MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

The festive season is upon us and our lawns won't stop growing so I can assure you I will be still at it over the Christmas and New Year period.

I will, however, have Boxing Day off so I will push all days back one day that week.

If you are usually on a Monday then it will be Tuesday 27th Dec, If usually a Tuesday then it will be Wednesday 28th Dec etc. I apologise if this causes any inconvenience.

All schedules remain the same from then on in. I will work Monday 2nd Jan so normal schedules continue if you are on that week.

SEED HEADS

What are seed heads?

Most common lawn types in Australia produce a sterile seed head, meaning they can’t be spread by seed, only through sprigs or runners. Although going to seed in most cases isn’t a bad thing for your lawn, it doesn’t look great or feel soft underfoot.

The seed head cycle can vary greatly due to climate and stage of growth but are a natural part of the seasonal cycle. As a rule of thumb, the cycle will last for between 4 and 6 weeks.

Why has my lawn gone to seed?

Normally when a turf variety goes to seed, it’s due to one of the following two main reasons:

• It’s under stress from something, usually a lack of water, nutrient, or a change in weather. If you have seed head, aerate, fertilise and water the lawn deeply if you haven’t done so in the past 6-8 weeks.

• It’s occurring naturally, coinciding with seasonal change – in most varieties occurring just once or twice a year at a specific time of year.

In these situations, if your lawn has been fertilised recently and has sufficient moisture in the soil, the seed heads should stop appearing on their own within 4-6 weeks.

If there has been a dramatic weather change, it will stop seeding once conditions have gone back to normal or once the plant has adjusted.

But some of you may have found that this hasn’t been the case recently. This is likely because of the inconsistent temperatures and weather conditions. You have probably found recently one day you are wearing shorts, the next jeans, the next its raining all day – or all of these in the same day!

Your grass finds this inconsistent weather very stressful and it can’t quite relax and settle into normal growth. This presents itself in seedhead production, a sign of this stress.