Also know as Lawn Army Grub, it’s appearance may vary depending on your area and the worms maturity. Juvenile worms will be a bright transparent green and as it matures Armyworm become a brownish green colour sometimes with dark and light markings down its sides or back.

Armyworms feed on your lawn in large masses and once their food source has been exhausted they will move on to another area.

This common pest will eat your lawn almost down to bare soil, however the first signs of Armyworm infestations can be noticed when small patches of lawn seem to be cut down near to the ground, almost as if it has been mowed.

If unsure you can check, first prepare a bucket of warm water and add a small amount of liquid soap, something like hand wash or dishwashing liquid will work fine. Pour this soapy solution onto the area, soon any living organism i.e. earth worms, beetles, bugs  will come to the surface including Armyworms if present.

Immediate treatment of your lawn with a pesticide will prevent the infestation getting out of hand. Although the damage is unsightly, your lawns roots should be still intact and it will only be a matter of applying a organic repair fertilizer and with a little TLC your lawn will be back to lush in no time

This a great time of year to fertilize your lawn. Use a slow release fertilizer with a blend of Nitrogen,  Phosphorus and Potassium at an approximate analysis of N:12 P:1.5 K:5. Lawn fertilizer can be purchased from your local nursery or garden centre. Be sure to always follow the application instructions on the packaging.

Apply fertilizer evenly with a fertilizer spreader or by hand using a wide sweeping motion, then remember to water it in immediately after application to avoid burning your lawn. Why not take advantage of the wet weather and when it starts raining get out there and fertilize your lawn.

With regular fertilization you will find your lawn will be a more efficient  water user, harder wearing and less susceptible to weed invasion as well as having a deeper darker appearance. One disadvantage is that your mowing frequency will increase for the first month then will normalize thereafter.

All lawns other than turf that has been laid for less than 3 months, will benefit from a good feed. With little effort the results are well worth it.

In the coming weeks most of us will be packing up the car and setting off for a well deserved break over the Christmas holidays.

Here are a few tips to keep your lawn looking good while you are away and how to avoid coming home to an overgrown jungle lawn or a dried barren back yard.

Meteorologists’ are currently predicting a damp December. This will be an advantage for you, as you won’t need to worry about long dry periods of heat that have the potential to severely damage your lawn especially those older varieties of lawns that don’t have the drought tolerance that the new varieties have.

Other lawns also at risk of heat damage are new lawns that have been down for less than 12 months. These lawns are not fully established so too is its drought tolerance not being fully developed. Having your lawn mowed a little higher will help it retain moisture in the younger lawns.

In the weeks leading up to your holiday remember not to over fertilize your turf as mowing is another predicament  you will need to consider. If you plan to be away for more than 10-14 days you should perhaps organising a friend or a mowing contractor to maintain your lawn for you.

If you do come home to a overgrown lawn the best way to restore it is to mow your lawn a couple of times at various heights to prevent scalping your grass. Start with the highest  mowing height than work your way down slowly adjusting the mowing height accordingly. This is best done over a few days.

In view of that, enjoy your break and keep in mind our holiday tips to keep your lawn looking good over this Christmas break

Enjoy natural lawn

Weeds growing through synthetic turf

Toxic rubber used in synthetic turf

COST: to install and maintain Synthetic Turf is a lot more than it is to lay and establish Natural Grass.

Damage caused by wear and pets chewing or scratching at the Synthetic Turf would be costly to fix or replace where Natural Grass will regenerate and grow to fill bare patches costing nothing or for bigger areas, Natural grass is easily excess able and can be DIY installed with minimal effort.

Disposal cost for the removal and discarding of Artificial turf surface could also result costly, as well as the issue of adding to non-biodegradable landfill.

HEALTH RISKS: Soils in a natural grass area contain helpful bacteria which naturally sanitize the surface by decomposition. Artificial turf lacks these significant natural cleanser, so sanitation of contaminants such as human fluids, algae and animal excrements are left to man-made cleaners.

A synthetic turf will require chemical treatment to maintain a healthy germ-free safe area because over time the Artificial turf collects and traps harmful bacteria and unsanitary body fluids like sweet, blood, saliva and pet excrements opening the way for dangerous infections. Due to the bacteria build up in Synthetic turf skin infections are more likely.

A Natural grass surface has the ability to yield an athlete’s impact where Synthetic Turf does not, increasing the likeliness of injury on joints and bones as well as a number of injuries including larger deeper skin abrasions, Turf toe, Ligament damage and concussions.

A study done by a California High School found Football Players sustained higher rates of injury in a Synthetic field. While there were 13.8 injuries per 100sessions hours and only 8.4 per 100 session hours on Natural grass filed.

Toxicity from rubber used in the sand/rubber infill can be very harmful to your health and the health of your family. After use and time Synthetic surfaces that have not been installed properly may spill out this rubber infill and result in direct contact with the skin, contact with these substances may cause things like allergic or toxic dermatitis.

As a Synthetic Turf surface will degrade with use, the materials used in the infill brakes down into smaller and smaller pieces. These tiny microfibers from the surface can be easily inhaled while the area is being used or maintained. This may lead to various very harmful health issues.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS: of a well maintained natural grass lawn are endless.

• Pollution absorption
• Cooling effects
• Sediment filtration
• Rainwater entrapment, retention and ground water recharge
• Soil building capacity
• Oxygen generation
• Soil erosion control

SURFACE TEMPERATURE: comparisons vary a great deal when it comes to a natural grass area and a Synthetic one. The surface temperature of a Synthetic turf surface on a hot day can reach more than half again the air temperature. In order to be able to use the area watering is needed to cool the surface down.

A case study completed by Brigham Young University USA found temperatures after water application on a Natural grass surface remained cool where as water application on Synthetic turf took the surface temperature form79oC down to 29oC but after five minutes the temperature rebounded to 49oC. After 20 minutes the temperature rose to 73oC.

IN CONCLUSION: sure Synthetic turf can seem low maintenance at first look, but with research into turf grass species and new varieties hitting the market all the time boasting of low mow, hardwearing and drought tolerant features. Natural turf grass is only moving forward.

Is getting out the lawn mower once every couple of weeks and spending a bit of time outdoors really that bad? It is a small price to pay of the quality of living that Natural grass offers.

For more info visit: Turfgrass Producers International