A hottie and will there be more?

Last week was the hottest night ever in Australia.

Maybe not in Darwin........but see the site and ponder.

Would you like a 35.6C night?

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-18/hottest-night-on-record-noona/10725886

One relevant item is that zoysia turf does handle hot weather very well.  And it requires less water to grow.

Please consider!

Warm Autumn ?- Could Still Plant Compadre Zoysia Seeded Lawn

The latest medium term climate notices issued on 28 February 2018 for March - May [ ie Australian autumn period] are predicting warmer days and nights for much of Australia in this Autumn period.

A more detailed map and analysis is available on the site http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/temperature/maximum/median/seasonal/0 

Much of Australia is likely to be warmer over the next 3 months, both days and nights.

This presents an extended opportunity to get a new seeded zoysia turf area started and probably well matured in this period, rather than waiting for late next spring. However, it is prudent if considering this option, to get sowing under way in the next month or so to capitalise on the warmer weather.  Opportunities also are better if in north Australia, to start an area, mostly missing the very wet periods of the monsoon weather that can cause erosion and management issues for new areas.

Compadre zoysia seed still available - contact office@abovecapricorn.com.au for further information and pricing.  We also have a seres of information sheets available for establishing and maintaining zoysia turf in pdf electronic format - just ask!

Establishing a New Turf Area - What About the Weather - Australia 2016?

For those along the east and south east coast [even as far west as Adelaide] it has been a resurgence of cooler weather in mid September.  While many might have been thinking about preparing a new area for seed or turf sod, it is a bit of a setback - more cool, wet and poor sunshine weather for September.

But looking at longer term averages it does seem to indicate that October is about the earliest safe time to get motivated to develop your new summer growing turf area in much of the east and south east of Australia.

Planting too early can be a total disaster - with low temperatures meaning slow, uneven, poor germination and emergence as seed reacts to the tough conditions with slow and irregular development and growth.  Also relevant is the amount of cloudy conditions providing inadequate sunshine for decent seedling growth.  These struggling seedlings can then be exposed to plant diseases and ..........it is a failure, as seedlings die.

Prudence dictates.........wait a little longer into October.

As an example, [ using data from Essendon]

September - mean min temp - 6.7C  and mean max temp - 16.8C
October  - mean min temp - 8.3C and mean max temp - 19.3C.

More recently, daily weather data for Melbourne for September is distinctly cooler than average- http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW3033.latest.shtml   - shows recent weather for Olympic Park in Melbourne clarifying that cool weather still is common in September 2016.

While Melbourne provides an example, checking BOM data for your location should help you to more effectively plan a successful planting.  Avoid being too early and suffering from poor weather! 

The other notable factor is the amount of sunshine with October much higher than September, with both daylength and solar energy higher in October, which normally boosts growth of seedlings.

It may also be prudent to delay fertiliser application, for a few weeks , with the high recent rainfall likely to cause leaching of nutrients.  Longer term weather forecasting seems to indicate more wet, cool,weather possible over the next few weeks.

While it is normal to expect weather to warm from September, the issue is that this year this is expected to be slower due to ongoing cool and damp weather, with lower insolation.

Outcome - be careful and keep a more vigilant watch on the weather and plan for any turf planting or turf seed sowing to be delayed until maybe mid October.  And be prepared for change.

We would like to sell clients zoysia seed to be ready for sowing - but do strongly urge zoysia seed users to carefully check both long term data averages, and recent monthly data to aid your decision making.  We want to see a successful seed sowing, and can help with data checking if concerned.  Our current view for much of temperate areas in Australia is - wait a few more weeks before sowing summer turf seed.

Sowing and Nutrition - for Seed Sown Zoysia

This question is a perennial one that is regularly asked by those developing a new turf area.  While there are some guides about how to sow seed, the nutrition aspects are not widely available particularly for conditions outside of the USA.  

Zoysia from seed is effectively established with modest nutrition – we suggest 2 applications each of 200g / 100 sq m of a good mixed NPK fertiliser with trace elements, applied evenly to dry soil before sowing and raked into the soil, and at 3-4 weeks after sowing which can be irrigated into the ground.  Suitable products include Yara Hydrocomplex NPK 12:15:10 [or similar as many blends are close to this] plus trace elements and iron.  Others potentially available include Crop King 55 and 88, Nitrophoska Blue and a range of other suitable all-purpose fertilisers used at sowing depending on availability at your local supplier.

Follow that by switching to a slow release fertiliser eg Scotts  - [ or other brands that may be available from many garden shops incl Bunnings and BigW in 2kg and 4 kg  bags, but do not use any with herbicide while the area is so young], applied at about 6-8 weeks  from sowing and thereafter at 12 week intervals in year 1 – you can use about one half of the recommended rate for zoysia – the recommended rate is broadly based for use on couch.  After that maybe 2-3 times a year is enough -August to October [depending on location], early March and [maybe in warm areas] May. for larger areas, sometimes a 25kg bag is a sensible buy - store it in a secure lidded plastic pail and it will be okay for several years. 

Slow release fertiliser is strongly recommended for all zoysia turf areas.  Avoid excess fertilising and non-slow release nitrogen fertiliser – that encourages thatch development.

If more green colour is needed for your turf – apply 0.5% - 1% iron sulfate solution [no stronger please] – great colour can be achieved but not too much growth! 

We strongly suggest additional potassium in September/October and March each year [ southern hemisphere areas] – use potassium sulfate [sulfate of potash] at 1kg / 100 sq m, and avoid muriate of potash.  This potash product is sold in 1.5 and 2.5 kg pails from many major garden stores and also is available in larger sizes [25kg] if required.

At sowing, a very light mulch cover can be helpful to manage and assist with holding moisture close to the surface during the vital early few weeks.  Light materials are best including sugar cane mulch and mature fine compost or similar, with a very thin cover helpful – no more than 1-2mm that holds moisture close to the surface where the seed is germinating.  

After sowing, irrigation during the day, for a few minutes each time, is needed to dampen the surface but not make it too wet.  As to the number needed - suggest 2-3 times each day at late morning and early afternoon as a start………but need to adjust as needed, and it will be temperature and wind dependent.  This can be reduced once seedlings emerge – some individual judgment is needed on this issue, as all sites and conditions are different.  The need is for SURFACE DAMP not SURFACE  DROWNING.

Seed emergence can be sped up with seed priming – soak seed for up to 36 -48hrs in warm [definitely not cold] water at around 20C eg and keep inside where it is warmer, then drain and lay out seed to surface dry in the sun next morning………..can speed emergence by a quite a few days [ see info from Pickseed].

Weeds can be troublesome at some, often older or renovated sites.  Make sure the weed is identified correctly before rushing to use any herbicide. Often repeated mowing will aid removal of the weeds as the turf species develops and strengthens often choking out the weeds. 

DO NOT use glyphosate / Roundup® or similar products on zoysia – it is quite sensitive to this type of product!  There are some products that may be useful; with an MCPA /dicamba mix often well suited for broadleaf weed control [one trade name is Kamba M – there are some others].  Try to avoid use of herbicides when the area is very young, unless you really understand what you are doing or have sought professional advice.  If in doubt ask us – there are often solutions available.

Prepare in advance, be organised at sowing and be prepared to invest time and effort then – it will be rewarded with a great lawn nearly always achievable [If in doubt, checkout the You Tube videos].  Most poor outcomes are traced back to problems at sowing and site preparation.

For larger zoysia seeded areas – eg over 1000 – 2000 sq m, often using hydroseeding may be a suitable option.  It works very well with the mulch used at sowing acting as a very good surface mulch and erosion management tool.  For smaller areas costs of cleaning equipment before hand  can make using hydroseeding too expensive, even though results are generally very good.

Weed Control in Zoysia Turf - Seed Sown or Sod

Weeds in zoysia are mostly fixable.  

We suggest mowing followed by even more mowing as an option, allowing the strong density of zoysia to eventually win out.  There are two classic You Tube videos from the USA showing Compadre  zoysia in two successive years - year one is awful [ and I thought - what a disaster], but in year two it is a magnificent Compadre zoysia lawn.  Mowing and a strong zoysia species - Compadre zoysia - helped fix that problem.

Most broadleaved weeds in Compadre or Zenith seed sown zoysias are controllable with Kamba - M,  a commercially available dicamba / MCPA mix.  Approx price $30 for 1L.  A small quantity will last several years and is NOT residual.  Several repeat sprays may be needed. Use at recommended rates, and small areas can be sprayed with small hand spray bottles.  A few drops of detergent in the mix [ just a few drops!!] may help hold spray on plant leaves.

Or use one of the slow release fertilisers with pendimethalin in the blend as a seedling grass control - while it will not control emerged seedlings it will stop more summer growing grass weeds establishing for up to 10 - 12 weeks.  You must use at the recommended rate, which is on the bag.

You can also wick wipe weeds with glyphosate - BUT you must avoid the zoysia seedlings as they can be easily damaged if herbicide gets onto their leaves.  This can be useful if weeds are taller than the seedlings, as is often the situation.  Multiple applications may be needed. Commercial outlets sell wick wipers or see www.sherwoodmachinery.com.au  who make excellent small units [ any of the 4 smaller rope wick units] and supply by post.

Sedges may also be a problem.  First issue with sedges if they appear usually means overwatering.  Use less applications and make each one longer, if that much water is really needed.  If the soil dries out between waterings, sedges are less of an issue. Or reduce overall watering - the lawn is likely to be okay with less water  Small 25g packs of Sempra are now available through commercial outlets - this is a very specific sedge herbicide [halosulfuron].  Use as directed, and we suggest also continuing to use as a spot spray where needed, after that.  One or two applications usually removes well over 90% of the sedges, but often a few odd plants reappear - so spot spray them as needed.

There are other possible herbicides but some are not available to home owners, and cannot be recommended for use except by commercial operators.

Irrigating A New Area of Zoysia Sown by Seed

It is absolutely critical to adequately irrigate a newly sown area of zoysia seed.  Because the seed needs light to germinate, it is sown close to the surface.

The problem with that in warm weather is that the surface normally dries out quickly. You need to use a few tips and tricks to ensure that adequate moisture is available to keep the germination process ticking along, then there is the need for water to sustain the small seedlings, once the seed germinates.

Warmer weather tends to promote faster germination, with 7-10 days often enough to see seedlings in warm conditions, but up to 21 days if cooler.  Remember, a ground temperature of 18 - 20C is about the bottom of the range to even get reasonable germination.  If below this........wait a little longer.

In the sub tropics and tropics, it is possible to sow year round but growth will be slow in cooler months and waiting until the cooler weather is past is often the best idea, as growth really picks up once the days are longer, soil is warmer and night temperatures rise to around 18 -20C.

But the water regime and surface management are very important.

Adding a very light [ I stress light cover] of thin mulch such as sugar cane bagasse or a thin even cover of compost to the soil surface will both help hold moisture close to the surface as well as preventing rapid loss of moisture and acting as a protection barrier if there is heavy rain.  The latter is almost inevitable in the tropics........and you need to plan for it.

Generally it is necessary to also irrigate several times during daylight hours to keep the surface moist....not wringing wet, just moist.  You can use pop up sprinklers -run for a few minutes only.  Unfortunately the output from sprinklers covers quite a range so time cannot be given.  Remember a moist surface, not wringing wet.

Some systems allow many starts each day, but many only allow two or three.  Ideally you need a good irrigation early in the morning and 2 or 3 short bursts during the day, with a modest spray later in the early evening.  Many areas have evaporation rates of 7- 10mm each day if the weather is hot.  Most of that needs to be replaced each day while the area is in the early stages.

Better than using pop up sprinklers is to use small, low pressure, low volume sprinklers used in horticulture  and landscape applications.  These operate on 12mm or 19mm pvc lines and deliver 1-2mm per hour, depending on the pressure.  You also need a pressure reduction valve and inline filter to be most effective.  Several brands are available, with Challenger mk2 a recommended type supplied through Philmac resellers..  These sprinklers have the water distributed evenly across the wetted diameter of the sprinkler, and the droplet impact is low.  They come in a range of diameters [ up to about 12m].  Also, droplets are larger and less prone to wind influence.  Costs for each sprinkler is less than $5 approximately.

These can be operated for an hour or so several times during the day [ through a normal irrigation controller and solenoid valve] to add a modest amount to the surface, refreshing the dampness on the surface.  If operated for longer periods, they are suitable to fully irrigate the area, as they tend to be very efficient sprinklers as well.

Once the area is about 3-4 weeks old, irrigation can be reduced and adjusted to using several days per week [ rather than every day]  and also altering the duration of each irrigation to adequately wet the area, to help create a deep root system.  That bit of drying out between waterings helps promote roots searching for water deeper in the profile to develop a resilient turf area.

Once established, zoysia turf is quite water efficient and tends to be drought tolerant, requiring less water than many other turf grasses of high quality.

Overwatering promotes weeds, especially sedges eg nutgrass and Mullumbimby couch.  Best to be a bit light on with the water on established areas of zoysia!

From the left - dripline, pressure reduction valve, filter , connection to water supply

Enjoy your zoysia turf.  Remember......the payoff is less mowing!