The Village CrierWINTER ISSUE 2011

A LASTING LEGACYThe Coolabah Turf team rolled out the “green carpet” at a Village Green © VIP Product launch in Echuca last month. Council and commercial customers enjoyed the hospitality onboard the historic PS Canberra on the Murray River while learning all about the hardy turf variety.The primary theme of the day was to educate influencers and decision makers who spec, supply and install turf landscape solutions about how to regenerate community green space devastated by more than a decade of drought. ‘’With the easing of lawn watering bans around the state, our council and commercial landscape customers are now reassessing their changing landscape needs and specifications that will dictate future policy. As part of this process they are exploring ideas for what turf varieties to use and what practical and cost-effective methods of installation are available to help achieve their goals,’’ Coolabah Turf owner Brad Shearer said. ‘’Our ability to offer customers Village Green© as a superior performing winter active kikuyu alternative to traditional, common kikuyu varieties has received an overwhelming response from the market place.” City of Greater Bendigo’s Team Leader for Natural and Passive Reserves, Orrin Hogan, said his team was impressed with recent Village Green© trial results in their shire. ‘’We are particularly impressed by the density and fine leaf structure of Village Green©, which makes it look more glamorous, but without the prolonged dormancy issues of severe discolouration and weed invasion traditionally encountered with couch and other more open growing, common kikuyu varieties at this time of year,’’ Orrin said. ‘’The fact that we can now establish a warm season turfgrass all year round is also an appealing aspect of Village Green© . This extended window of establishment opportunity basically means we can schedule some of our larger turf installation projects for periods

of the year, when our crews are not as busy juggling the usual demanding levels of summer maintenance regimes.” Murray Shire Parks and Gardens Supervisor, Luke Keogh said he was pleased there was now an alternative drought-tolerant turf option for land developers completing subdivisions during winter. ‘’Limited turf choices during these cooler months of the year in the past often meant that cool season seeded turf varieties were used just to honour short-term contractual obligations to get sign off,’’ Luke said. ‘’History tells us the down-side of this mindset means that council, who ultimately inherit that green space, end up having to foot the bill to replace the landscape because those varieties are not sustainable long term in our region’s harsh summer climate,’’ he said. Luke said it was critical the broader community and landscape industry groups continued with a united message to spec appropriate turf varieties to protect our communities’ investments in green space and to prevent future cycles of lawn watering bans which we had all endured over the past 8-10 years. In closing, Brad Shearer said Coolabah Turf was proud of its reputation as proactive turf producers specialising in the exclusive supply of water efficient turfgrass varieties for the future. ‘’We want people to ensure their landscape contributions to our community leave a lasting legacy. The nature of Village Green’s© aggressive growth habit will ensure it stands that test of time in our open space environments, without the need for irresponsible amounts of watering and maintenance.” He said Village Green’s buoyant winter colour retention challenges the high water using cool season varieties to return to a market place without long term water security.

Contact Suzy ShearerCoolabah TurfPhone: 1800 055 515

NEWSLETTER FOR THE VILLAGE GREEN COMMUNITY THE VILLAGE CRIER | 1

Don’t risk diseased turfWhen purchasing turf for your next project, it pays to consider what else you might be buying.

You could be bringing in weed seeds, nasty chemical residues, diseases, insects and worst of all – Sting Nematodes.

Sting nematodes have managed to hitch a ride on turf to many parts of Australia including a mining town in the far north of Queensland, a wheat-belt town in Western Australia and exclusive golf courses in NSW and Victoria.

Nobody really knows where the sting nematode originated from and there is a theory that it isn’t a native species of Australia.

One thing that we do know is that it is bad news for turf root systems - particularly on sand soils. Even at low numbers in the soil, the sting nematode has the capacity to stunt a root system to the point that turf could be rolled up and taken away months after being laid. And once the nematode is on a site, it’s nearly impossible to get rid of it.

The sting nematode is reasonably large for a plant parasitic nematode (up to 2mm long) but it is still not visible to the naked eye

and the best way to determine if you have sting nematodes is to have an experienced Nematologist test your soil.

When you are buying turf it makes sense to purchase turf from a local supplier who you know has quality clean turf. Don’t take the risk of importing some cheaper unknown turf that could be a carrier for something sinister such as sting nematode.

Nematode damage

WELCOME

This issue focuses on case studies from users around the country, including some some well-known media identities, plus advice on planting and establishing Village Green®.

We also showcase the recent Village Green® Product Launch in Echuca, where the green carpet was rolled out to greet the VIP guests.

As always, there are valuable maintenance tips to keep Village Green® looking great all-year-round.

THE VILLAGE CRIER | 2

Maintenance of Village Green on sports fieldsVillage Green© is the ideal grass for those traditional situations where you have a mix of cricket in the summer and football codes in the winter.

According to Turf Consultant, Ken Johnston, of Sports Turf Technology, there are four things to remember when it comes to maintaining Village Green on sports grounds: nutrition, mowing, watering and renovation.

“In most situations nitrogen is the most important nutrient for maintaining the desired level of growth, colour and density,” he says.

“The leaf tissue nitrogen levels should be maintained at about 2 per cent during the warmer months and 2.5 per cent in the cooler months.”

“At these levels, Village Green© will remain active, dense and green all year round without excessive amounts of growth in the warmer months.”

In some very high wear situations, or in extreme soil pH situations, the turf might need a foliar application of the trace elements iron and manganese during the cooler months.

Ken says the formula for mowing Village Green© on sports fields is very simple; mow it regularly all year round to maintain a sward height of around 20-25mm.

“During the warmer months it should be mown weekly and during

the cooler months it can drop back to fortnightly. Either a slasher type mower or a cylinder type mower with a bench setting of 20mm can be used.”

“The main goal with the mowing is to maintain the ascending stems of the Village Green© at the desired height of 20mm.”

As for watering, Ken says that although Village Green© is a deep-rooted warm season turf grass that can survive for long periods without irrigation, on sports fields it should be watered more frequently so that the required turf density can be maintained.

“As a general rule, a standard irrigation event of 8-10mm should be applied to the turf before it shows any signs of wilting,” he says.

Ken reminds those maintaining Village Green© on sport fields that any major de-thatching events should be scheduled in the warmer months so that the turf can recover quickly and be ready for the winter sports.

ContactKen JohnstonSports Turf TechnologyPhone 0411882416

Gardening identity recommends Village GreenRegular listeners to Perth’s local ABC broadcasts would be familiar with Steve Woods on the talkback gardening show.

Steve is a horticulturalist, a nurseryman, and one of Village Green’s© newest converts.

“It’s a very, very good product with a tremendous amount of potential and worthy of a lot closer scrutiny,” he said.

Steve had about 800 square metres of Village Green© laid at his property east of Perth some two years ago and has been “very, very, impressed” with it.

The turf was laid in an area with fairly adverse conditions – dry and very gravely soil – and has “performed extraordinarily well”.

Steve is particularly impressed with the tight internodal spacing, which sets Village Green© apart from other kikuyu varieties.

“It seems to have the attributes of normal kikuyu, with the added benefits of a tighter intermodal spacing core,” he said, adding that the problem with normal kikuyu was that it required a lot of maintenance to keep it looking good, whereas Village Green© had a “ low maintenance factor as far as its need for mowing”.

He said during the summer, the Village Green© on his property was “marginally” watered – “maybe once or twice a week with 5mls each watering”.

“It was in survival mode during summer, but as soon as the cooler weather came and we had some rain, we got lush, fresh growth.

“It came back to full coverage very quickly.”

Steve is in no doubt that he would “absolutely” recommend Village Green© as an outstanding, drought-tolerant turf.

ContactSteve WoodsWoods Cottage NurseryEmail wcn@iinet.net.au

VILLAGE GREEN MAINTENANCE TIPS

2.0 - 2.5% nitrogen Low nitrogen

VILLAGE GREEN IN THE MEDIA

THE VILLAGE CRIER | 3

Residents see green all-year-roundWhen residents move into their brand new homes in the Keysborough development, south east of Melbourne, they will be able to enjoy the feel of Village Green© beneath their toes in public spaces.Mike Jansz Landscape Consultants (MJLC) has laid more than 10,000m2 in public spaces and nature strips at the development.Shannon Raftery of MJLC said it looked fantastic “as we have had the optimum growing conditions and haven’t had to

hand water because the weather has been very accommodating”.He said this was the first time MJLC has used Village Green© and it has been very good so far.“I would recommend it with the experience we have had so far but the

real test, and the selling point, is then it stays green all year round.”Shannon said in one section Village Green© is next to normal kikuyu, so that will be an interesting contrast as the seasons turn.Garry Lusk, of Lilydale Turf, who sold the sod to MJLC, said he recommended Village Green© because it is a drought-tolerant warm-weather variety that can withstand the cold south-eastern Australia climate.“Village Green© will stay a lot greener that kikuyu during winter,” he said. “It has some winter activity and becomes tighter and a darker colour. Lilydale Turf thrives on being the best, and part of being the best is using the best variety. Village Green© is a superior turf in all ways.”Garry said Village Green© was particularly good for public spaces or yards with dogs.“It’s the best variety if it’s going to be knocked about. It even goes well if you don’t look after it,” he said.“It’s hardy and tough and looks good even without fertiliser. All you really need to do is mow it.”He said Village Green© was a great “showpiece” for developers that wanted public spaces to look their best throughout the year.

Contact: Garry LuskLilydale Turf0407 849 524

Winter establishment leads to big advantagesCan you lay turf in winter? The simple answer is “yes”. Not only that, but it may be an optimum time, although it will likely take a little bit longer for the root system to grow.There are several reasons why a winter turf project might be your best option.1. Less need for supplementary watering.2. Chances are it will be easier to keep off it until it is established.3. It will last longer on the pallet, allowing you to take your time.4. It will be lush and verdant by the summer. Using a winter-active warm season grass, such as Village Green©, makes it even easier to successfully establish turf in the colder months.Unlike couch, which goes dormant in winter, and Kikuyu, which slows down, Village Green© is actively growing.This makes it perfect for those traditional situations where you have the mix of cricket in the summer and football in the winter. It’s also great for other areas with high winter activity, such as race tracks. Sports Turf Technology Turf Consultant, Ken Johnston, says winter planting of Village Green© can take two different approaches: Solid turfing and line planting

“Solid turf obviously gives the quickest result and also has a lower requirement for inputs such as fertiliser and pesticides,” he said. “The benefits, in many cases, outweigh the extra cost.”However, if cost is an issue, Ken stresses that line planting with Village Green© has proven to be very successful even in the cooler climates in southern Australia.“The reason Village Green© is more successful when compared to other kikuyu varieties and warm season grasses is due to its ability for each ‘plantlet’ to put down roots and to survive the harshest of both soil and environmental conditions”, he said. “As soon as the soil starts to warm in the spring the ‘plantlet’ sets about sending out runners to cover the soil surface. “It is best that the root-pruning types of pre-emergent herbicides are not used to control weeds. Rather, you should control the weeds during spring with post emergent herbicides such as Spearhead and Destiny.”“With regular applications of the right fertiliser, frequent mowing and timely applications of irrigation, it should be possible to have a full cover Village Green© by Christmas.”

ContactKen JohnstonSports Turf TechnologyPhone 0411882416

Council specifies Village Green for all new developmentsVillage Green© is once again proving its worth in the Western Australian town of Kwinana as soccer season heats up and the players on Kelly Park are enjoying their new turf.About one hectare of Village Green© was laid at the sports field last November and it’s holding up well in the tough conditions as hundreds of soccer boots dig into it each weekend.Town of Kwinana Parks Coordinator, Tony French, said council had been so impressed with Village Green© it had now put it on all specs for new developments.“It’s a good grass,” he said. “It’s drought resistant and hardy and compares well to other kikuyu varieties.”Tony was also impressed that the turf was nematode-free.

“It’s proven itself to the point that we’ve decided to use it more often.”Landscape architect Gerard Healy was impressed with the Village Green© he specified it for the council on a Rockingham road reserve.“It did what they said it could do and met with expectations. It proved to be very drought tolerant and greens up fast,” he said.“It handles low water use and keeps growing over winter.”Gerard said he would definitely use Village Green© again. “It’s a little more expensive than other turfs, but tough enough for the projects we do.”ContactTony FrenchParks CoordinatorTown of KwinanaPhone (08) 9439 0200

Line planting May - Melbourne

Early spring weed control - line planting, Melbourne

VILLAGE GREEN CASE STUDIES VILLAGE GREEN ESTABLISHMENTS

THE VILLAGE CRIER | 4

Freezing conditions test Village GreenIf you want a good idea of how Village Green© copes in a harsh, dry climate, you need go no further than speak to Jonathon McPhillips, from Complete Turf and Landscaping in the Australian Capital Territory.

In the last edition of the Village Crier, we featured an article on Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC) and how the turf was coping outside the National Tally Room.

Since that story, this piece of ground has seen lots of action – including the Summernats street machine festival, the Royal Canberra Show and the National Folk Festival. Not to mention the dry Canberra summer.

“It’s copping an absolute

hammering,” Jonathon said, “and it’s hanging on quite well.”

Despite several frosts in May, Jonathon reports the turf at EPIC still looks “nice and lush”.

More recently, Complete Turf and Landscaping has laid Village Green© at some cricket nets in the outer Canberra suburb of Amaroo.

“They absolutely love it,” Jonathon said. “We’ve been told they can’t keep the kids off it – they want to play on it all the time, it’s so spongy and soft.”

“This lacked some early maintenance, but still looks quite good.”

But the biggest challenge yet for Village Green© in the nation’s capital and surrounds is some line planting at a football oval in Queanbeyan, just over the New South Wales border.

“We dug up the whole oval, which was originally Kikuyu,” Jonathon said, “and planted Village Green© in lines, relying on it to spread.”

“We only covered about 15 per cent of the ground so it’s a lot more cost effective.”

According to Jonathon, it’s looking good so far.

“The surface coverage isn’t too bad given the time of year that we had to plant the turf,” he said.

“The survival rate of the planted material seems to be quite high and I’m sure that as soon as things start to warm up it will spread quite quickly. As far as winter colour goes, it is holding a much better colour than Epic has this year, therefore looking quite respectable from a distance.”

“I don’t think there’s been a failure of Village Green© yet.”

Contact: Jonathon PhillipsComplete Turf & LandscapingPhone (08) 9439 0200

Renovating an IconThere’s more to turf than just laying and leaving, especially in a high-visibility, high-traffic area such as the Perth Cultural Centre, which recently underwent a major revamp.As part of the overhaul, turf consultant Nick Bell of Turfgrass Plus chose to use Village Green© in all the grassed areas.Since then, Turf Care WA Pty Ltd, has been maintaining the turf and has just completed a renovation program.Director and owner, Michael Martenz said Village Green© was “easy to maintain, has strong growth, is hard wearing and presents well”.“The Village Green© has responded exceptionally well to the renovation program and with the ongoing maintenance and nutrition it has a developed a dark green and healthy leaf,” he said.The 3400m2 of turfed area took about 20 hours to completely renovate, which included the need to work around pedestrians and deal with different grassed areas of varying sizes.The renovation program included:

• Verti-mowing all lawns to break through the thatch layer, but not damage any sub-irrigation systems.

• Removing debris from verti-mowing and mowing all lawns to a 12mm cutting height

• Soil and leaf tissue analysis and fertiliser and/or wetting

agents applied to correct any deficiencies

• Coring the section of lawn that does not have sub-irrigation

• Topdressing and levelling all lawns with a nutrient-rich topsoil to aid in moisture retention, decrease thatch and re-invigorate new growth.

As far as maintenance, Turf Care’s program involves a weekly mowing in spring, summer and autumn and fortnightly in winter.There is also ongoing organic fertilisation as far as practicable and, in the dryer months, the application of a good quality soil wetta followed up with a moisture retaining agent.ContactMichael MartenzTurf Care WAPhone 0414 233 240

Experienced landscaper uses Village GreenVillage Green’s© high wear tolerance and quick repair rate makes it perfect for pets and kids as well as commercial applications, according to Landscaper Darren Senior.

Darren, seen on TV’s The Garden Gurus and Greenfingers, has used the hardy turf in both residential and commercial jobs, including for a primary school where it’s used as a playground surface.

“It has performed brilliantly,” he said. And with more than 20 years’ experience designing, installing and maintaining gardens throughout Perth, his opinion counts.

He said it stood up to Perth’s hot, dry summer “very well” with lower water use than other turf varieties.

When compared with other kikuyu turf, Darren said Village Green© was more compact, neater and needed less maintenance.

“Village Green© only requires fortnightly mowing and weekly watering in summer,” he said.

Darren said he would recommend Village Green© for anywhere that required a hardy, low-maintenance turf.

ContactDarren Senior

Phone

VILLAGE GREEN CASE STUDIES

For more information on Village Green Turf, including suppliers, visit our website at:

www.villagegreenturf.com.au