Coastal Turf is encouraging you to #stayathome

Coastal Turf has always offered a professional delivery service, and it is no different today. We will bring to your new lawn area your turf on pallets, slide them off with our bobcat and then wave to you as we goo.

All ordering and payment can be done on line, either via this website or on the phone. So although we offer a personal service, it is now a personal service that is personally physically contact free!

So #stayathome and install your lawn. We will do all the heavy lifting for you.

Are you at home this week? Have you been told that you need to be social distant from people, so please do not come into work?

So you are sitting at home. Looking at your house. And it is probably telling you mean things like, you should clean the bathroom, again. You should really clean out the Tupperware cupboard. You need to clean the oven, again.

I know that if I spend too much time at home it almost feels like the four walls are enclosing in on me. That the air feels stale. And all the people who are in the house with me are really just the most annoying people in the world.

Which is why, when you are forced to be at home, it is always a good idea to go outside. Walk out on to your backyard and take a big breathe. Look around.

Could you use your time at home for something actually productive? Something that is going to be fun and also be of benefit to you and your family?

A new lawn or grassed area is perfect for families when you are all at home. It can become that place of sanctuary where you go out to work on your computer, in the clean fresh air. Or the place where you can go and physically move around, kick a ball, throw a frisbee. Or the place you send everyone else because they are becoming the most annoying people in the world.

This is now the perfect time to install that new lawn! You have the time! You have been told not to leave your premises. But stay home. And everything you need for a beautiful new lawn can be delivered straight to your home, without you leaving the house once!

Its as easy as checking out on the varieties page which of the beautiful types of grasses you would like for your home. Think about it like, since you have been told not to go out and party in the usual places, like Splendour in the Grass, which grass type would you like to listen to your music on at home? And at home your can listen as loud as you like through your headphones and take your shoes off. A lot nicer! And no one is going to stare at you when you dance like Beyonce.

Or which grass would you like to sit down on in the sun and relax with a great book and a better beverage? Soaking up the healing rays and relaxing into your self isolation.

Then head over to our Ordering on line section and lock in your time and date of delivery of your new lawn. Or give me a call and I can help you with your choice of lawn and help plan your delivery.

Once your order is locked in, I will then send you an installation guide, so if you are not so self isolated, like if you happen to have your kids and partner home too, you can motivate your team with the exciting news and practical ways you will be installing your new outside isolation area.

On the chosen day one of the boys will come and place your pallet/s of turf as close as possible to wear you want to install your new lawn. And we can do it two ways.

We offer a “no contact delivery” where we chat to you in the phone and you tell us where to put the turf. You stay inside and don’t have to talk to anyone and then go out when we have left all your beautiful new lawn there for you.

Or we can ring your door bell, say hi, and you can show us where you would like the delivery, ask any questions about inflation or establishment.

It’s totally up to you. We are here to help you get the best lawn possible to aide in your time at home. Just because you have to stay home, doesn’t mean you should sit on the couch. And especially while the sun is shining during the day, now is a great time to be outside.

Take advantage of your time at home. I look forward to chatting with you soon!

Chat Soon!

Sare

So you think you or more specifically, your lawn may have the displeasure of being eaten and chomped upon by nasty little Lawn Grubs? The horrid evil nasty beasties or “caterpillars” as they are known by small children, love nothing more than to eat all your beautiful lawn that you love so much.

So what is a Lawn Grub?

Unfortunately it is not dirty little kids playing on your lawn. A Spodoptera Maurita or Lawn grubs or Army Worms, start their life as a little egg. Laid by a mummy moth in various little crevices around your home and surrounds, to keep their eggs safe from the elements. Mummy moths can lay up to 500 eggs per night for several consecutive nights, in places like pegs; Garage door dips; Fly screens; Eaves; Windows of cars; And worst still your clothes.

You may have seen the moths flying around your lawn, or home. And thought “oh, how lovely.” But not lovely dear reader. Oh No. They are not a nice butterfly just fluttering along. They are strong warriors dropping their egg bombs ready to explode and release their hunger on your lawn.

Or, if you are one of those wonderful “Always look on the bright side of life people”, you can see it as a compliment. The mummy moths find the best lawns with the tastiest feeds for her children, to lay their eggs near.

But how did the horrid beasts go from little fluffy cloud like egg sacks into your lawn you ask? Well the eggs hatch at night, and the grubs zip line to the ground via a thin silk like thread. Or they dislodge the thread from the eggs sack and float away on the wind, like a paratrooper, to your lawn to discover the magical land of plenty. You might wonder how big are they when they hatch. As small as this.

How do you know if there are even of the little creepy crawlies around? Well firstly your lawn might start looking like this?

Or This? A surprise underneath when you mow.

Or you could come out at night to see these crawling around?

But if you have an exciting life, are busy and have not found the time to inspect your lawn at night time, throw a towel on your lawn over night. In the moring come out and slowly raise the towel to see what is lurking underneath.

Being nocturnal, the Army Worm will only show itself on the surface in the dark. So by tricking the not so clever when it comes to body clocks Army worms, into thinking it is still night time with the cover of darkness of a towel, you can see if there are nasty grubs in your lawn with a invigorating cup of coffee in hand. When you lift the towel up, you can see if there is any caterpillar action going on.

Most of the consuming of your beautiful lawn will happen when the caterpillar is tiny. The little teeniest tiny itty bitty little bug will fall through the cracks in your lawn and munch and munch and munch. And then grow and grow and grow to become about 40mm long.

When they have had their fill, they will burry down into the soil, right down about 80mm deep to pupate into mummy and daddy moths. And then the whole process begins again. And all this takes mere weeks. Mere weeks to destroy a beautiful lush healthy lawn.

So what can you do about it?

The eggs are your first battle in the war against the infestation of Army Worms, Lawn Grubs or Spodoptera Maurita in your lawn.

Get out your bucket of soapy water, a cloth or scrubbing brush. These are your first weapons. Wash these little egg sacks off. Squish them as you do. Clean away any of the eggs. And keep an eye out for anymore.

In your actual lawn though, there are three things you can do about it.

One. Do nothing. And watch your investment of time, money, love, sweat, and sometimes tears, be eaten by tiny monsters. And give up on having a beautiful lawn. It may come back after the lawn grubs have eaten everything green and then moved on. But most likely not.

Two. Go Biological. This is path the Coastal Turf has taken on our farm. We use Endopathogenic Nematodes as part of our IPM ( Integrated Pest Management) to consume the grubs. We have found that the use of these even scarier bugs (upon researching into the Endopathogenic Nematodes I have never had so many nightmares), eat the lawn grubs from the inside.

Our experts on the farm have the knowledge and the know how to keep our little Nematodes alive to kill any invaders that may slip through our watchful eyes. It is not easy. Although the Nematodes are ferocious, they are fickle animals. The soil must be at the perfect moisture levels. It cannot be too hot. And application can only be at night as well, because the Nematodes do not react well to UV light. It’s kind of like releasing “The Baby” from “The Croods.” Vicious and unstoppable, but still needs to be mollycoddled.

All in all, although the Nematodes are really effective, and under and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach, work wonderfully and at a fraction of the cost, when applied professionally. But it is not really for the everyday man.

Once you have found that you have Lawn Grubs, it is usually because you have plague proportions in your lawn. It is because they have eat you out of lawn and green grass. The Nematodes work slowly and carefully, meticulously working their way through to kill all curl like grubs. Which is great when in a professional situation you have the grubs under a watchful eye so they do not affect your product. But in a lawn situation, you needs those little bastards dead quickly.

Three. Chemical Control.

This is the most effective and least time consuming control of a Lawn Grub infestation. Especially on a domestic situation. And in the warfare against evil Lawn Grubs, you need a fast complete kill. But please be careful when applying any chemicals around your home. They are still chemicals and do require you to use some PPE (personal protection equipment). If ever in doubt, call in a professional.

There are two different very effective chemical components that kill lawn grubs. Chlorpyrifos or chlorantraniliprole. Chlorpyrifos is the active ingredient in products such as our Amgrow Patrol Ant and Army Worm Killer. Chlorantraniliprole is active in products like Acelepryn.

Before we moved onto Nematodes, we used products like Chlorpyrifos on the farm. This chemical is great at killing grubs fast. But it is an insecticide. And can cause some of the Good Bugs to be affected. So please use only the amount that is listed on the back of the label.

Lawn grub controls can come in a liquid form to be applied with a spray pack at night, or in sand granulated form. If you choose to spray, check your spray pack for any leaks. You do not want to be walking around with chemical leaking down your back. When you mix the chemical in the pack wear gloves that cover up your arms, and pour the chemical in first. Add a squish of dishwashing liquid to help the chemical stick to the leaf, and then add the water, gently. We always recommend using breathing protection as well.Like a face mask. It is part of our Work Place Health and Safety.

It is preferable if you also add a little colourant to the spray, like the ColourMaxx . A dark green is nice. Not only does it show you where you have sprayed, but also gives you a little hope that the lawn will return to being really green. Head out at dust and while wearing covered shoes and pants, and face mask, spray the lawn in a backward and forward motion. Try to ensure no areas are missed and that the spray is getting right down into the thatch of your lawn.

I think for home use the sand granulated form is safer for you to apply. The sand is sprinkled across your lawn and then given a slight spray with the hose to activate. The sand usually comes on shaker bottles. Our Patrol bottles have a child proof lid. Which can be tricky to get off. Squeexe the edges and then with covered shoes walk along and sprinkle the sand over your lawn. This means that you have no real contract with the chemical. But wearing shoes just gives you that peace of mind. Once you have spread the sand across your entire lawn, get your hose out and give it a quick water. Easy as that.

After you have activated the sand with the water, stay off for a day or so with bare skin and animal paws. Sometimes it can cause a reaction. The sand will sink to where the evil grubs are and start to eliminate your problems in your lawn. Then sit back and relax. Knowing that your lawn is once again protected.

The Patrol causes a bad reaction in the grub, and well, make them explode. It kills them. Very dead. Often there is nothing left for the birds or wasps to eat.

With all the chemicals just remember you should protecting yourself first. Apply at the rate prescribed on the box, and wear PPE. Keep yourself and loved ones with bare skin away from your lawn for a few days.

In 10 days after you have waged war against the Army worm and won, check that reinforcements have not been called in to eat again. Place the towel on the lawn over night again and check in the morning.

If you see the reinforcements, check for eggs, and possibly think about changing the way you applied the chemical. Switch to a sand granulated or ensure you spray at dusk.

Now is the time to start repairing your lawn. Give our lawn experts at Coastal Turf another call or send us an email and we can talk you through the best fertilisers to make your lawn look stunning again. Maybe even a little better.

And return to a lawn that looks like this. Ahh. Sigh. Just makes you happy hey?

It is at our farm. The Sun is shining down and looking bright and happy. And the grass, which is recovering from having a lot of water, is looking super green and happy too.

It is such wonderful sight to see what was looking sad and brown to now looking really really rich and green. I imagine you have all seen this on your street as well. Going from that brown almost dead look, to super lush and happy.

Just make sure that when your lawn is coming back from the ill health of drought, that it doesn’t contract another worse infection. Lawn Grubs! There are so many around at the moment. I even found some in the office sample pots!

The nasty little biters are cruising around and looking for a lush lawn to devour. Make sure you are prepared and don’t end up with your lawn being completely chomped out. Get a sand granulated lawn grub killer from Coastal Turf to ensure your lawn stays the beautiful green lush colour that the rain has brought back.

And if you lawn is not returning to a gorgeous lush colour, give us a call and we can either hep diagnose what the problem is, or set you up with a beautiful new lawn.

I love transformations like this one on our blue couch paddock. I always say going from brown to green is just one of those marvellous feelings that make you smile, not matter what.

The use of organic Nematodes as well as the beautiful rain has brought this paddock back to life. Imagine what Coastal Turf can do for your new lawn.

The rain has brought some much needed welcome relief to the Tweed, in Northern NSW. But I think it can stop now.

As much as I think we all rain danced, prayed, begged, pleaded and offered up exchanges, we all have had enough rain here now.

Today, the 11th Feb 2020 our farm has now had more water in the last 5 days fall from the sky than fell all last year.

So we are a bit wet and soggy.

We are hoping to be back and harvesting this Friday. So please stay in touch with us.

Our grass will be greener and healthier than ever!

And please remember that if you have any concerns with your lawn’s health give us a call. Lawn grubs or Fungus. We are here to help!

Who do you talk about getting a beautiful new lawn?

Is it your Dad? Who has years and years of experience with life. And knows so much and about so much. And has a reasonable greenish lawn?

Do you chat with your neighbour? Maybe ask them about what they did wrong? Just in case you do it to your lawn.

Or do you ask Dr Google? And get a million different answers. With everyone having a very strong opinion on what is “The BEST?”

Do you ask Siri or Alexa? And then find out some very interesting information about how goldfish are born and watch an interesting youtube video about fortnite dances? Maybe one day she will understand what we are all saying…

Or do you ask the experts? The people who have worked, loved and grown beautiful lawns for over 25 years?

At Coastal Turf we pride ourselves on creating beautiful turf grasses to become your new lawn. With over 25 years experience in all things Grass on the Tweed, Ballina, Byron And Gold Coasts, we know which variety will look stunning at your home. Not just now but well into the future.

Our after care service means that you are not abandoned when the turf is delivered. Instead at Coastal Turf we ensure that we contact you in 6 weeks to see if you have any queries. And we welcome people to call and chat about their lawns.

So call Coastal Turf and create beautiful lawns at your home.

I saw the best sign the other day at our local coffee shop. When you buy from a small business you are supporting a dream. The next day the sign said when you buy from a small business you are supporting a little girl get dance lessons, a little boy get his team jersey and  a mum and dad put food on the table. 

The sign made me smile and nod to myself. Being a small family farm I knew exactly what the sign was saying. And I really wish that I had had the forethought to take a picture of it. But in all fairness to myself, it was before I had consumed my delicious coffee and my brain had kicked in properly. 

The sign is so true though. And I wanted to say thank you to all the people who have already purchased turf from us. And a thank you in advance to all the people thinking of creating a new lawn for their home with Coastal Turf. 

It is because of you that our family could afford to get braces for our son and daughter; It is because of you that we can send our kids to the school camps when they come up. And also pay for our 3 kids to play sports in the local teams over the year. Thank you. 

And it is because of your support of our local small family business that we can follow our dreams of creating beautiful paddocks of grasses which will become your new lawn. It is our family’s passion to manicure and produce beautiful grasses to become other families new lawns. 

The older generation in our family, my father John, started the dream. And is still continuing it today. John is very passionate about finding the best environmentally friendly  ways to produce beautiful grasses. My Dad John, believes that our soils are our future and he knows the importance of creating nutrient rich ground works to enable the grass to be the best it can be. To be Green fluffy and soft to the touch. Ask us about our chemical free Nematode project on our farm! 

John also knows the importance of water conservation. This is how and why we have such green drought tolerant grasses at our Coastal Turf farm. John found the best grass varieties to be produced on our farm to become your new lawn. He puts in all the love and care on the farm making it easier for you to have a Green Lush lawn instantly at your home. And why we also ensure that all turf deliveries and pick ups from our farm come with a watering guide. To assist you in not putting on too much water in your lawn. Especially during these times of water restrictions. You can be water wise and efficient and still have a green lawn. Ask us how.

And we know the importance of service. Because every time you call, email or text me, I appreciate how you have taken the time out of your day  to contact us. Part of our dream is to ensure that you not only have the best turf from our family, but that you have the best experience as well. So we spend the time with you to ensure you are purchasing the right grass for your lawn. We then back this up with installation guides, watering guides and after care contact to make sure you are still loving your lawn in years to come.

My friend has sent me a picture of a sign in at a shop that says “When you buy from a small business an actual person does a little happy dance.” And it’s true. Every time I get a phone call, an email or a web order, my face lights up. My back straightens and my voice gets that little glow to it. 

So we hope that our passion, our dream and our grass can become your new lawn. With all its beauty and happiness that a gorgeous green lawn can bring. 

I had a phone call and a visit from Gene and his father on Tuesday to check out our sample pots.

Gene had spent Monday night on the website torn between which grass would make the best lawn for his home. Early Tuesday morning Gene called to ask if he could come out and have a look at the different types of lawns. He said he had been researching all night and couldn’t make a decision. And that maybe being able to touch the grass would help him make up his mind. 

I think Gene came out to the office with a new Palmetto Buffalo lawn in mind. It looked to me like he already had made a choice in his head.

When Gene pulled out he got out of the car with his father and we started up a great chat, all the while my girls (my 3 dogs) eagerly accepted all the pats and cuddles Gene’s father could manage to give out. Gene was all keen on the Palmetto buffalo, until I showed him the Empire Zoysia. 

Gene run his hands over the Empire as well as the Palmetto. We went through the pros and cons of both grasses and Gene ummed and ahhed through the differences. But his hand kept coming back to the Empire zoysia pot. He pressed down, he run his hands over the blades quickly and then slowly to make sure it really was the lawn he wanted to wake up to every day.

I think in the end it came down to the feel, the beautiful colour of the Empire, the dense leaves that  are more likely to keep out invaders like bindii’s, and just how spongey the lawn will feel over the years. And the fact that there is way less maintenance with the Empire than other lawns is always a big bonus. 

So we arrange for Gene to have Empire Zoysia turf delivered the next day to become his new lawn. 

Wednesday afternoon Paul brought two pallets of Empire Zoysia turf to Gene’s place and moved them up his driveway as close as possible to where Gene wanted to install his new lawn. Paul left Gene with an installation guide and a smile. Gene’s dad had the fertiliser covered, and the Men went to work. 

Wednesday night as I was sitting down to my night time cup of tea, and I opened my emails. I received a great email that made me smile and show all my family. A thank you with beautiful lawn pictures. 

Great choice with the Empire Gene. And thank you for coming out and chatting with me. I love how you even got the stripes in your lawn!

So if you are having a conundrum  on which is going to be the best lawn for you, come out to the farm and the office and run your hands over the sample pots and see which one you can see yourself walking on bare footed at your home. Get in touch with me!

And like Gene, you could end up with a beautiful, stunning new lawn. And a happy chat with myself of course!

Its a start of a new decade. Doesn’t that sound really weird? 

I remember back in 2009, just before we moved into the Twenty teens, that I couldn’t believe we had come so far. In 2009, Turfman and I had a 7 year old, a 3 year old and a non sleeping 1 year old. When you have little kids, and a family business I think you are in that stage of constant tiredness. I remember always running around with them, and after them, always having to have a constant supply of healthy snack foods, listening to the Wiggles non stop and answering so many questions that I didn’t know the answer to. Like; Why is Elmo red? Why does the air coming out of my nose not smell? I still don’t know the amassers to some of their questions.

Now a full decade later in  2019 and nearly into the Twenty Twenty’s, I am really happy to say I now have a 17 year old, a 13 year old and an 11 year old. And really, life is fun. Although I am still tired from running around with them, driving them places and feeding them constantly (that never really seems to have stopped.I think Teenage boys are just constantly hungry), I really enjoy their company. The music is better. The conversations make a lot more sense to me, and the laughs are shared. 

So much has happened in the past decade, not only in our family, but in our little family business as well. We have all grown. And not just in height for the kids and possibly waist size for me. We have learned so much from the people we work with, and from the Environment. Our family farm, encompassing now 3 generations of farmers, now ensures that all our Turf Grass varieties are specialised to our little piece of paradise in the Northern Rivers and Gold Coast regions. Our warm season drought tolerant turf grasses are the best available to suit our conditions. 

Better than a new dress for the New Year, a New Coastal Turf lawn will make you feel and breathe better for the whole year. Your new lawn will be the green shining light of your home. The best place to sit, relax, take big air cleansed breathes and enjoy all the snacks and beverages you want. Or it could be your place of loud laughs and fun games to entertain your family and friends. 

Whatever you use your new Coastal Turf Lawn for, rest assured that your new lawn will be fulfilling one of the New Year Resolutions that so many people are making. To be better the Environment. To be Greener. And having a Green lawn is one of the most Green actions you can take. 

Not only do you get the Green lawn instantly, but you are putting down one of the best Carbon storers on earth, and THE best air purifier you can own. A lawn of just 152sqm will cleanse the air for a family of four for a year. No other plant can provide you with the air purifying power, as well as being somewhere you can sit, stand, fall and play on. 

Your new Coastal Turf lawn will be an amazing place. 

So start the New decade in a Green place. Get in touch with us now to get the right variety matched to your home. 

Christmas to me is family and friends all together having fun and laughing, eating way too much, and having a great game of cricket on the lawn. It has been a family tradition in my family ever since I can remember.

Christmas starts very early with our little Mason family, with the kids ( well really its all of us) really excited about the day. The kids are always up, I think, before the sun. Turfman and I a little later. The smiles on my kids faces beam brighter than the sun will ever shine.

Turfman and I make the kids wait until we are both up, have suitable pj’s on, (one year my big T shirt and undies just didn’t look right in the morning photos) and have a cup of Coffee or Tea in our hands before any Christmas presents can be opened. We take our Cuppas into the lounge room and we all sit on the floor to open our presents.

Now I would like to say we are like one of those TV families that all sit around and wait for each individual to open a gift, and fully appreciate it, before we move on to the next person. But my kids just open theirs with excited screams. Our family presents, as boring as it might sound, are things we have been saving for all year for them. And now the kids are older they are getting more practical gifts.

Like our youngest Marcus, goes to High School next year, so he is getting the little computer he needs. Luckily I know he doesn’t read this, or he would know. Not sure if we will give him the Wifi code though. That might have to wait until New Years.

After the presents are opened and the kids have put wrapping paper everywhere; Turfman runs around and does a quick paper clean up, and the day is in full swing.

Cooking starts. Clothes are put on. Bottles of Bubbles are popped, and our family and friends start to arrive around 10ish. There is hugging, kissing and real love on my home. I always have way more food than is needed, but at Christmas it doesn’t seem to matter. Lunch is a combination of Hot and Cold food, but only warmth and smiles grace the table. Bon Bons are popped and crazy stupid hats are worn. Glasses are clinked with more and more extravagant toasts being made.

Then comes the clean up and stack away, while the kids run around in-between asking us when we will be done!

Because everyone loves the Christmas game of cricket on our lawn. Only on Christmas are the rules a little more flexible. Like kids cannot get out on the first ball. And Grandma can have a runner between wickets – usually a little kid who is way too fast to get run out. The Uncles have to play on the out field so they can actually catch the ball. If the dogs catch it on the full it’s out. There are no teams, just two batters and everyone else are fielders.

No little kids are allowed at Silly mid on – ever again! Poppa and Turfman and Uncle Rob are not allowed to bowl spinners, especially at the kids. Or me cause I squeal. You can get extra runs if you can hit a 6 with a stubby or glass of wine in your hand, and nothing spills. Over the fence or on the roof is out, and we make sure we have extra balls so no one has to go on the roof.

Most importantly you cannot wear shoes.

So our lawn has to be soft, fluffy and weed free for Christmas day. Otherwise it makes for a hard run between wickets, and an even harder time to run to catch the ball.

Thats why we use the Blue Couch as our cricket lawn. It’s soft, dark and comforting leaf makes our feet feel invigorated as we make that spirited run between wickets.

It’s just one of those days that is all about being together; having fun; and creating great memories, as well as ensuring that the love of Lawn Cricket is passed down through the generations.

And I couldn’t do it without my lawn.

Have great Christmas everyone, and I hope you have a Christmas tradition on your lawn.

To have a brand new Lawn for your Christmas, order now!