Spring has arrived in South Africa and it’s time to make sure that our lawns are getting all the TLC they need to be healthy and barefoot worthy. At RealGreen we take pride in keeping the lawns of our clients in top notch condition. In this article we’ve outlined the procedures we employ to maintain perfectly green and summer ready grass.
Lawn Scarification
Simply put, scarification involves the mechanical removal of the top layer of thatch and organic matter accumulation by use of a rotary spindle using specialized tines or blades. Depending on how deep you go, you can also remove some of the surface soil. The benefits of scarification may include stimulated growth as above-ground stolons are severed on kikuyu grass, generating new shoots and roots. There is also a smoothing effect on your playing surface for minor undulations.
Aeration
Of all the tenets of grass maintenance, aeration may be the easiest to understand. Soils become compacted through continued use. Thatch can develop in even the hardiest of turfgrasses when temperatures are high, especially soil that contains a high clay content. Aeration, the process of puncturing the surface of the soil, mitigates these problems by allowing oxygen to be introduced into the root zone, carbon dioxide to escape, and water and nutrients to more easily flow through the soil profile.
Top Dress
Topdressing is the application of a uniform thin layer of soil or finely granulated organic materials applied over the turf surface. It is used to level the grass when minor variations or depressions are apparent and assists in fixing physical soil properties as well as creating a better growing environment for the turf. The general acceptable practice is 1m³ lawn dressing to 100m² of lawn
Fertilize
Your goal un fertilising soil should be to provide adequate nutrition for your lawn, which in turn promotes turf density and improves grass conditions.
We’d love to help you with your lawn maintenance! Visit our website www.realgreen.co.za and give us a call.