Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 41Apr 04, 2012 12:28 pm No nara and empress are not the same. Empress is a cultivar of zoysia japonica - origins asia, Nara is zoysia macrantha (spelling..) a native species. Nara has a slightly thinner leaf than Empire Zoysia but wider than Empress. I have a small patch of Nara and its a more green blue colour than empire. Very similar visually, Nara grows a fair bit quicker though, and has less rust problems in a cooler climate like Victoria. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 42Apr 04, 2012 11:53 pm I am having second thoughts on the Zoysia's and Nara as someone commented that they will be more like a bowling green and fairly firm but soft, rather than a buffalo which is soft but a bit more spongy under feet. Also that a cylinder mower is needed to keep them in good order. Any thoughts? Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 43Apr 05, 2012 2:30 pm Nah, dunno where you got that info. Zoysia's are flexible so you can have them down to golf green height with a cylinder mower or whatever length you want with a rotary mower like any other grass. You can do the same with kikuyu and couch but not buffalo.All grasses look better mowed with a cylinder mower btw . The spongy feel of turf is the thatch layer that builds up in all turf. Buffalo is commonly spongy because it only has above ground stolons to produce leaf which die of creating dead organic matter on the soil surface. If you are in a warmer climate than melb, do the correct prep and care, empire zoysia is the equal to the other grasses. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 44Apr 07, 2012 9:20 pm Ok I have narrowed our selection down to Sapphire, Kakadu, Nara or Empire Zoysia. I am leaning towards Nara but I am concerned about shade tolerability. I have just checked and at the moment we are getting 5 hours of sun on our west facing backyard, full sun at midday. If I prune the tree at the back, which really needs it, maybe another half hour or so. Does anyone know if Nara can do well with only 5 hours of sun? Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 45Apr 07, 2012 11:08 pm All the turf choices you have will survive with the light you have and even less coming to the equinox. All warm season (c4) turf growth is compromised over winter unless you are in the tropics. Its a biological fact, no matter what anyone says. You wont have a problem which ever you pick, some might go a bit browner over winter than the other but all will be fantastic in spring/summer/autumn when it matters. Pick the one you like the look of and the retailer you like the best. Your soil preperation is more an issue than the variety in your climate. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 46Apr 16, 2012 9:53 pm For those who are interested, after considering Empire Zoysia I finally went with 60 m2 of Nara Zoysia due to the similar properties but being a native, slightly different colour and possibly finer and softer. Seems like a bit of a fluffy grass. It is definitely a soft grass and softer than our neighbours' buffalo but not sure how it really compares with EZ or Sapphire for instance. Will be interesting to see how it goes next summer. Still looks great a day after laying, see photos below taken on my phone camera so please excuse any distortion: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara%20Zoysia/IMG245.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara%20Zoysia/IMG246.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara%20Zoysia/IMG247.jpg http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara%20Zoysia/IMG244.jpg Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 47Apr 17, 2012 8:44 am Looks great Dons, good choice. You might find it looks a bit yuck over this winter since it was laid later in the season and it hasnt had the whole of summer to establish. But it also could be fine if the winter isnt too cool. Either way it will take off in early spring. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 48Apr 17, 2012 8:48 am Whats the current price per m2 for Nara?? Any recommended suppliers in Melbourne (Geelong in particular). Looking at laying this later on this year - Aug/Sept Willl it survive as far south as Geelong provided I do the Fu approved soil prep?? Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 49Apr 17, 2012 9:43 am Yeah, I am expecting it to lose a bit of colour over winter. I read the Fu soil prep but must admit I was a bit lax on the soil prep but we did have a lot of soil especially brought in which I was told by the landscaper and turf suppliers that it was suitable. It was also sitting there for a few months or so so had well settled. There were a few hard stony sections which I got at with the mattock which wasn't easy work. I think I got most of them, but I am a bit busy so just used the Ozbreed slow release organic fertilizer that came with the grass. I will buy some seasol but still have some fertilizer left for next time. Fingers crossed it will look just as good next Summer. I will post some more photos then. There seems to be a bit of price variation in Sydney from $6.50 to $7.70 m2 & delivery from $65-$85. I found a retailer that I was comfortable with and they matched the lower price. It came with a Ozbreed Certificate of Authenticity as well which gives one a bit of confidence. I found all of the suppliers on the ozbreed website, though only a couple in Victoria. http://www.ozbreed.com.au/nara/nara-tur ... o-buy.html But really grass isn't a very expensive commodity when you look at the price of plants. The hard work is laying the turf! I was surprised how heavy one roll of turf was. They said an hour and a half to lay but it took me almost all weekend but a satisfying result. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 50Apr 27, 2012 8:16 pm I have 346 sq metres coming on Monday. I am hoping for a cool day so me and my buddy can knock it over I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 51Apr 27, 2012 8:44 pm That sounds great. I noticed mine is already rooting down and still looks great. Where can fit 346 sq m of turf these days!!?? I hope you don't have to lay it all yourself. You will deinfitely have to post some pics when it is down. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 52Apr 28, 2012 4:16 pm I know but my wife calculated the Sq m and she did Math at uni! it does include the council verge (I am so I nice) I have another H1 member helping me on Monday. I am also laying 40sq m of Durban in the shade. I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 53Apr 28, 2012 6:26 pm Looks good Don. I laid Nara in my backyard replacing kikuyu on Tuesday. I am very impressed with it so far, very soft and I love the finer leaf compared to Buffalo grasses. I am looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather and it will look great. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 54Apr 28, 2012 8:11 pm mack042 Looks good Don. I laid Nara in my backyard replacing kikuyu on Tuesday. I am very impressed with it so far, very soft and I love the finer leaf compared to Buffalo grasses. I am looking forward to Spring and the warmer weather and it will look great. This makes me a happy camper! I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 55Apr 30, 2012 7:57 pm OMG the colour IS AMAZING. looks great I will get some pics tomorrow as I ran out of light and soil! Need to order more soil to lay out some more of this beautiful turf I went outside once. The graphics were alright, but the gameplay sucked! Settlement:22nd June Slab:27th August Frame:16th Sept Bricked:21st Oct Roof:24th Nov Linings HANDOVER23rd March! Re: Nara Native Turf - Rust Fungus Orange Mould? 56May 01, 2012 10:44 am Some bad news for our lawn. It has turned orange http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/IMG265.jpg?t=1335832782 From what I have read it is some sort of orange mould or fungus called "rust fungus". I think the sudden increase in rain we had following laying the turf and the cool to warm conditions led to its growth. Unlucky I guess. If anyone has any good tips for treating it please let me know. I have read conflicting suggestions about what to do from nothing to using a fungicide. I believe I should get the soil tested but not sure where one does that? I think the soil is still damp so I will refrain from watering for a while unless advised otherwise. There was plenty of organic fertilizer during the laying so not sure if it needs any more nutrients but suggestions would be appreciated. thanks don Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 57May 01, 2012 11:09 am It will go away naturally, I have had plenty of rust on my ez and nara. It's just the time of year and the amount of moisture sitting on the leaf and thatch. No watering in the late arvo or evening so the leaves dry out before the dew sets in overnight will help out. It won't kill the nara, it just looks ugly. Rust is seasonal so don't both with a fungicide. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 58May 28, 2012 1:00 pm I am thinking of planting Nara native turf on my nature strip in Melbourne - Spotswood (I know I need to wait until at least mid August). I am going back to turf on my nature strip after trying indigenous tussock grasses and plants, because the weed problem was too much. I live near industrial land and there is oxalis and thistles - spent every weekend weeding! I have tossed up between Nara and palmetto - the only reason I would still consider Palmetto is that it is thicker and thus less likely to be invaded by weeds. However I was interested to read this: "Nara can have Kikuyu sprayed out by professional lawn care companies. If you want a mono culture grass for a long time, both Nara native turf, and Empire Zoysia are they way to go." Why do you need a professional lawn care company to spray out the Kikuyu - can you do it yourself? Can you use something to spray thistles (in case they grow) - that won't kill the Nara?? Would anyone suggest Palmetto would be better than Nara in this case. I'm a bit of a native/indigenous freak and a greeny and thus would prefer to use Nara, especially as it needs less mowing (I don't even own a lawnmower - but my neighbour will do it in exchange for beer - until he gets too old) and less edging and less water. Thanks in advance - just found this website and it's great! Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 59May 28, 2012 4:21 pm Professionals have access to registered chems that selectively kill kikuyu and not harm the nara. There is a domestic chem that works but takes a fair few applications. Really if you dont have kik in your tussocks now then its not a real issue in vic as kikuyu rarely sets seed that germinates, unlike in NSW and Qld where that info comes from. In those states kikuyu invades home lawns often so having the ability to selectively kill kikuyu in your lawn is important. And you can only do this if you have couch, zoysia or some of the cool season grasses. Re: Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety 60May 28, 2012 6:16 pm Great thanks - can you selectively spray for thistle in zoysia if it starts to grow there? Fig Landscapes has produced an e-book and native plant index, available for purchase from their website. It's a great resource, full of inspiration and tips. Another… 1 12240 They using concrete or timber sleepers? Timber or steel uprights? Any drainage behind sleeper? 3 5863 |