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The Queensland Gardening Pages
Information & resources about plants & gardens for Brisbane & Qld

Turf


This page is inteded to cover some of the most popular lawn types for home landscapes in Queensland, including places to buy turf or grass seed and associated products.

Some turf suppliers also offer turf laying services. For other lawn installation or maintenance services (including lawn mowing), please go to the Lawn and Turf Services page.

For lawn mowers and other equipment, go to Garden Tools

News

Fungicide could cut down lawnmowing
A fungicide used, among other things, to treat dollar spot of turf could be used to increase efficiency of crops like corn. It was previously known that interfering with steroid biosynthesis could produce dwarf, female-flowering com plants, but the chemical required was far too expensive for practical use. American researchers, however, have found that the fungicide propiconazole is far cheaper. Testing on other grains is planned. It's also possible that greater use on golf courses could slow grass growth and save cutting costs. Source: Tiny plants could cut costs, shrink environmental footprint (May 2012)

Older news at the bottom of the page.

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Where to buy turf and associated products in Qld

Turf farms are the major source of ready-to-lay turf for sale, but you might have to ring around to find one in your area that sells the grass variety you're looking for. Some garden centres might also have small quantities of of live turf available for small areas or repairs, as well as lawn seed.

Do you operate a turf farm or supply lawn products to Qld? This section is intended to provide an easy way for Queensland home owners to find a turf farm or other places to buy retail turf (rolls, sprigs, cells), lawn seed, artificial turf or related products. If you operate a turf farm, landscape supply yard, or artifical turf business supplying the Qld retail market, and you're interested in advertising on this page, click here for more information about advertising.

Sorry, no turf farms listed at present.
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More Information


Turf is a big investment both finacially and in terms of time and effort, so a little research before you buy will be well worth the trouble. Species readily available in Qld for backyard lawns include:

Digitaria didactyla (Queensland Blue Couch)

Cynodon dactylon (Green Couch)

Stenotaphrum secundatum (Buffalo or St. Augustine)

Dactyloctenium australe (Sweet Smother or Durban Grass)

Besides the basic species, there are many named selections and hybrids of turf grasses on the market. Some are protected by Plants Breeders Rights (PBR). Some may be more suitable for professionally maintained sports fields than domestic lawns. Others may be relatively new on the market, so yet to prove themselves under local conditions.

Some considerations in making your selection may be drought hardiness, heat and cold tolerance, shade tolerance, salt tolerance, invasiness (of garden beds etc), fineness and softness of leaf, resistance to foot traffic, growth rate. Depending on the particular situation, some of these criteria may be more important than others.

When consulting with your turf supplier, explain your needs to help them make an appropriate recommendation for your yard.

More Resources

The following links are for general information and research - some information may be inappropriate for local conditions.
Links about general lawn care issues here: Lawnmowing and Lawn Services

How low can you mow University of Hawaii
For A Healthy Lawn, Maintain and Adjust Your Lawnmower Properly University of California Cooperative Extension
Lawns - Establishment and Maintenance Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines (PDF)
ACT Grass Project Research into grass seed germination and establishment, particularly for revegetation purposes
Drought-tolerant turf Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
WaterWise lawns Contains some suggestions for drought tolerant grasses (recently released varieties might not be included). Environmental Protection Agency, Qld
Suitable Lawn Grasses for the NT Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry, Fisheries and Mines (PDF)
Water Use & Drought Tolerance in Turf Grasses Update The University of Western Australia
Turfgrass: A low water use landscape plant Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Solar House Project - Bribie Island, Qld, Australia Shows how a turf-covered driveway that allows traffic without damage to grass was created
Growing Turfgrass in the Shade University of Florida
A Word about Lawns Society for Growing Australian Plants Queensland Region, Inc.
Lawns of Australian Grasses The Society for Growing Australian Plants
More on the Lawn Debate Association of Societies for Growing Australian Plants
Sustainable Turf Care Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas, USA
Optimising nitrogen fertiliser use on turf Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Lawn armyworm in pastures, lawns and field crops Spodoptera mauritia. Qld Dept Employment, Economic Development & Innovation
White curl grub in lawns Qld Dept Employment, Economic Development & Innovation
Felted coccid in lawns Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Fungal diseases of lawns - predisposing factors Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Dollar spot of turfgrass Colorado State University Extension
Soil-borne turfgrass diseases Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Grey slime mould on lawnsPhysarum cinereum Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Floral smut of green couch Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries

Queensland Blue Couch
Is it green couch or blue couch? Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Blue couch Digitaria didactyla. Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Aussiblue Digitaria didactyla (formerly D. swazilandensis) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Digitaria didactyla Tropical Forages
Blue couch Better Pastures for the Tropics and Subtropics, Tropical Grassland Society of Australia Inc.
Digitaria didactyla Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney
Digitaria didactyla World Grass Species, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Digitaria didactyla Willd. Grassland Species, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Iron deficiency in Queensland blue couch Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Digitaria didactyla Ecocrop database, FAO

Green Couch
You'll find plenty of other information about this group of grasses on the internet - search using the American common name "Bermudagrass".
Green couch (Cynodon dactylon) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Choosing a green couch cultivar Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Bermudagrass University of Hawaii at Manoa (PDF)
Bermudagrass for Florida Lawns University of Florida
Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) University of Georgia
Bermudagrass Texas A&M University
Discovering John Bidwell: Two Chico State Historians on the Trail of a Pioneer Some interesting information about the history of Bermuda grass in California. California State University, Chico
Cynodon dactylon (PDF) at the Australian Weeds and Livestock website, NSW (discusses toxicity of weeds and other plants to animals)
Cynodon dactylon Ecocrop database, FAO

Buffalo
Buffalo grass Stenotaphrum secundatum) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) Online Manual of Subtropical Landscaping Plants, Palm Beach Community College, Florida
Stenotaphrum secundatum Aquatic, Wetland and Invasive Plants, Florida
California Turfgrass Culture, Volume 45, 1 & 2, 1995 Contains several articles about Buffalo grass (PDF)
Stenotaphrum secundatum Ecocrop database, FAO

Sweet Smother Grass
Sweet smother grass (Dactyloctenium australe) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Dactyloctenium australe World Grass Species, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Dactyloctenium australe Tropical Forages (no information on that page but link has been added in case it's updated soon)

Carpet Grass
Broadleaf carpetgrass (Axonopus compressus). Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Narrowleaf carpetgrass (Axonopus fissifolius, formerly A. affinis) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Axonopus compressus Ecocrop database, FAO

Zoysia
The mossy-looking ground cover sometimes seen for sale in garden centres is Zoysia matrella var. pacifica but you will probably see it sold as Zoysia tenuifolia. Zoysias grown for lawns on a larger scale include selected cutivars and hybrids of various Zoysia species. Bear in mind that the exact properties of cultivars referred to in the following links may vary from Zoysia turf varieties currently available in Australia. Performance will, of course, also be affected by local environment.
Zoysia choices for lawns Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Zoysia tenuifolia auct. and Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. var. pacifica Goudswaard information on the taxonomy of this variety from United States Department of Agriculture
Sorting Zoysia names Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database, University of Melbourne
Zoysia tenuifolia 'Korean Grass' Living Walls Plant Database, Centre for Subtropical Design, Queensland University of Technology (PDF)
The new kid on the block - the new Zoysias University of Florida (PDF)
Zoysiagrass Texas A&M University
Meyer Z-52 Zoysiagrass - Plant of the Week (Zoysia japonica 'Meyer Z-52') University of Arkansas
Emerald Zoysiagrass in: 1997 Horticultural Promotions for South Central Texas, Texas A&M University
Zoysia matrella (L.) Merrill Grassland Species, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
California Turfgrass Culture, Volume 30 Number 1, 1980 Contains article "Zoysiagrasses in California" (PDF)
California Turfgrass Culture, Volume 38 Numbers 1 and 2, 1988 Contains several articles about Zoysia grass (PDF)
Prickly Couch (Zoysia macrantha) Coastal Plant Regeneration, Hunter and Central Coast Regional Environmental Management Strategy, NSW
Zoysia (Poaceae) University of Tasmania

Kikuyu
Well-known as a vigorous tropical pasture grass, kikuyu is not common as a turf in Queensland (at least in urban gardens). However, a new variety selected for lawns has recently (2008) appeared on the market. It could be a way of harnessing some of the desirable qualities of kikuyu in a domestic landscape.
Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries
Kikuyu Grass Reproduction of a 1925 article, describing performance of kikuyu in California in the first few years after it's introduction
Kikuyugrass - Pennisetum clandestinum University of California
Pennisetum clandestinum Tropical Forages
Kikuyu grass National Weeds Strategy, Australia
Pennisetum clandestinum Chiov. University of Hawai`i at Manoa

Artificial Grass
Developments in artifical grass are making it an increasingly attractive alternative for many, given water shortages in addition to the general work associated with growing and maintaining an attractive lawn. It also makes a grass-like surface possible on concrete, rooftops, indoors etc, where a grass lawn whoul be impractical or impossible.
Artificial Turf Some information about the early development of artificial turf

Older News

New solution to the shaded turf problem
A giant moveable tray allows the playing surface at University of Phoenix Stadium (host to the 2008 Super Bowl) to be grown outside and wheeled in for games. Turf cultivation inside stadiums presents special challenges, as this post at The Human Flower Project blog explains: 106 Million Players: Super Turf '08.

Aussie natives may deliver more sustainable turf
Australian native grass species will be considered in a breeding program to select turf grasses that look good with less water and fertiliser. Read more at the University of Queensland website: Turf grass, just add (less) water
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