OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums General Discussion Forum Lawn Care & Maintenance New Playground for all my Scotty's

This one is more so for the people here on the ODK Forum that know me personally and know that I haven't had a lawn at my new home to hone my craft on. The last house we owned had a snooker table finished front lawn and now it sadly looks like a wilderness gone wrong, it's really sad when you do all that work and people just go and dump their wrecks on the lawn like a Westfield parking lot.

Anyway here is a shot of my new Scott Bonnar playground that I've just planted 2 weeks ago and will post progress shots of as it spreads it's wings.

I've not been totally out of SB territory as I planted a small lawn at the side of the house midway through last season and it's looking pretty good so far. I'll post a shot of that section tomorrow,

Meanwhile here's the new one............






Here's the side lawn as promised, remembering it's only about 9 months old

Hello Mod BB

Westfield parking lots never look good...
I'm glad that you are now defining your territory - as an SB oficianado.
The green-coloured missile silo is very cunningly disguised.
Do the neighbours suspect your plan to ...

Best of landscaping.
-----------------------------
Jack

At least your lawn will be the envy of all the neighbours, albeit that the scotty may be overkill on a lawn that size.

Hi Mod CyberJack and Mod Bigted

Sadly that Dr Evil style missile launcher silo is a Power connection point in the street that many of us have. I rubbed it back and painted it cottage green and will make up a small cylindrical trellis to slide over it and then plant a small climber around it so as to hide it. Once all the plants go into the feature garden that's in the part you can just see that is not yet done it will hide it anyway.

As far as not enough lawn for a Scotty is concerned there's plenty more around the side (not pictured) that will require mowing.

I will agree with you that a 20 inch is definitely overkill and not viable, but a 14 and 17 will most certainly get a good run around the park.

I still to this day have my 14 inch daily driver (unrestored) that I bought back in 1985, gee that's 30 years ago now, how time flys.

More update photos to come.

Cheers,
BB

That side lawn is sensational!
Your daily driver should do a very nice job.
Next photo should show SB stripes.

--------------------------
Jack

For you Jack I shall do that and take a photo and post it up, the mini MCG look.

Cheers,
BB

Just for you Jack,



I've just cut it today and given it some Scotts Lawn Builder as it's due for it's next dose.

Not forgetting this lawn is only 9 months old.

Cheers,
BB

For only 9 months it looks amazing

Fantastic!

There's nothing like a reel stripe.
I wonder how old folk walk down the footpath though?
Has Adelaide come to this!

The grass is coming along nicely.
I'm envious.

----------------------------
Jack

Hi Jack,

Basically as we are in a short street that's not a through road we don't actually have a designated footpath and one has to walk on the road surface. The footpath where you see the two cars parked on is in fact my property as council didn't want to lay a footpath and the previous owner put it down. I'm the only one in the street that has a paved section out the front and down the side since we're on the apex of a 90 degree bend in the road.

Cheers,
BB

Progress Shots !




I must admit that it's happening rather slowly compared to the Santa Ana of many years ago when you bought it in 12 inch square blocks and it was made to be cut into plugs. It seems that now with it only being able to be purchased as roll out lawn there is not enough root system attached to the lawn (much thinner) thus it spends more time initially trying to re-establish it's root system before it wants to spread and grow outwards. It has had two hair cuts already but it's not really sped the process up like it used to in the earlier days of Santa Ana.

Cheers,
BB.

Looking really good.

People would have no idea that this was once the norm when 'growing' a new lawn.

Looking good.

Newbie question here but is that Santa Ana you planting? Is this the normal way to grow it? I used a seed based couch, so this process is new to me.

Also I notice that you used I think sand instead of soil how come, or am I looking at it wrong lol

I'm not much of a grass grower , but it seems everytime I do try with seed, the pigeon problem here in S.A holds its head up high, they can clear a paddock in a day !!!

Santa Ana is a hybrid (inter-species cross) couch. It does not produce a viable seed so the only way to establish the grass is with actual turf.

Hi Solman,

Yes your observation is correct it is an 80/20 sand mix. In my case where I have a rather raked slope this gives far better drainage than soil. Basically soil will have the water just flow straight off the top while sand allows deep root drainage.

Here in Adelaide, one of our best football grounds (Football Park at West Lakes) was based on sand and thus it could rain all night and most of the day and 20 minutes after the rain stopped you could play footy on the surface with no water pooling effects what so ever.

BTW. the new Adelaide Oval redevelopment was resurfaced with 72 Semi-Trailer loads of roll out "Santa Ana" from Bormann's Turf Farm at Langhorne Creek, SA, specially grown on plastic.

I've grown all my couch lawns in sand and have never had an issue, in actual fact Munns Lawns recommended a 80/20 sand soil mix back in the 1980's when Santa Ana was all the rage.

The way I've used plugs is the standard way of sowing Santa Ana, you can also shred it and bury it and get a rather even growth, but on a raked surface I've chosen the planting plugs method.

Hope this explains what it's all about.

Cheers,
BB

Thanks BB, very helpful as usual. Is Santa Ana a preferred grass say over bent grass? Reason I ask, is that I started to grow a section of my lawn in Mumms pooch cooch, but now I'm considering grow a small putting green in either Santa Ana or bent.

Hi All,

Well here is an update on my Scotty's new playground.






Also an update on the Weeping Maples in the centre of each quadrant, they suffered from transplanting stress and looked as if they were both going to pass on, but they have started developing new shoots and are coming good, phew !, was starting to get worried about two new trees at $150 each.


Cheers,
BB

Well, here is another update on the progress on my new front lawn.







Here's an update on the weeping maples,complete with their gazebo's to keep our 44 degree sun off them while they are still finding their feet.




Cheers,
BB

Oh wow is that the proper way to do grass?

I just did my small back yard and used roll on turf from a farm. Screeded and everything but that just looks super smooth.

Have you got sub surface irrigation?