NEWS & TIPS FOR SEPTEMBER 2024
Tony's lawn tips
For many years, I have been asked, “what’s the best grass for my lawn?” It’s a question that normally requires more information for me to give a good answer. What will the lawn be used for? Is it a play lawn, a summer beach lawn or just purely ornamental? Is it in full sun or is there shade? What is your soil like? (clay, topsoil, sand etc). Will you commit to a maintenance programme? (watering, fertiliser, weed spraying and wetting agents).
Often when these questions are not asked, the lawn owner ends up unhappy with their results because the wrong grass species was selected or the maintenance requirements weren’t carried out. At Newton Seed we always try to help you make the best decision for your situation.
This month I want to focus on the play lawn.
When we think about a play lawn, we are wanting a grass type that will be dense with grass, that will not easily rip up and provide a soft landing for the kids, or adults in many cases! The most used grass in the world on sports turf, such as football stadiums, council sports fields and parks is ryegrass. It’s quick to germinate and establish, mows well, is dark green and attractive and best of all, it handles wear and tear like a star. BUT it needs to be treated well to retain all these amazing features. It needs a regular feed and a reasonable amount of watering over summer. This might sound daunting but it’s not overly time-consuming and will give you a lawn to be proud of. For many years the only difference between ryegrass varieties has been how dark green it is and the fineness of the blade but now there's a truly new type of ryegrass!
Barlibro RPR - Regenerating Perennial Ryegrass is the first perennial ryegrass having the specific characteristic of spreading horizontally via stolons. This makes RPR stronger than other types of perennial ryegrass, while also growing at the same rate. The result is a ryegrass with a high wear tolerance that is perfect for use in sports pitches and your play lawn at home!
Call us or come in store to discuss if Barlibro RPR is the right choice for your play lawn at home!
Spring is definitely in the air with daytime and soil temperatures rising. So now is the time to get your garden soil ready and think about all those beautiful vegetables that you can start planting!
At Newton's we are proud of the Terranova seed range that we stock. They are quality seeds with high purity and germination rates, all trialled under local conditions which we love! We cater to commercial growers, as well as having the seeds packed down into small quantities for the home gardener. September is the time to sow beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, capsicum, lettuce, peas, radish, silverbeet, spinach and tomatoes. See our range in store or online.
Don’t forget your seed potatoes which are selling fast. We’ve got over 20 varieties in stock including 6 varieties of Māori seed potatoes. Whether it’s our very popular Agria (great for roasting or chipping) or Liseta (waxy and firm, perfect for potato salads, casseroles and soups) or Rocket (a great crossover potato for both roasting and boiling). Check out our range in store or online.
If you’re visiting us in store for gardening supplies, be sure to check out our great range of fertilisers, pest control products, gardening tools and sprayers to help you get your garden and lawn looking great this month!
Now that Spring is here our physical store is open Saturdays from 9am-12pm.
