organic certified soil and mix (rotary hoe) the whole lot up / in? Am i likely to expose my self to nut grass again by disturbing the soil ?(as i believe this is what sets off the dormant nut grass in the first place) I am most likely going with sir walter or palmetto. Re: Nut grass and turf 2Jan 20, 2010 11:52 pm Stupid question... but what is Nut Grass?? viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: Nut grass and turf 3Jan 21, 2010 12:00 am It is a pain in the a$$
http://www.cottoncrc.org.au/content/Ind ... grass.aspx Taken from that link - 'It has been described as the world’s worst weed due to the problem it causes in such a wide variety of crops and countries. Origin: A native of tropical Asia, but is now a major weed in nearly every tropical and sub-tropical country of the world' The biggest problem with it is it stems from a series of nuts (up to 5 per plant i believe) under the surface of the soil. If you dont know any better and attempt to pull it out all you do is set off the other nuts to germinate, causing 5 times the trouble you were in before. Pretty horrible stuff Re: Nut grass and turf 4Jan 21, 2010 12:03 am Interesting! Grows quickly and likes to take over the lawns... will have to keep an eye out! viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22766 - my build thread! Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris. Re: Nut grass and turf 6Jan 21, 2010 12:06 am crap what am I saying Its not onion weed It's a crappy tufty green grass that gets these annoying seed head up on stems. As usual, the bloody muck grows faster then your lawn. Re: Nut grass and turf 7Jan 21, 2010 12:11 am Re: Nut grass and turf 8Jan 21, 2010 12:13 am Thats the gear. None of mine have made it to the flowering stage yet, thanfully. The consensus seems to be kill it, leave the existing soil alone and spread a thick layer of good quality soil over the top of the existing soil and just poison the individual shoots that pop up through it all. But that doesn't fit so well with your recommendations of lawn prep what to do??? Re: Nut grass and turf 9Jan 21, 2010 12:17 am This stuff is going to pop up everywhere after your new lawn gets laid. What can you do other than what you have. For effective treatment of the weed and correct spraying, spray in the morning. Not before rain or irrigation. Add a splash of seasol to the spray mix. Add 2 or 3 drops of dishwashing liquid or wetting agent to the mix. results of spraying mornings v's evenings/arvos will be very different. careful in high wind too. Re: Nut grass and turf 10Jan 21, 2010 12:19 am get the lawn down, let the crap grow through till the turf is established. Then start spraying endothal products in the above fashion. You should see a result. Re: Nut grass and turf 11Jan 21, 2010 12:28 am Thanks Fu, I've been throwing in a bit of dishwashing liquid as a surfactant and tried food colouring so i could see where i'd sprayed, got a few funny looks for a few days as it looked like someone had been murdered on my lawn, maybe reds not the best choice. what does the seasol do? So should i leave the existing soil alone? or should i still follow your recommendation of mixing in the new soil with the old? Re: Nut grass and turf 12Jan 21, 2010 12:31 am Yep, you have to turn the soil into the crap soil you are starting with. if you layer it, that will be how deep the roots pretty much grow so imagine how many problems that is going to cause. Just do the ground work and deal with the nut grass as is happens. Get the foundations right and things are easier to deal with. yes the bloody stuff is going to come up, but the soil will be good and the lawns roots will develop well. Re: Nut grass and turf 13Jan 21, 2010 12:39 am Thanks Fu OK, looks like i'll be busting my guts this weekend then. I assume theres not much point waiting for the existing nut grass to die if i'm just going to be exposing new nuts? Re: Nut grass and turf 14Jan 21, 2010 12:47 am DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Please help me to answer this question , it will help me a lot as i can go to buy confidently with your recommendation: I want to put synthetic turf in our backyard for… 0 5538 They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? Any drainage behind sleeper? 3 5863 I recently went through a similar renovation and move scenario when updating our family home. We also swapped some rooms around and tackled a major… 2 10030 |