Weeds are an irritating part of gardening that the majority of Australian homeowners have to deal with in one way or another. They are often green and blend in with the natural colour of your grass. If they are not dealt with early, they can very easily spread and, the next thing you know, your entire lawn has been overtaken by them. Here, StrathAyr will talk about some of Australia’s most common lawn weeds and how to eliminate them, as well as how well instant lawn, or roll out turf, deals with weeds compared to home-grown grass.
Winter Grass
Poa Annua commonly known as Winter Grass is one of the most common grass type weeds found in lawns throughout southern cool climate Australia. Winter grass is a light green tufting grass that usually germinates from Winter through to Spring. This fast-maturing annual weed seeds profusely, making it difficult to control if left untreated. Winter Grass can be dealt with by hand weeding before it goes to seed or for larger lawn areas that have become overrun with Winter Grass using a pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicide might be a more effective method.
Common Broadleaf Weeds
Broadleaf weeds pop up in most gardens at some stage. Seeds can blow in by the wind or weeds that you thought you had gotten rid of may have dropped seeds and can lay dormant in the soil, sometimes for years waiting until the conditions are right for them germinate again. Identifying what type of weed you have and the options available to eliminate them can help you successfully keep them under control.
Some of the most common perennial broadleaf weeds found in lawns are White Clover, Creeping Oxalis and Dandelion, all of which can be address with pre-emergent or post-emergent herbicides without harming your turf.
Clover is easily identifiable by the oval shaped, trifoliate leaves and the white flowers that it produces in spring and summer, it can quickly creep and invade turf lawns that are lacking in nitrogen.
Creeping Oxalis has small heart-shaped, trifoliate leaves and can often be mistaken for clover. It has small bright yellow flower that appear in Spring and Summer and if left they produce tiny seed pods that will burst and can spread over 3 meters.
Dandelions will usually start to grow in the Winter months as leafy rosettes close to the ground. If the Dandelions flowers are left, they mature and go to seed. The well know bright yellow flower petals turn to white, fluffy balls of seed on tall stems, which are easily spread by the wind.
Tip: Always read the product label to find out what herbicides are safe to use on your turf variety and if you are still not sure, contact the experts at StrathAyr for some friendly advice.
Instant Turf and Weeds
Instant turf has often been exposed to weeds during the growing period and has been treated with the appropriate herbicides before it is harvested and laid in your garden. It is for this reason, that mature instant lawn can often be more resistant to weed growth, compared to lawn grown from seed. At StrathAyr, we have high quality instant grass available, that is ready to be planted in your home garden.
For the best roll out turf available to create an instant lawn, contact us online, or call us today on 1800 622 455.
