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Establishing A Lawn From Seed in Melbourne
News- 12 - 05 - 2020
- Laying Turf
The Melbourne climate is conducive to the establishment of lawns from seed. In the past the majority of Melbourne lawns were made up of so called cool season grasses including Ryegrass, Fine fescues, Tall fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass and Bentgrass.
The Millennial drought saw a swing away from cool-season grasses to the more drought and wear tolerant Warm-season grasses such as Couch, Kikuyu and the now popular Buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum).
With the exception of Buffalo grass which is grown vegetatively from runners, all of these grasses can be established from seed. It should be noted that the seeded grass cultivars of Couch and Kikuyu are inferior to the ones grown as turfs such as TifTuf Couch and Eureka Kikuyu.
Warm-season grasses (Couch and Kikuyu) should be sown from late October through until early February to take advantage of the warmer soil conditions and longer daylight hours. The results for sowing outside of these times with warm-season grasses is patchy at best.
Cool-season grasses can be established from seed at any time. In the warmer months, more water will be required on a frequent basis to keep the seedlings alive. Skipping a day of watering during the establishment phase in hot weather can result in a total loss of new seedlings.
In order to successfully establish a lawn from seed, you should follow these procedures.
1. Cultivate soil to a depth of 8-10 cm. The importation of topsoil may be necessary for heavy clay areas. Lawns grow better in a free-draining sandy loam type soil. Avoid soils that are heavy in clay and organic content as they compact in time and the grassroots shrivel. Ensure the seedbed is weed-free prior to sowing.
2. Install irrigation and drainage if necessary.
3. Level the area to desired contours.
4. Spread a turf Starter fertiliser @ 2 kgs / 100m2. Avoid high Nitrogen lawn foods at this stage.
5. Sow the seed evenly in 2 directions to give an even distribution.
6. Sow at recommended rates and keep a small amount of seed for patch ups and to resow thin spots.
7. Lightly rake over the seed being careful not to bury it too deep. Twice the width of the seed is considered adequate.
8. Water after sowing and keep the seed bed moist at all times until full germination. This may require up to 5 waterings per day depending on conditions. Be careful not to flood the area creating puddles and wash. Continue with frequent watering until the seedlings have developed and are extending.
9. Mow the lawn when the leaf is 4-7 cm long (cool season grasses) and (cool season grasses)30-40mm for Kikuyu and Couch. Do not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf per cut.
10. Use a catcher until the lawn is well established and mow frequently during the major growth seasons.
If you want to seeding a lawn, Anco seed range can be found here https://www.ancoturf.com.au/product-category/seed/
For further information on establishing a lawn from seed email drturf@ancoturf.com.au
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