Well summer is well and truly on its way and its sent the heat to let us know its coming. From the QTPA ( Queensland Turf Producers Association) we were sent this article about how turf reduces heat production against roads and footpaths and the more I think about it the more it does make sense.

When you have dirt and concrete backing up to your home it always seems warmer inside than if there is cool green lush grass leading into the cool of the house. I think even the green colour makes you feel cooler than the harshness of browns and greys.

So why not start summer already prepared with a cool green lawn at your place. It means to that when summer nights come you can play on the cool greenush grass and not bring the dirt inside your cool home.

Chat soon
Sare

Well most of you are thinking that turf farmers are probably caring and manicuring their farms on the weekend, but not so today for this part of the turf farming family. Part of being a mum is that your kids always have something that they want to do and things we have to do. My daughter is a dancer. Jazz this year. Who knows what next year. So today instead of sitting in my office or playing on the farm ( definety more fun than the office) I am sitting at dance concert rehearsal watching Hollie do her moves all nervous and excited. But I am not alone I have made my 2 boys come to but they had the good sense to bring DS ‘s.

So I hope you are at home enjoying your grass or thinking of ways to enjoy it and not at a dance rehearsal counting down minutes to leave. I am not a dancing mum. I am not organised enough! Maybe next week Tony might like to bring her. There are only 6 before the concert 😉 Oh well chat next week hopefully about grass and not how to properly tie jazz shoes.

Sare.

Well you would have been a very happy little bunny if you had laid turf this week! All this rain will be doing wonders for the new growth for the grass at installed at your place. My Husband installed turf on Wednesday on the Tweed Coast. Now it poured with rain here and he came home a little bit cranky, but really happy about not having to water the turf in. So although the rain is no good for the people laying the turf, it is awesome for the Turf Installed.

So don’t let the rain hold you back from your turf installation jobs. It will stop that mud getting into your house and the grass will take off so much faster! And if you don’t want your installers (or family and friends who you have talked into installing the turf with you) getting cranky, get us in to install for you. I can cope with a cranky husband, I am used to it now. Or it hopefully it will stop raining soon. And then we can all be happy – you with your new installed turf, and me with a happy husband.

 

Have a lovely weekend – hopefully in the sun

 

Sare  🙂

Coastal Mix? Is that a typo I hear you say. No! Its a variety of grass that my Dad and Brother the turf fanatics that they are, developed 5 years ago now. About the time that Charming Hollie was born. I did suggest that that call it Hollie Grass but they thought that was weird, (and of course that meant for every grandchild Dad had he would have to make up another grass symbiotic. Slightly tricky). So anyway getting back onto point…

 

Coastal Mix is the symbiotic combination of Queensland Blue couch and Carpet Grass. Dad and Rob noticed that the two grasses would often try to grow in each others paddocks and had even turned up at home in Dads back yard growing together really happily. Rob happened to be doing his Masters in Agronomy at the time so he came up with the analogy of the Symbiotic Relationship (as in the two rely on each other to grow). Now I don’t know about your back yard, but in most people I know, they’re backyard has lots of sunny parts and lots of shady parts, great for people not so great for one specific grass. So the Queensland Blue Couch is really soft underfoot and loves the sun, and is not very thirsty; and the Carpet grass is really hardy, enjoys the shade and drinks about the same as a Queensland Blue Couch. So a perfect match. Where the Queensland blue Couch wont grow because of the shade the Carpet will and vise versa. And its the perfect kids grass. Always soft underfoot, but strong enough to have kids on it 12 hours a day. Its great.

 

My yard has many combinations in it from turf offcuts and experiments, but Coastal Mix is my favorite. Its pretty, easy to take care of (little maintenance due to its drought tolerance) and always green! Almost like Hollie; the only exception is that Hollie isn’t green, unless she is jealous.

 

Chat Soon

Sare

 

Gras of the Week
Palmetto

Don’t you just hate it when you have typed and types and you thought that it sounded awesome and you were gonna save but was too in the zne of tyoing to do so and then the power goes off and you loose everything! AHHHHHH!
I had written this great bit on Palmetto and its gone!

Now this no reflection of Palmetto itself. It is a great grass that unilke other buffaloes is green all winter, takes little to no watering (except from the rain of course), and hardly ever needs to be mown. It really is a lovely grass, shame that the person writing it is computer illiterate ….

Well the Grass of the Week is Carpet Grass. Its a kids and Dog haven!

Carpet Grass is like the name suggests grows outwards like a carpet across your lawn; making one of its big pluses that there is less mowing. It grows out instead of up. And due to this tendency the grass is really hardy! Its strong form character means that dogs can run back and forward across your lawn and not put a dent in.

Even better is that is grows really well in the shade! Its thick leaves means that the grass will grow in filtered sunlight, like the light under shade sails at Preschools, kindergartens, Day Cares and Schools. It has also been described as the least allergenic grass for kids (meaning that it will be highly unlikely that kids will be allergic or get itchy from Carpet Grass). So it is definitely child friendly.

Now Coastal Turf sells GREEN grass, so please don’t confuse our Carpet Grass for the horrrid red tropical carpet grass from up north. Our Carpet Grass is green soft, hardy and GREEN and will definitely be a bonus to your backyard!

Chat Soon
Sare

As the old saying goes,”The Grass is always Greener on the other side”. Well I think that was because the other side had Wintergreen Couch.

The Grass of the week this week is Wintergreen Couch. Its soft, really hard wearing and as its name suggests it Green. Really green in Winter; All grasses are green i hear you say, but oh no, a lot of grasses may turn red or brown off during winter because they don’t get the needed nutrients.  But Wintergreen stays true and Green all year. And in fact, unlike other grasses it thrives in winter. Its the Grass that most councils put on their sporting grounds. So when you are watching your kids play soccer or football or other cold winter sports they are more than likely playing on wintergreen couch.

 

So if its good enough for the sports grounds, why not for your home? In most families the back yard, or like our house that has a tiny back yard but huge front yard, or just outdoor areas are used all the time. And its better to have a grass that will just keep growing even after your Son’s football team beats Dad’s football team in the back yard. Or when the Rugby world cup (which at our house entails the NZ neighbours and OZ neighbours) is being played at your place the grass will be soft to land on but tough growing. In summer Cricket games can dig little holes in your pitch or lawn as most people call it, but the wintergreen will quickly recover to let you all play another day.

 

So why not put Wintergreen Couch or as I like to think of it as all year round Green Couch at your place. And then let the games begin…….

 

Chat Soon

Sare

 

Check us out on Facebook for pictures of Great Wintergreen Couch and also of the Football finals at our house on the weekend….

Facebook – Coastal Turf Australia

Well over the last couple of weeks I have been chatting about Queensland Blue Couch, and now I think its time to give the Empire Zoysia its turn to shine….

Empire is the grass that is in between a Couch leaf and a Buffalo leaf. So its kinda hard to describe. Its not thick or thin but just in between. Kinda like the middle child. But like all middle children it has its amazing qualities that its siblings don’t have.

For example, Empire Zoysia has become a widely used grass on nature strips and beside roadways because it is really slow growing and does not require as much mowing as the couches or buffaloes. Its not a thirsty grass either and tends to hibernate during the colder months so there is even less mowing! And in winter it will stay green even after a frost.

My mum loves it because it is really soft underfoot and nice and fluffy. The kids like it because it feels nice when they fall on it. I like how tough it is. We have a patch in our front yard from a patch up job that my husband did where he parks his truck. It still grows really well, I hardly ever water it, and it is always green. I like it because it doesn’t complain. Ummmm I wish all middle children where like that.

Well the best part of being a part of a family business is being able to bring your kids to work when you need to. I think from the kids point of view they may not agree. Today I have 2 sick boys with me; the eldest lying on the lounge watching TV; and the youngest on my lap as i type. They are sick of the office and sick of being sick. And the dark clouds and windy weather aren’t helping either. Usually when they are vomitty (don’t know if its a real word but we use it all the time at our house) they go and sit on the lawn outside the grass in the sun and they start to perk up.  I don’t know what happens at your house but my kids only get sick and start vomiting from 1am. So by 11am they are either really sick or much better, and I am exhausted by 1pm.

Hopefully it all goes soon and we can all sleep

 

Thanks

Sare

Is Grass just Grass? Well not really. I guess it like saying that all cheeses are the same. There are many different varieties that can be used for many different occasions.
The best grass for your home is not necessarily the best grass at other peoples homes. Nor what is being advertised on TV. Realistically its what you can afford to. Its all good to want Sir Walter because you see it on TV, but will it grow at your home?  And because it is a NAMED grass it will cost more. And its an investment in your home, you don’t want to spend lots of money on your lawn for it to die.

 

That’s why its best to talk to a Turf Farmer about what they think is the best grass for your home and budget. Shady areas need big leafed grass, high traffic areas need tough grass, sunny areas need thin leafed grasses. Its all about the best grass for the best place. And Coastal Turf can make your decision about the grass for you easier and informed.

 

Hope to chat soon

Sare