Types Of Grass In Australia And How To Look After Them: A Guide
There is a newly emerging trend of sourcing exotic plants from other
continents and bringing them into this environment. It has been seen
that the costs of the maintenance and upkeep of such plants can run
quite high. Local is always found to be better. Thus, it is important
for everyone to learn about the various types of grass in Australia and
how to look after them.
The pasture areas of Australia are mainly covered by various species of
native grasses. These grasses tend to have deep roots, which allows them
to tap into more groundwater. So, they require less watering and are
less susceptible to extreme conditions, like fire, too. These plants
have been here a long time and so have adapted themselves to the
Australian soil, which is not much rich in fertility.
Kangaroo Grass
There are two main types of perennial grasses: Cool Season and Warm
Season Grasses.
The cool season grasses will remain green even throughout winter as long
as there is not too long a gap between rainfalls. Let us look at a
couple of grasses of the cool season class. They are hardy and can
tolerate freezing as well as drought conditions.
The Wallaby Grass is a grass found in the temperate areas of Australian
lands. It is a tufted kind of grass and produces fluffy white seeds in
springtime and also sometimes in the autumn season. Care has to be taken
to not to mow this grass lower than 4 cm.
The Weeping Grass is mainly found in most of the wet parts of New
Zealand and Australia. This is a very suitable option as it gives the
closest feel of a lawn, as it would look traditionally. It is also
tolerant to most kinds of soil even with a little salt content. It
cannot, however, survive very long when constantly walked over and it
has low tolerance for Canine urine. It can be mowed to any length.
The warm season grasses grow well in warm weathers. They usually change
leaf color in winters. They are tolerant to drought and heat conditions,
but have lower frost tolerance.
Red grass is found mostly in coastal and sloping areas. It is a running
grass and spreads on underground stems at a slow pace. It gets its name
from the reddish color of the leaves and also gives reddish-purple
flowers in summer up to early autumn. It does not need mowing as it
grows close to ground.
Kangaroo Grass is one of the most widespread grasses present in
Australia. It is a tufting type of grass. With age, the leaves change
color to maroon from green and the plant gets brownish-red seeds. They
can be mown twice in a year.
These grasses are great for use in lawns and are also environmentally
safe. There are many types of grass in Australia; all you need to know
is how to look after them properly. |
