Registrations are open until 19 April.

Queensland property owners can register their unwanted or obsolete  agricultural and veterinary chemicals for Agsafe’s ChemClear collection which is hitting the road in June.

ChemClear is a non-profit collection service for users of agricultural and veterinary chemicals, offering an environmentally sound solution to disposing of unwanted or obsolete farm chemicals.

A collection has been scheduled for Queensland, commencing in June 2019 and chemical users have until 19 April to register their unwanted chemicals.

PLEASE SEE FLYER BELOW

We have created community engagement materials prepared especially for Queensland Re-sellers, Industry Groups and Councils to display in public areas, waste collection and recycling stations, libraries and customer service areas.

Bookings are essential with ChemClear and can be made by contacting 1800 008 182 or by using the online registration portal. You can Download a ChemClear Inventory Form to assist you with your registration.

The retrieval vehicle contracted by ChemClear will be collecting from an allocated site in each shire council in which a registration has been received. Registered users will be contacted with information about the time and location of their scheduled collection.ChemClear flyer

For further information please call Colin Hoey on mobile: 0428 964 576.

Hello Turf Queensland Members

Below are details of an Equipment Auction that may be of interest. 

Unreserved Trucks, Earthmoving, Forklift & AG Equipment

The Auction starts this Thursday.

Click here for more information.

Probably the most knowledgeable agronomic expert in Australia is “Peter McMaugh”. He has recently written an article that appeared in the Australian Turfgrass Management magazine qualifying certification. Below we have adapted some of that for the benefit of our members.

He states that “In its simplest terms certification as a guarantee. It guarantees that what you what you order is what you get, and that what is produced under tightly controlled conditions (rules) are protected and enforced by regular independent inspections”.

He also qualifies; that to date in Australia there has been no genuine fully-fledged “true” Certification scheme for vegetatively propagated turfgrass varieties.

PBR (Plant Breeders Rights) is the protection of the owner of the rights and not the protection of the end user. Under the BR at when a person or entity is awarded ownership of a plant variety, there is an obligation that requires access license holders to pure stock. By two providers can result in the loss of license.

The characteristics of ‘Certification’ means that you cannot have a ‘certified; farm producing ‘certified’ products you can only have certified paddocks, clearly identified by GPS coordinates which contain a specific quantity of a specific grass variety.

This is where Certification shows clear differences from schemes of Accreditation.

Accreditation: an Accredited Turf farm should produce reliable good-quality turf on a consistent basis in line with all the appropriate regulations and legislation covering, but not limited to; business and company processes, property mapping, soil and help properties, water and irrigation system performance, pests, weed and disease management, cutting and installation processes, waste reduction, energy use efficiency, business operations and business management (PBR/Certification), workplace health and safety, communications and ongoing performance measurement.

The Turf Queensland Turf Accreditation Program is a third-party audited process that provides the end user with the knowledge that they are receiving products managed to a best practice standard thus reducing risk.

Certification: ensures that you are getting the best quality of the variety of grass you have selected to suit your needs and at time of leaving the property is guaranteed 100% pure to that variety and is being managed by the producer. Certification ensures that the Turf producer is managing any contamination and quality of the species. It does not involve the Accreditation process of business and farm management processes.

It is important to understand the difference between the definitions of Certification and Accreditation.

The following has been adapted from a Sod U (USA) blog for the benefit of natural turfgrass users.

Many people ask the question is my lawn to shady? And how much sunlight do I need to ensure a healthy lawn?

Growing grass in shady conditions is a common challenge for many home owners.

Growing Grass in Shaded Areas

Growing grass in shady conditions is a common challenge for many homeowners. It is common knowledge that grass cannot be grown in total shade (like all plants, grass requires sunlight to photosynthesize), but the questions “how much shade is too much?” or “what is the least amount of sunlight required to grow a healthy lawn?” or “do I need special climatic conditions and soils”? These are asked very frequently.

The short and simple answer to this question is that in order to survive, a lawn using certain shade tolerant varieties will need at least 4 hours of direct sunlight, preferably from 10 am to 2 pm. To thrive, a lawn needs even more sunlight if possible.

Managing Shady Landscapes

The 5 major factors to consider when managing shady landscapes in Queensland and Northern Territory are;

• The kind of shade challenge the lawn is facing?
• What are the soil conditions?
• What are the climatic conditions (how many hours of sunlight/rain/wear)?
• What are the shade tolerant grass options available in the region?
• Fungal disease in shady landscapes.

Different Kinds of Shade & Changing Shade

Not all shade is equal, and not all shade is permanent. Filtered sunlight (partial shade) from a tree is preferable to zero sunlight (complete shade) from a building or other large, permanent structure. Trees may be thinned or removed while buildings cannot be altered to accommodate the needs of a lawn. It is important to consider that as a landscape matures and trees grow larger canopies, previously healthy lawns may decline with diminished sunlight however some of these can be managed. After taking the steps of understanding and managing (if possible) the source of shade, the next factor to consider is the shade tolerant grass options available in your specific region both should be discussed with your Turf Queensland producer there are many different species and varieties available.

Comparative Shade Tolerance of Different Grass Species and Cultivars in Australia

Listed below are grass species recommended in Australia for shade tolerance.

1. Buffalo grass
2. Zoysia grass
3. Kikuyu grass
4. Seashore Paspalum
5. Couch grass.

The shade tolerant grass species available for use will depend on where you live, climate, soils wear and amount of shade. In warm season areas of Queensland and Northern Territory, Buffalo grass is the most shade tolerant, followed by Zoysia grass (see above).

Comparative Shade Tolerance of Different Cultivars

A cultivar is a specific kind of grass within a species. For example, Palmetto and Sir Walter are Buffalo grasses, but different cultivars. While both are shade tolerant, Palmetto has shown to be one of the most shade tolerant cultivars among all Buffalo grasses.

Within Zoysia grasses, a general guideline to remember is the finer the leaf blade, the more shade tolerant the cultivar. Couch is the least shade tolerant of all grass species, but there are some shade tolerant couch grass cultivars.

Whichever grass you choose, a tip for maintaining shade-tolerant varieties is to mow a bit higher than the recommended mowing height. The extra height will provide a greater surface area for the grass to photosynthesize the reduced sunlight it receives in shady conditions. Always talk with a professional quality Turf Queensland producer for further advice to suit the climate and soils of your area.

A Word About Disease

Any turfgrass grown in wet, shady environments is prone to fungal disease. Shade tolerant grasses often struggle or die from disease pressure, not necessarily from lack of sunlight. When selecting a shade tolerant grass to grow in a shady landscape, be sure to budget for several applications of systemic fungicide per year. Additionally, note that to avoid disease it is best to water less in shaded areas compared to areas that receive full sun.

Nothing Beats Quality Professional Advice

Due to the varying conditions experienced in the Queensland and Northern Territory tropical and subtropical climates, it is recommended you contact your closest Turf Queensland member to obtain their input into the right grasses for your project. www.qtpa.com.au