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Abel EarthScape - The Company

The Abel EarthScape service will install new vibrant turf lawns, provide a condition analysis for existing lawns, and rejuvenate old, stressed or damaged lawns. This service is coming to the forefront of professional turf management practices in NSW. With a focus on the environment as a valuable and irreplaceable asset, alongside effective management with quality outcomes, Abel EarthScape is building a reputation for success.

Abel EarthScape is part of the continuing growth of the Abel group of companies. The strong demand for landscaping services will provide the right opportunity for Abel EarthScape to expand and grow.

Abel EarthScape is able to prepare and manage all aspects of a project’s life cycle including:

• Site analysis

• Detailed planning

• Implementation

• Monitoring and evaluation

• Project managing

Abel EarthScape practices require a good understanding of the customers’ needs. As a part of the Abel Ecology group, Abel EarthScape can be involved throughout the entire development process, resulting in a seamless project where the client can be confident that the best possible outcome has been achieved.

Areas of Expertise

• Horticultural advice

• Installing new lawns

• Rejuvenate existing lawns

• Soil preparation

• Turf laying

• Aerating

• Fertilising

• Seeding

• Top dressing

• Weed Management Plans

• Replanting

• Weed Removal

• Pest and disease ontrol

• Drainage management

• Soft landscaping

• Supplying and installing quality plants

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How to have a beautiful new lawn in 40 days

Expert lawn preparation for special events – weddings, parties, functions, open gardens

For a special event give your lawn the Abel EarthScape expert treatment. A little specialist touch to your lawn can underpin your event to provide a rich green carpet for your guests and life long photo memories. An action plan of aeration, drainage, weeding, seeding, top dressing, fertilising, preparation cuts and final dress cut, can rejuvenate your lawn, just like your favourite greens and fairways. Expert preliminary site and lawn analysis will enable a cost effective and timely renovation for your lawn that will last for ages.

We can also provide a rapid response lawn treatment for urgent requests. 

Phone now for a preliminary analysis – ask for Lachlan on 4751 9487.

Benefits

• Environmentally friendly value added service

• Encouraging drought tolerance and wear resistance

• High quality materials

• Our staff are qualified and experienced horticulturalists

• We provide training for easy, ongoing maintenance

• Fully insured and follow safe OH&S practices

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Is your lawn healthy?

With everyday use lawns can become compacted and over-worn.  Proper aeration and good leaf structure are vital to the health of any lawn.

The Blue Mountains and Southern Tablelands pose a wide range of challenges for lawn growth, including shading, altitude, temperature and water.  Coastal areas may have a salt or wind challenge.  River flats may have a high water table, frost and fungal problems.  Many areas of Australia also have dryland salinity.

A strong, healthy lawn, showing good resilience and leaf density, depends on the soil profile below, the grass species selected and the environment above.  Once those three elements are in balance, maintenance is easy, and resistance to weeds, disease, stress and wear is increased.

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Soil

Soils are naturally occurring materials consisting of minerals, air, water and organic components that are capable of supporting plant growth.  Soils have three major roles:

• To provide a medium for plant growth, supply nutrients and water, and allow an exchange of gasses between roots and the atmosphere above.

• To break down and recycle organic materials and enable nutrient uptake by plants. Without this step plant and animal remains would build up. Soils hold multitudes of organisms from bacteria and fungi to worms and crickets that perform these services.

• To govern the quality of water from domestic or irrigation use.  Water passing through the soil may be contaminated so both chemical and microbiological processes can improve water quality.

Soil pH (measurement scale of Alkaline or Acid soil)

Soil is composed of minerals, air, water and organic matter, all of which affect soil acidity.  A well-structured soil allows air and water movement through the soil profile. The water contains dissolved chemicals that can cause the soil to be acid or alkaline; fertilisers with high nitrogen content can also affect the pH range. If the soil is acid or alkaline this will affect the growth of grasses and plants.

For soil to have the right pH range it needs to be about 7.0, which is neutral.  If the soil is acid its pH ranges between 5.5 to 6.  Mildly acid soils have a pH from 6.1 to 6.9, mildly alkaline soils from 7.1 to 7.7, and moderate to high alkaline soils from 7.8 to 8.4 and higher.  The pH also governs the availability of soil nutrients.  An extreme pH may either lock up a nutrient or make something toxic to plants.

Soil profile

The soil profile is the vertical arrangement of layers of soil down to the bedrock. These layers are called horizons, shown by different colours in the soil.

O horizon

Areas with high foliage and organic debris form a high organic surface called horizon O.  This occurs in varying stages of decomposition or composting by soil organisms.

A horizon

A large amount of organic material in the top mineral layer produces a dark colour in horizon A.  This is where most plant roots occur and nutrient and water uptake occurs.

B horizon

Illuviation is the deposition in an underlying soil layer of colloids, soluble salts, and mineral particles leached out of an overlying soil layer.  Where strong leaching or weathering occurs a light-coloured illuvial layer forms.  During leaching, clays, oxide and carbonate minerals are washed down from the above layers and make a layer of illuvial in horizon B.

Top dressing

Top dressing is a thin layer of sandy loam (90% sand and 10% soil) applied to the top of a lawn.  It is a great way to level out a lawn and fill in the core holes if the lawn has been aerated.  However adding the wrong soil to existing soil can cause layering and change the soil profile. On occasions sand may be needed to be applied to the soil to help with infiltration and drainage. This will depend on the results from the soil test and the Abel EarthScape eight-step analysis.

Abel EarthScape eight-step analysis

1.  Identify existing lawn grass species (are they right for your location?)

2.  Context survey (how much sunlight, vegetation in adjacent gardens, etc.)

3.  Identify weeds growing in the lawn

4.  Identify pest and diseases in the lawn

5.  Check the soil composition and profile for structure and soil type (dig 300 mm to see the layers)

6.  Soil test analysis (nutrients and hazards)

7.  Check infiltration (water movement through the soil)

8.  Site history

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Water

Water table

The water table is a saturation of water underground.  This saturation of water can be at any depth at any given location.  On occasion the water table can rise to the surface and cause ongoing water saturation to the lawn.  This is called a spring and causes root rot to grass species.

Water on flow

A large amount of water on flow to an existing lawn or property causes soil saturation and stops the infiltration of oxygen through the soil.  This will cause root rot and various fungal diseases.

Water drainage

Having the right drainage and the appropriate pipes for the job will assist in removing the water on flow and help prevent root rot.  Directing this water away from the lawn or having suitable drainage in the lawn will assist water movement through the soil and help infiltration.

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Turf species

The tables below enable you to compare a range of turf species in various ways.

Warm season

Warm season grasses are shown below in terms of a range of performance criteria.

Extracts from tables from Handreck, K. (2008) Good gardens with less water. CSIRO Publishing

Cool season

These grasses grow in cool and moist climates but need a lot of water in the summer time.  Cool season grasses are shown below in terms of a range of performance criteria.

Extracts from tables from Handreck, K. (2008) Good gardens with less water. CSIRO Publishing

Native grasses

Native grasses produce a healthy lawn in most urban areas even in drought conditions.

Extracts from tables from Handreck, K. (2008) Good gardens with less water. CSIRO Publishing

Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is a process that uses water, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and the light energy from the sun to synthesize sugars and produce oxygen (O₂).  Warm season grasses handle high temperatures because they use C₄ photosynthesis, which provides better water efficiency.  Cool season grasses use C₃ photosynthesis because it is more efficient in moist conditions with cooler temperatures.

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Pests and Diseases

Abel Earthscape can provide all aspects of pest and disease treatment for both your lawn and garden.

Insect pests in lawns

There are many different insects that can invade a lawn and cause serious problems, mostly by eating the roots or runners.  The most common ones that invade grass species are Black Beetle, Mole Cricket, Stem Weevil, Armyworm and Cutworm.  For control of these insects spray in January to April and re-apply in October to December.  A variety of ecologically friendly insecticides are available.

Fungal disease

Low levels of maintenance and a poor fertiliser programme can contribute to fungal disease in lawns. Temperature also plays a major role in fungal disease occurring in lawns. Moist and humid conditions are ideal for certain diseases.  However in winter a fungus called Winter Fusarium thrives in the cold conditions.

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Nutrition NPK

The most beneficial nutrients for grasses are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K).  Apply fertilisers with these common elements, in an appropriate ratio to other trace elements, to a healthy lawn with good colour.  Each soil has different responses to fertiliser composition, so a soil test is usually necessary to identify site specific needs.

Nutrient deficiencies

Deficiency of a nutrient commonly shows as a characteristic discolouration in the grass leaf.  Some examples are described below.

• Nitrogen is the most common nutrient deficiency in turf grasses.  Nitrogen deficiency turns the leaf yellow.

• Iron deficiency is common in alkaline soils.  Symptoms of iron deficiency in turf grasses are yellow or bleached spots, which give leaf blades a mottled appearance.

• Potassium deficiency in turf grasses mainly occurs in the margin of the leaf, causing a yellow and brown colour.

• Phosphorus deficiency in turf grasses causes the leaf to turn purple and can leave a dark patch in the turf.

Some trace element deficiencies are not detectable by leaf colour so a soil analysis is required.

Feeding and water regime

Lawns respond well to deep soaking water at infrequent intervals as that makes the roots grow deeply and makes the grass less susceptible to water stress in heat or drought. Frequent light watering encourages roots to grow close to the surface, so when watering fails to occur the plants wilt quickly and the growth points are damaged.

Similarly, too much fertiliser can create a salt build-up in the soil and become toxic.  Less fertiliser of the correct balance for your lawn makes the plants more vigorous and responsive to inputs.  Slow release and organic fertilisers provide a longer term feeding flow, and thus sustained growth, rather than a pulse of nutrient with short term growth.

Abel Earthscape can provide a wide range of fertilisers for both your lawn and garden.

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Environment

Effect of seasons

The peak growing season for warm season grasses in the Sydney region is in late spring and summer; and for cool season grasses is in autumn and spring.  The peak growing season allows for aerating programmes to rejuvenate damaged or stressed lawns, or to construct a new lawn.  In winter the grass is dormant due to cold and lack of rain, so during this time, your lawn maintenance requirements will depend on the species of grass you  have.  For example, Couch, which starts to go brown during winter, can be maintained green by the application of a fertiliser high in nitrogen and phosphorus.

Climate

Grass can grow in any climate but choosing the right lawn species for the climate can be difficult.  It is important to know the average temperatures, wind direction and the amount of rainfall in your area.  Understanding these issues will help in choosing the right grass species for your lawn. This link takes you to your local data, using Katoomba as an example:  http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_063039.shtml

Altitude

In the Blue Mountains the higher you travel the colder it gets, so approximately every 100 m of elevation it gets one degree cooler.  Therefore as Katoomba is 400 m higher than Springwood, it is roughly four degrees cooler.  Understanding this helps in answering questions such as grass species selection and what type of fungi may invade lawns.

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Resources

Soils

http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/18/bcid/174.htm

Horticulture

http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/18/bcid/180.htm

Lawn grasses

http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/18/pid/3207.htm

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Our team

The Abel EarthScape Team Leaders have attained at least a Certificate III from NSW TAFE along with 5 years professional experience. Our team members have qualifications in horticulture, ecology, botany and bushfire management.

Lachlan Howe - Landscaping and Horticulture

(Cert III Landscaping/Horticulture, Diploma of Horticulture (in progress))

Lachlan is a long-time Blue Mountains resident with experience in lawns, landscaping and horticulture. He brings a broad range of skills to any project of domestic, commercial or institutional scale.

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Abel Ecology Pty Ltd 2013.  trading as Abel Earthcare, Abel EarthScape and Abel Archaeology

ACN  079 079 762    ABN  72 516 253 75