07/02/2025
When is the best time to turf your lawn?
Common 'wisdom' is to wait in spring until the risk of frost is gone. The downside of this is that your new turf is exposed to the heat of summer and typically low rainfall, before it has roots established. A lot of time and water is required to keep it healthy.
With support from the amazing team at Greenacres Turf Farm in Bathurst and samples of their different varieties, I planted them out in Oberon in the middle of winter.
Unsurprisingly, they were all dormant, with the exception of (3) - Bermuda grass oversown with ryegrass.
By early summer all of the varieties had started to kick away - no additional watering was needed, even in the summer heat.
The Kikuyu (2) established early and has been consistently the strongest grower. This then has meant extra mowing.
The Buffalo grass (4) was the slowest to establish.
The Bermuda grass (5) and Zoysia (1) are preferred grasses - they look and feel good, and are lower maintenance than the others.
The ryegrass has continued to grow well right though the summer and is an excellent choice for winter colour.
