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How Safe is Glyphosate? (Roundup)

Round up

Glyphosate again confirmed as safe

Home gardeners can continue using herbicides containing glyphosate with safety – providing they follow label directions.
Australia’s pesticide regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), has again confirmed that approved products containing glyphosate can continue to be used safely, according to label directions.
This statement follows recent landmark lawsuits in the United States, linking the use of glyphosate with cancer.
The AVPMA stated it was aware of recent international decisions concerning glyphosate.
As the national regulator for agricultural chemicals it continues to track and consider any new scientific information associated with their safety and effectiveness.
Following recent assessments, the APVMA found no grounds to place glyphosate under formal reconsideration again.
Glyphosate is one of the world’s most widely used and rigorously tested chemicals.
Australian stores have indicated they do not have plans to remove the weedkiller from their shelves.
More information on the APMVA web site »

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Winter weeds in your lawn

Hi everybody how are your lawns going?

As Autumn turns into winter we are starting to see weeds emerging in your lawn. With the extra moisture around, with less competition from summer active lawns (as they go into winter dormancy) and with fewer mows per month weeds find the conditions irresistible.

With the weather cooling down,  weed seed bank stored in the soil from previous years beginning to germinate and grow, bringing back those annoying weeds you try so hard every year to get rid of.

One of the most common winter weeds is winter grass, sour sobs and, the common broadleaf varieties such as creeping oxalis, thistle, dandelion, clover and bindi eye. Have a look at Amgrows handy Weed Identification Chart to identify your weeds

There are some things that encourage excessive weeds like excessively low mowing, lack of fertilizer and inadequate watering which slow the growth of your lawn and in turn its health. Remember the best strategy to fight weeds is a healthy lawn – the stronger your lawn is the harder it is for weeds to compete. Poor control measures historically can also lead to a larger seed bank increasing numbers of weeds this season germinating when the conditions are right. ( like now)

A good method of getting on top is by the use of high-quality selective weed killers.

Broadleaf Weeds:

For broadleaf weeds like creeping oxalis, thistle, dandelion, clover and bindi eye., use a product containing MCPA and Bromoxynil such as Amgrow Bin-Die. This sort of chemical is considered a selective which means it is specially designed to be sprayed over the entire lawn and not harm it. It will only target the weeds. Generally speaking, broadleaf herbicides take around 10-14 days to kill the weeds and sometimes needs to re-applied after a few weeks as more seeds germinate.

Wintergrass:

I have seen quite a bit Wintergrass emerging lately as the weather begins to cool down. Wintergrass can be controlled by using a selective herbicide such as Amgrows winter grass killer. Follow the directions carefully and make sure you get an even application over the whole lawn area. Wintergrass killer is a selective herbicide and is safe to use on couch and buffalo lawns. If you have winter grass growing in Kikuyu, then you can’t use a winter grass herbicide to control measure. Your only option here is to use a pre-emergent herbicide such as BOW AND ARROW or EMBARGO early in the season which will kill the seeds of the winter grass weed before they have a chance to germinate. 

But alas its always hard to completely get on top and you probably will always have some uninvited guest in your lawn but had pulling can help to prevent a further increase to the seed bank later in later years 

For more information give us a call on 08 8377 3566 or drop in and see us at 533 Brighton Road South Brighton 5048.

Keep up the good work

Jerry

 

 

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10 TIPS TO PREP YOUR LAWN FOR SPRING

If you are the owner of warm-season grass, then the first day of spring couldn’t come fast enough! Rather than waiting for the frosty weather to pass and hoping for the best, here are 10 things you can do to give your lawn a kick start when spring comes around – and hopefully make this last stretch of winter go by just a little quicker.

1. GET THE BAD GUYS

Before you think of fertilizing, pay attention to the bad guys first; weeds, pests, and disease. The attention over winter is to get on top of things like broadleaf weeds that rob nutrients from a lawn that isn’t growing. The fewer issues you have late in winter makes for a better start to spring.

2. AERATE

Compaction happens more over winter and lawn won’t grow in compacted soil. Pitchfork aerate to let the air, water and nutrients get to the root-zone and don’t be overly concerned about top-dressing at this time of the year; there’s no need for that just yet, although you may want to get your hands on some just in case (Read on to Tip 7)

3. FERTILISE

Winter lawns still need to be fertilized. Use a fertilizer that is balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. You don’t want to use high nitrogen fertilisers at this time. Use fertilisers like Lawnporn’s Launch+ with added kelp to focus on root health instead.

4. MORNING FROST

No matter the condition of your lawn, if you get frost, a quick 5-minute water to melt the ice in the morning will lessen damage and browning that it causes.

5. SERVICE YOUR GEAR

Use the winter downtime to fix & service your gear and get ready for spring! If you’re not sure what to look out for, visit Dad and Jerry’s Mower Mart and have a professional take a look at your equipment and give you the best advice for care and maintenance over the coming season!

6. BOOK YOUR HIRE EQUIPMENT NOW

Most of us don’t have scarification machines or aerators for spring renovation and will likely have to hire. Spring is hammer time for demand of gear like this so book early to avoid any disappointment. Organise your mates to share the cost and give each other a hand. It’s a big job. Divide and conquer!

7. PURCHASE TOP DRESS EARLY

Springtime is high demand time for top-dressing and sand yards can run out quickly. If you have the room to store it consider grabbing top-dress before the rush! Even if your yard doesn’t run out of top-dress, you’ll be prepared and expend less effort on renovation day.

8. FERTILISE – PART 2

The tail end of winter is the time to think about putting down a slow release granular fertiliser with a bit more oomph; meaning more nitrogen!

You want to time it when you start seeing a little growth and about 2-3 weeks before your planned spring renovation. It’ll help boost the renovation process leading to a faster recovery. Lawnporn’s ‘Four Seasons’ granular used with a fertilizer spreader is your friend here. With multiple stages of nitrogen release and slow release potassium, it will provide the plant with a sustained and uniform growth response!

9. MOWING

At this point, you may not have mowed for several weeks but it’s time to give your freshly serviced gear a shakedown and your lawn, a wakeup call.

This is best saved for the end of winter and just as you start seeing a bit of lawn growth and warmth in the weather forecast. You’ll want a bit more heat to the ground to help activate the root-zone and the mow will kick-start the lawn and get it ‘thinking’ about growth again.

This is NOT an aggressive mow-down; it’s a gentle touch. Doing this also reduces the amount of material you’ll move in the spring renovation. I personally prefer to do this with a  Rotary Mower for the ease and also picking up tree leaves and debris that may be on the lawn.

10. THINK AHEAD

Ok, so it may be a little late to backtrack here but keep this in mind for autumn next year. You should always be thinking 2 seasons ahead. The best way to get the best start to spring is ending autumn with the lawn in the best possible condition. A healthy lawn that has well-maintained soil, good nutrient supply, is weed free, without pests, disease and minimal thatch, will always fare better over the winter dormancy than lawns with issues and poorer health. Growing a bit taller here will make the most of the scares sunlight for photosynthesis and also act as a weed-mat blocking the sun to germinate weeds.

So, here’s a quick recap!  Prepare for spring by getting rid of the bad guys, aerating the compacted soil and fertilising for root health. End winter by giving your serviced equipment a tickle with a gentle mow to let your lawn know spring is coming and organise your resources and materials for the spring renovation ahead.

If you’re looking for more lawn tips and tricks, then visit the Lawnporn Facebook page here