What's the Best Turf

[want2learn]

Can anyone recommend there favourite or best instant turf available. I've done considerable research and looked at many examples but I’m still undecided on what to get. Some of the examples at various nurseries are to small to project how it will look on a larger scale and there are numerous manufacturers.
Points to note;<o></o>
There will be no issue with water; the area will have plenty of afternoon sun and limited traffic. I'm after the best balanced looking grass for both winter and summer.<o></o>
cheers

[Grunt]

According to Burke's Backyard they said Sir Walter was the best. Have a look at the BBY site.

Chris

[Bleedin Thumb]

Sir Walter is soooooo yesterday. Geeeez Grunt get with the program.


Today its...Empire Zoysia.


BTW I have never used it. I think Sir Walter was pretty ordinary as was Palmetto, ST85, Shademaster, Saphire etc etc.

Pave the bastard and be done with it!

[Grunt]

I'm not really in favour of lawn at all. Grow vegies instead.

[Felder]

I was always of the opinion that Sir Walter was the ducks......errr.....knees. But my brother turfed his backyard with it, and I was most disappointed with it's hardiness. Didn't do too well over summer.

I intend to turf our front yard next spring, so I will be keeping a close eye on this thread.


And as to Grunt's idea of growing vegies instead of lawn.........pfffft. Sure, you can eat the produce, but where will the bindii's grow, and where will the dogs lay their eggs?

[mic-d]

I was always of the opinion that Sir Walter was the ducks......errr.....knees. But my brother turfed his backyard with it, and I was most disappointed with it's hardiness. Didn't do too well over summer.

I intend to turf our front yard next spring, so I will be keeping a close eye on this thread.


And as to Grunt's idea of growing vegies instead of lawn.........pfffft. Sure, you can eat the produce, but where will the bindii's grow, and where will the dogs lay their eggs?

I have a similar story to your brother. It's not as drought tolerant as they make out.
Disappointed

[Ironwood]

We turfed a section in the poolyard with Sir Walter ($7 sq/M) thinking it would be low maintenance. I reckon the Blue Cooch we put in near the house ($2.20 sq/M) has worked out a better option for our environment. Though the Sir Walter probably doesnt need as much mowing.

[scooter]

Tall fescue is the go down here, mown fairly tall, fertilised regularly with a slow release type, spot spray weeds with a broadleaf spray like Kleen Lawn or Kamba M, & vary mowing direction to avoid ruts.

Looks teriffic, soft lush & dark green

Don't believe what DIY shows from the northern states tell you


Cheers..................Sean

[Bleedin Thumb]

Don't believe what DIY shows from the northern states tell you

Don and Nonie don't lie....... You can build that outdoor setting in 2 hours for just under $5.00

[spartan]

I put in Sir Walter about 6 mths ago, and it is the best grass going. It stays green with little or no water (only from natural sources), it works well in shady areas and is soft underfoot.

The only thing is that it needs to be put in properly, with the right under turf and preparation...

You need to get it from a good supplier or you may not be getting Sir Walter.

[want2learn]

I put in Sir Walter about 6 mths ago, and it is the best grass going. It stays green with little or no water (only from natural sources), it works well in shady areas and is soft underfoot.

The only thing is that it needs to be put in properly, with the right under turf and preparation...

You need to get it from a good supplier or you may not be getting Sir Walter.

You woldn't have a photo of this by any chance?

[Theremin]

We have Sir Walter turf in our front yard. It has been there for nearly 2 years. I have been impressed by how shade tolerant it is. Part of our yard gets little or no sun during the winter months, but the grass is fine. Our yard is well drained, so I have to keep the water up to it during summer. All of the grey water from our showers goes onto it, so that isn't a problem. It is pretty high maintenance. At this time of year it needs mowing every weekend to keep it looking tidy. Also, it spreads rapidly. So think about what sort of garden edges you have (or will have) - if they are just dirt garden edges then the lawn will take over your garden unless you keep cutting it back. This, however, means that it repairs itself very well if it gets damaged, and is a nice soft, thick layer of grass.

I've attached a photo, although this was taken just a few weeks after it was laid. It has obviously improved since then.

[namtrak]

Basically I reckon the best turf is a mulched up native garden after that - then it's horses for courses.

Tall Fescue
Tall fescue is the toughest of the cool season grasses, with a dark green broadleaf. It grows all year round and creates a good-looking practical lawn. Tall fescue has a very strong root system however it will not tolerate low mowing.

Kentucky Bluegrass
Kentucky Bluegrass has a deep green colour with a medium to broad leaf blade. It is reasonably hard wearing and will create a beautiful lawn. However it is susceptible to disease and insect attack and needs to be maintained correctly

Fine ryegrass
This blend has the finest leaf of the cool season grasses available however is not as hard wearing, it will handle shade conditions and lower mowing better than other cool season grasses and can create a very fine “English” style lawn if maintained correctly.

Soft leaf Buffalo
Soft leaf Buffalo is excellent for high traffic areas and is much better equipped to cope with dog damage and low light conditions than other warm season varieties. Buffalo is a coarse textured grass which grows vigorously during summer, (can invade garden beds if edges are not trimmed), and may need to be de-thatched at that time of year.

Kikuyu
Kikuyu is coarse textured grass that is excellent for low maintenance, high traffic areas. Kikuyu grows very vigorously during summer and will grow under edging and paths to invade garden beds. Kikuyu is best suited to low maintenance open parkland or high trafficked areas.

Fine Leaf Couch Grasses
There are a number of fine leaf couch grasses varieties available, they are all fine leafed grass and not as vigorous and tough as buffalo or kikuyu, however they are much better equipped to cope with heat stress, insect and disease attack than any of the cool season grasses. They grow vigorously during summer, (can invade garden beds if not trimmed), and need to be de-thatched at that time of year.

Kikuyu and Couch are probably the most common in Australia, however are also the most invasive. ie if you have garden beds nearby these grasses will infiltrate the beds.

Buffalo, is not as an invasive and is solid wearing like kikuyu.

Ryegrass is not invasive at all but is not very hard wearing at all

Fescue is one of my favourites but does need a fair bit of water, and should be mown high.

Kikuyu is probably the cheapest at around $4 per metre. (depends on how much you order) Buffalo comes in anywhere from $5 to upto $8 per metre.

Beware if you buy seed mixtures from hardware stores that you read the ingredients. A lot of them have a high % of fescue and rye, which is fine - but included is a mix of couch and kikuyu which will eventually take over the whole lawn regardless.

[HappyHammer]

I have Sir Walter and I'm very happy with it. It's soft underfoot and grows really well in the shade and I never water it although we are blessed with reasonable rainfall here.

When the builders were staining the timber screens for our extension they did it on the grass and killed a spot about 2 metres square. This was about 4 months ago and it has now completely repaired itself.

Previous comments regarding borders are correct it needs to be kept in check.

HH.

[Bleedin Thumb]

Basically I reckon the best turf is a mulched up native garden after that - then it's horses for courses.

.

Couldn't agree more. Who wants to mow grass? I can't even find a reliable contractor to do mine.

Lawn is a PITA.