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to download the native lawn fact sheet.
There is a great deal more variety in our
local native grasses than the impression of them you may have from
plantings in roundabouts, median strips and parks. The range of
species utilized in these situations is quite limited.
There are in fact an enormous number of much
smaller and subtler grasses, and a number of them are ideal for
creating lawns. As with all local native plants, they are very well
adapted to our local climate and soils and make for much hardier
lawns than the familiar exotic turf grasses.
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Advantages of using them include:
- You will have a lawn that thrives on
natural rainfall alone. YES - a lawn that you will RARELY
if ever have to water and that will remain green year round.
- You will not have to improve the soil or
drainage in any way. Many species are perfectly at home in heavy
waterlogged clay soils.
- You will RARELY have to fertilize
your lawn. In fact if you do this too often you are more likely
to encourage weed growth than help the native grass.
- None of the local native grasses grow via
runners and as a result your lawn will not aggressively invade
your gardens beds as do couch and kikuyu lawns.
The secret of their exceptional drought
tolerance is their extensive root systems that penetrate tens of
centimetres down into the subsoil. Down there significant
moisture remains through the hottest of summers and the severest of
droughts.
In fact the roots of one particular species,
Bothriochloa macra, have been recorded as reaching a depth of 1.2
metres. Bothriochloa macra tussocks are generally no larger than
ankle height.
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Native lawns are sown from seed in the same
way as conventional exotic turfs, however they are much slower to
establish. Until instant native lawns become available, PATIENCE
& PERSISTENCE is required.
The main difference is that native grass seeds
take much longer to germinate than many exotic grass seeds, and the
seedlings are fairly slow growing at first.
The seeds will not germinate unless subjected
to a period of sustained moisture in the soil, generally from late
April to December. This is a specific adaptation to unreliable
rainfall over much of the Australian continent. The delay in
germination ensures that the seeds do not germinate after short
lived rainfall, after which the soil dries out again killing any
small germinates.
After germination growth is slow for the first
year or so. During this period the grass plants are establishing
their extensive root systems that will then be cable of sustaining
large amounts of foliage.
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Weed control is critical during establishment
of a native lawn. Native grasses generally grow slowly for the first
1-2 years, but unfortunately most exotic broad leaf weeds and weedy
grasses grow very rapidly in comparison, particularly the annual and
biannual species.
If left unchecked they will quickly swamp the
young native grasses, ultimately leading to a very patchy and
unsightly lawn. However if the are kept under control long enough
for the native grasses to become well established your lawn will
eventually become quite resistant to further invasion.
Fortunately their are some easy techniques for
keeping the weeds under control.
Terminology
All plants are divided into to the two very
broad groups, monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Among the differences
between them are the fact that:
- Dicotyledons have highly variable shaped
leaves with branching veins.
- Monocotyledons have simple strappy leaves
with parallel veins.
Dicotyledons are further divided into a
further two very broad groups. The first group contains those
dicotyledons that posses no woody tissue and are referred to as
herbaceous plants or simply herbs. The second group contains the
trees and shrubs that all produce woody tissue. As monocotyledons
cannot produce woody tissue, all of them are automatically herbs.
Broadleaf Weeds
What are broadleaf weeds? Broadleaf weeds are
simply herbaceous dicotyledons. Here is an example of a typical
broadleaf weed that you encounter in your garden:
Fortunately there are herbicide products that
specifically kill broadleaf weeds without harming surrounding
grasses. Look for any products that contain the active ingredients MCPA
and/or Dicamba. The product Zero Bindii & Clover is an
example.
WARNING
There are also herbicide products that contain
the active ingredient triclopyr. It is generally used to kill
woody weeds such as blackberry and Boxthorn however it can also be
used to kill broadleaf weeds.
In general it is specific for broadleaf weeds
and does not harm grasses. However there is one very notable
exception to this rule, and that exception is the native grass Microlaena
stipoides.
Do not use any herbicide products that
contain the active ingredient triclopyr on Microlaena
lawns.
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Photo courtesy of Native Seeds Pty
Ltd
C3 or winter grass - enters dormancy over
summer or during drought.
Originates from some where in NSW.
Suitable for low lying areas where the
sub-soil is likely to be moister on average and in the higher
average rainfall areas, e.g. metropolitan Melbourne.
Best time to sow is April (late autumn) to
September (early spring). Can be sown later than September however
you will have to be prepared to water regularly to maintain high
moisture levels in the seed bed.
During drought Microlaena will die back and
enter dormancy but quickly regenerates once moisture levels improve.
'Griffin' Microlaena tuft regenerating are
summer rainfall.
Microlaena Seeds
| Area (sq m) |
Packet Size (g) |
Cost |
| 5 |
50 |
$25 |
| 25 |
250 |
$80 |
| 50 |
500 |
$130 |
| 100 |
1000 |
$200 |
Click here
to order seeds.
This is similar to 'Griffin' Microlaena except
that it originates from the King Lake district, north of Melbourne.
Being indigenous it is likely to perform slightly
better in Melbourne's cooler climate.
Seeds are expected to be available in 2007.
Photo courtesy of Native Seeds Pty
Ltd
C4 or summer grass - enters dormancy over
winter and remains active during drought.
Suitable for much drier areas such as on hills
and in the lower average rainfall areas, e.g. Sunbury and Melton.
A disadvantage it does have is that it turns bright red
and then dies back as it enters dormancy. However this can be
countered by mixing it with Austrodantonia or Wallaby Grass
that grow in similar areas to Bothriochloa. These are C3 or
winter grasses that enter dormancy over summer but do not to die
back. Hence when the Bothriochloa has died back over winter
the Austrodantonia will be active and green. Conversely when
the Austrodantonia is dormant over summer the Bothriochloa
will be active and green.
Best time to sow is in September (early
spring). Again it can be sown later than September however you will
have to be prepared to water regularly to maintain high moisture
levels in the seed bed.
Bothriochloa
Seeds
| Area (sq m) |
Packet Size (g) |
Cost |
| 5 |
50 |
$10 |
| 25 |
250 |
$30 |
| 50 |
500 |
$55 |
| 100 |
1000 |
$90 |
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