Your ultimate guide to winter turf

The grass is always greener with us.

Can I lay turf in Sydney during winter?

Absolutely. In fact, with lawns requiring less water during winter, not to mention less wear (other than sports fields, of course), winter is a good time to lay new turf. You may not see rapid growth when you lay turf in winter, but it will be perfectly happy to settle in slowly to the still-warm soil and it will be ready for a growth spurt when spring warms it up.

And think about yourself! Turf installation is a relatively straightforward job that lots of people choose to do themselves, but it is a labour-intensive job. So laying turf on a cooler winter day might be more pleasant for you than doing so in the heat of summer.

You can buy turf at any time of year. The only time you might struggle to get hold of it is after a period of heavy rain. Then the turf is too heavy and fragile to be cut and rolled.

Which type of turf grows best in winter in Sydney?

All the turfs grown locally will slow their growth dramatically in winter - see below for more details on this. However, they all bounce back in spring.

The extremely popular Sir Walter Buffalo turf, which accounts for about 80% of the turf bought in Sydney, is actually one of the best-performing winter turfs, because it only needs around three hours of sun each day to keep it happy.

Sir Grange Zoysia is another good winter performer that can cope with shade as long as it gets about three hours of sun each day.

But you should also think about how much wear your turf will get in winter. If you have kids and dogs practicing for winter football for hours every day, TifTuf Bermuda would be a good choice. It handles shade well, but more importantly, it holds up strongly against constant wear. It's also the only turf to have the "Water Wise" smart approved WaterMark certification and is specified on all government jobs such as schools, parks and sports fields.

Kikuyu and Couch are not great winter turfs, unless your yard gets sun pretty much all day. They really do not thrive in the shade.

Should I mow my lawn in winter in Sydney?

In Sydney's temperate climate, grass in winter acts like many of us by going semi-dormant. When the soil temperature drops under 14 degrees, its growth slows. It's the turf equivalent of Netflix and chill.

However, the growth does not stop completely, so your lawn may need a few trims. Taking care of your winter lawn starts in the autumn, when you should start raising the blades of your lawn mower. Keep the blades higher than 2.5cm. Winter turf needs slightly longer leaves to absorb maximum sunlight. That's not an excuse to let it grow wild, though! Keep it at 5-6 centimetres or a little less, otherwise the length of the leaves will block other leaves from getting access to sunlight.

During winter, you should only need to mow every few weeks, depending on your turf variety. Don't forget to keep an eye out for winter weeds, like bindii and winter grass - see below for more information on how to deal with these.

Should I fertilise my turf in winter in Sydney?

In the same way that we suddenly start craving comfort foods when the weather cools down, your lawn also craves specific foods. For your lawn, it really needs potassium and iron. However, it doesn't need to be delivered continuously - a good dose of fertiliser in autumn and your grass will wait happily until spring for its next meal.

As well as slow winter growth, most of the turfs available in Sydney tend to fade in colour over winter. This is normal and the colour will return in the spring. However, if you want to green - up your lawn in winter, you could use ColourGuard. This is a coloured spray that will instantly return a brown lawn to green, and it's also a fertiliser with added nutrients that make it ideal for winter use. The colour lasts for up to three months.

Should I water my grass in winter in Sydney?

You usually shouldn't have to water your grass in Sydney in winter. Cooler soils will retain moisture for longer and winter rainfall is usually sufficient to keep your grass happy. Only in a drought would you need to think about an occasional winter watering, but then again, in a drought you are likely to have to bear water restrictions in mind. Most lawns will get through winter in Sydney just fine without watering!

If you do water, water in the mornings to allow your grass time to dry off during the day. And if you lay a new lawn, it will need plenty of water to establish itself, no matter the season.

Weed your grass in winter.

Do yourself a favour and save yourself hours of work getting rid of weeds in spring and summer by getting rid of them in winter. Here are the weeds you should look out for, and how to get them out of your lawn.

Winter grass

No, not your turf, but an annoying and very common little intruder; a grass weed that drops seeds that can double the area it covers every year. Look out for a tuft of grass with soft drooping green leaves and triangular-shaped seed heads. Pull it out by hand-the roots don't go deep into your soil and the damp winter soil makes them easy to pull.

Bindii

Everyone knows what this one feels like! Don't let bindii get to the point of producing those nasty little spikes by pulling it out in winter before it spreads and seeds. Bindii are easy to pull out, because although they spread over a wide area, their roots are very shallow. Or, you can manage it by using a selective herbicide designed to kill bindiis, but not your lawn. Be careful to use the right type of herbicide for your turf type. Buffalo turf like Sir Walter needs a different type of herbicide from non-buffalo turf. You don't want to accidentally kill your lawn.

Clover

Cows may love a bit of clover, but lawn lovers don't. However, clover can give gardeners a clue that their lawn might need a nutrient boost. Clover likes poor soils and adds nitrogen, so a clover takeover may mean your soil is low in nitrogen. Fertilise your lawn and that may solve the problem. Or, like bindiis, you can use a selective herbicide to get rid of clover.

Creeping Oxalis

Creeping Oxalis may look cute, like little yellow flowers, with heart-shaped leaves. It's a quick spreader, with the leaves producing roots as it the plant runs along the surface of the soil. This is a tough one to stay on top of by hand, using a selective herbicide is the best way to deal with this one.

Avoiding winter lawn disease

Turf doesn't like the reduced daylight hours in Sydney any more than you do. Less daylight can compound existing problems like excessive shade, poor drainage and compacted soil to cause fungal disease in your grass. There are fungicides available to treat these diseases, but it's much better to avoid these nasties altogether with some good pre-winter turf preparation, including aerating, using the right amount of fertiliser, removing thatch and managing water and shade.

Aeration

A looser soil means your lawn can absorb water, nutrients and oxygen better. Use a fork, rake or an aerating roller to keep your soil well aerated.

Fertiliser

Too much or too little fertiliser on your grass can allow some fungal diseases to flourish. Fertilise regularly through the year, and in autumn, but don't overdo it. Read the instructions carefully!

Remove thatch

A thick layer of thatch, which is mainly dead grass and other organic matter, can interfere with drainage and cause the roots of your grass to become waterlogged. Clear thatch using a rake, but don't do it in winter. This is a spring job-a freshly de-thatched lawn can look a little bedraggled and your turf will recover faster in growing season.

Manage water and shade

Waterlogged or damp lawns create the perfect environment for fungus to grow. Don't overwater shady areas, particularly in winter. Clear any damp leaves off your turf as quickly as possible and, if you mow your lawn, clear away the grass clippings. And keep shrubs and trees neatly trimmed to reduce shade as well as dropping leaves.

Preparing your lawn for winter

You've probably gathered already that one of the best things you can do to ensure a healthy lawn throughout the Sydney winter is prepare it well in the autumn.

Around late April, is the ideal time to fertilise. A granular fertiliser like Lawn Solutions Premium Lawn Food Fertiliser is ideal for this, as it combines fast release granules with slow release ones that will slow feed your lawn over the next 12 weeks while it is quietly ticking over in its semi-dormant period. You can also use a pre-emergent herbicide to target any winter weeds before they take hold, but be careful to choose the right one for your turf type. (Pre-emergent just means that the herbicide can kill seeds, attacking weeds before they germinate.) Aerate your soil to make sure your lawn can take up the nutrients.

Trim back any shrubs and trees that may have had growth spurts and could be increasing the amount of shade over your lawn to make sure that your grass gets maximum sunlight in winter. It's also a good time to patch any bare spots of turf. Get some rolls of the same type of turf and cut it to fit. It will settle in over winter and be ready to grow as soon as the soil warms up in spring.

And remember to increase the height of your mower blades so that the last autumn mows don't take too much off the leaves of your grass.

Why buy your turf from BC Sands?

We make it easy to get all that you need, all in one place. Simply place your order online, choose a day and time convenient for you to receive your turf, soil, fertiliser, any tools you may need, or even mulch and decorative gravels. We can deliver with crane trucks, so we can get these bulky, heavy products just where you need them - over fences, garages and houses to deliver your turf directly to your back yard. With branches at Taren Point in the Sutherland Shire and Brookvale in the Northern Beaches, we deliver throughout Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, Sutherland Shire, Northern Beaches, Western Suburbs and beyond.

Our turfs

We supply different types of turf, suited for different purposes. If you're not sure which turf is right for you, give us a call on 8543 3401 and we can help you choose the one that will thrive the best in your circumstances. Here's a quick guide:

• Sir Walter Buffalo DNA Certified Buffalo is Australia's most popular turf and the best all-rounder for the Sydney area; a tough buffalo grass with a soft feel.
• Sir Grange Zoysia has fine narrow leaves that give the velvety-soft look beloved of European lawns, but it's more than a beautiful display grass, it can also can survive a fair bit of wear and tear.
• TifTuf Bermuda is a hardy survivor that can handle the repeated wear of sports use and, as it needs around 40% less water than other turfs, it is the only turf worldwide to have "Water Wise" smart approved WaterMark certification.
• Eureka Kikuyu is a fast-growing, economical turf, often used to cover bigger areas, but it does need plenty of sun, ideally five to six hours a day.
• Nullabor Couch is a hard-wearing turf that offers good dense cover but it needs a fair bit of maintenance and, like Kikuyu, needs full sun, even in winter.

Our soils

Turf Gro can be used as a turf underlay or top dressing and can be bought loose, in 25l bags and bulk bags. We also have an 80/20 mix that is 80% and 20% soil that can also be used for an underlay. Sir Grange has some particular preferences when it is installed. Lay Sir Grange on top of a medium coarse river sand and then top it up with 80/20 mix to maximize its growth. With Sir Grange it's also particularly important to pamper it in the early days with regular watering.

How much turf do I need?

Figure out how many turf rolls you need using our simple online turf calculator.