Nara Native Turf - New Turf Variety

This turf is a tuff little bugger. I rolled out some dead rolls and I now have green shoots popping up in it. Very happy with this turf

Yep thistles, all broadleaf weeds and winter/summer grasses. It doesnt care what selective herbicide is used unlike buffalo. Just remember it goes dormant all winter (3months) and thins out letting weeds get in early in spring.

I've had our Nara turf down for about 8 weeks now, there have been some weeds pop up but they pull out easily. Apart from the orange rust, which by the way I have found washes off, it still looks good.

As you say it is getting fairly dormant and has grown very little with the exception of some seed shoots. Does anyone know whether or not it is still worth mowing this time of year or is it better to leave the cutting now until Spring?

Sorry i should have qualified my last post, it will be dormant for months in Victoria. NSW different climate. To compare mine is dormant and 80% brown (2 years old).
And yes you can mow it just taking off the very tips of the grass which will trim the seed heads.

Hi donR, BeatrixKiddo, mecha-wombat and others,

I am looking to install 150 SQM of Nara in Sunbury, Victoria.
Can you please let me know whether you are still happy with Nara?

Please also advice how Nara does with weeds and mowing frequency?

Ours is a new block on a rocky hill and the lawn will be west facing with plenty of sun light and we will have sprinkler system installed.

Thanks

When it was new it was a really nice grass. Afterwards it tended to seed quite a bit and I don't think we mowed it enough. With that said it grew really slowly so I tended to neglect it a bit as it would never get that bad. I also think we were a little short on Sun. Definitely needs a lot of sun. Had a bit of a rust problem in the winter but did go away in the Summer.

Somewhat finicky grass compared with buffalo varieties but definitely low maintenance in terms of mowing. I think soil prep could have been better with mine as well and we planted a bit late in the season and didn't do a lot with the earth underneath, mixture of old earth, rocks and soil underlay, not much organic stuff. We moved after 18 months so can't really say much more.

I think it is a grass that if you can get the conditions right for it then you will be rewarded. I still think it has a much nicer texture and look than buffalo varieties.

Maybe it would be worth planting a sample section to see how it goes in your environment.

Thanks for your response donR. I have had a look at a patch of Nara and felt that it is not as soft under the feet as Couch but it could be just the patch in display at Melbourne Turf. Can you please let me know whether you have experienced the prickliness with Nara as well? I have been hearing that Nara remains brown/dormant and appears as if it is dead for 9 months in the year.

I never found it prickly and it was very soft under feet, particularly when first layed. Much softer than buffalo. For our front lawn I ended up trying Kakadu buffalo which was nice and on our lower shaded section I think it was Matilda. Both good grasses and certainly more hardy than Nara.

The Nara was very dormant in the winter (like most grasses), not sure about brown, it was more the rust that bothered me. I remember it came back in the Summer but I don't think the sunlight was ideal with west facing block and big tree in the back.

As I mentioned before, with Nara I'd be checking that at least 65-70% or more sun all year round, soil conditions are right, and I would think not too cold in the winter.

Nara was also good being a native as it satisfied our BASIX/council requirements for planting native plants.

When the Nara was first planted it was really nice and soft... look at the photos I posted. It is just a matter of keeping it that way! If the patch you saw didn't seem nice I would look for another sample. One other thing was I thought it seeded a lot in the spring/summer, more so in the buffalo but over all growth was slower. As mentioned I think I was a bit lazy with the mowing which probably did not help.

If you're unsure about the Nara and have lots of sun I would consider one of the Zoysias as I think they are similar but maybe more hardy.

I just found some photos which were taken the following Spring in October having been planted in Autumn. Still looked ok I think, but as mentioned I don't think this grass had enough sun, you can see it is in full morning shade and big tree at back.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara_DSC_0385.jpg?t=1420325974

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Nara_DSC_0359.jpg?t=1420325973

Hi there,
After years of both empire and Nara Zoysias i can confidently say the are only suited to full sun areas with very little wear/traffic in melb. They just grow too slow down here. If you have a lawn with 6hours + of sun just get Santa Ana couch. It has been used for years in melb and is a proven preformer. Santa Ana leaves the buffalos' in the dust in full sun, so to speak.

Thanks guys.

@BeatrixKiddo Can you please advice whether Santa Anna requires a lot more watering and mowing compared with Zoysia? I am trying to find a lawn type that does not require a lot of mowing and water and does not let a lot of weeds.

I have chosen Zoysia after reading some posts by Fu and this article - http://www.thelawnguide.com.au/zoysia-g ... ralia.html

I would think Empire Zoysia would be the good other option.

Thanks donR.

My research says that Nara is a little bit more shade tolerant, holds winter color better and grows a little more faster than Empire.
Can you think of any distinct advantages that Empire has got over Nara?

I would have thought Empire is more shade tolerant than Nara, maybe the same. In the brochure it says Empire is "Good in moderate shade". Apparently Santa Anna couch is less tolerant of shade again. Empire seems to be more versatile than Nara, maybe better in colder Victoria.

You can read about Empire if you haven't already:

http://www.hicksturf.com.au/pdf/Empire_flyer.pdf
http://www.empireturf.com.au/images/con ... rf24pg.pdf

Santa Ana requires less water to look good and thick in my experience.. Mowing wise well about the same really depends on how much you water and fertilise. Water empire plenty and it grows very quick in summer.
Just note Empire/nara only grows really well for 2-3 months of the year down here and all the info you read about zoysia (any brand grass really) in regards to shade, water, weeds, wear, mowing is relevant to those growing months only.. The reason zoysia is low mowing is because it's barely growing for 3/4 of the year.. Which is fine if you don't walk on it.. As soon as there is any wear and tear outside of summer the grass collapses and the weeds get in. It also goes dormant and brown from May, whether there is a frost or not. I think its a very good front yard grass that is for show only, it holds up better in low use settings.
The one thing to remember is melb has a very different climate to syd, perth and adel the info that applies there isn't the same as here in melb. In melb we have a much shorter growing period for everything so whatever grass you choose needs to grow well in the warmer months to allow it to get through and repair from the cold damage that occurs. Thats why you see a lot of kikuyu lawns in vic.

Maybe check out a few buffalos' like palmetto also. Sir Walter grows pretty dam quick in summer so it might not suit..

Thanks BeatrixKiddo and donR

We have 3 sections where we want to lay turfs in our new house and we are ok with the grass becoming dormant in winter months. I will to follow Fu's recommendations as much as I can for the soil prep.

125 sqm in the rear - This section has a bit of fall making it hard to mow an aggressive lawn type like santa anna or kikuyu. We don't have dogs and we are not expecting a lot of traffic from our 2 year old son in winter either. I spoke to Jerry from Austral Turf today and have been advised to stay away from Nara due to its unpredictable behavior. So considering empire for its low mowing requirements.

25 sqm on the side - This section is flat and we are expecting a little bit of traffic on this side in winter as well. So trying to choose between Santa Anna and Sapphire probably Santa Anna for its softness. Jerry advised that Sapphire has a fine thin blade as well and very soft under feet. Will have to see it physically.

30 sqm in the front - This area will not have any traffic. We want the least watering and least maintenance for this area. So considering Empire and Palmeto for their low maintenance.

Any suggestions guys?

I planted Sapphire in our shady section under the tree and it did really well. Quite soft but not as fine as the Zoysias.

Out the front I ended up planting Kakadu which was similar to Sapphire but possibly a bit finer and softer though can't really remember. Though it hada bit of a hard life as it was the last area to be done so had quite a bit of traffic as well as being well shaded.

Here is a photo of the Sapphire:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Grass/Sapphire_DSC_0368.jpg

And the Kakadu:

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i183/donald_rowe/Grass/Kakadu_DSC_0093.jpg

Sounds like you have some good choices there. Like you said have a look then decide. For whats its worth Palmetto, Sir Walter, Kings Pride, Santa Ana are all proven long term preformers in melb. Plant them in the right spots ie sun/shade with adequate water and they will work. No guess work needed..

So I planted nara native turf about a month ago (I would have like to plant earlier in the season but it was out of my control. I'm now worried it might not have been the best choice. It's a north facing backyard so most of it gets plenty of sun, but under the clothesline it is not doing well (6 month old in cloth nappies so heavy traffic!). I'm trying to reduce traffic by walking on both sides and hoping it's just a problem while it establishes. Any tips on what I can do to help it in this early stage?