With the change of season certain types of turf varieties slow down, while others completely stop growing. This week’s turf tip is on winter dormancy and a few great turf maintenance tips on to help your lawn thrive through the colder season and continue to grow throughout.
Winter Lawn Dormancy
Dormancy is when a living organism’s life cycle of growth activity and development temporarily stops. Different types of turf grass varieties by the nature of their composition will go into a different stage of dormancy. This is all depending on the climate and helping it converse energy. Once the soil temperature drops below 14°C, warm season grasses will begin to slow down and go into a dormancy which helps protect itself from harsh winter weather conditions.
In South-east Queensland we have a limited wither season unlike other countries such as North America and Europe. Warm season varieties such as Sir Walter DNA Certified buffalo, Nullarbor couch and Sir Grange Zoysia are the much more common. Unlike other cool season varieties such as fescue, rye and bent grass are rare in the sunshine state. This is because limited cool season and warm-season varieties never really go fully dormant and will continue to grow at a much slower rate.
Grasses in South-East Queensland
During winter you might notice that you may have gone from mowing your lawn weekly to every couple of weeks and some southern states not mowing at all. Northern states usually don’t experience the seasonal extent of either dry or wet year round allows their grass to continuing grow all year round. If you have a warm season grass, now is a good time to raise the mowing height a little to help it retain nutrient in preparation for the cooler months ahead.
Colour Guard Plus
Lawn dormancy can cause loss of colour as it starts to conserve its energy. This is not anything to worry about and is completely normal. This is no different to trees and other plants which also turn beautiful golden browns and oranges during the autumn season. A winter lawn colour cheat product called ColourGuard Plus. This product can make your lawn looking vibrant green all year long! It is an easy to apply natural plant-based pigment. ColourGuard is a permanent pigment and once dry won’t wash off with rain or water. It is also UV fade resistant and won’t bleed, run or stain once it has been absorbed by your grass. The colour will only disappear as your blade grows and you cut your lawn. Also with the slower growth rate of winter this means your lawn will keep its new colour even longer.
If you’ve got questions regarding ColourGuard or want to order a new lawn, call our team on (07) 3114 8281. You can also to pop in and order in person at our sales office on 1/243 Bradman Street, Acacia Ridge. The office opens Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 7am to 12pm.
For more great turf, tips keep an eye on our website and all our social media channels.
