Queensland Blue Couch Seed

Description

Often referred to as Queensland Blue Couch this grass is neither from Queensland, nor is it a Couch. It was made popular in Queensland due to it’s optimum performance and suitability to the warm climate.

As this grass is a different species to a traditional Couch grass this needs to be considered when choosing herbicides or pesticides for use on the lawn.

Qualities:

• Grows best in full sun, requiring more than 6 hours per day
• Beautiful blue/green colour
• Premium appearance and soft to touch
• Recovers well from damage
• Recovers well from heat stress with light watering
• Has good salt tolerance
• Can be mowed very low for bowls or croquet

Optimal pH: Queensland Blue Couch grows well on a wide range of neutral to acid soils; it is tolerant of very acid soils- pH 5.5 and lower.

Sowing Tips: Sow into soft top soil or sandy loam. Broadcast the seed at, or very near, the soil surface and incorporate lightly with raking. To ensure best coverage and avoid seed wastage we recommend using an appropriate seed spreader for the size of your area. Soil must remain damp throughout the germination period of both seeds and must be maintained for at least 1-2 weeks after sowing, through irrigation or natural rainfall.

Optimal Planting Time: Late September to late February.

Germination: Our Blue Couch seed is one of the quicker-germinating couch grasses, taking 10-14 days to germinate, condition and climate dependent. Most lawns take 6-8 weeks to fully establish, and by that time you will have a beautiful, soft lush lawn with a slight blue tinge.

Water: Queensland Blue Couch is less drought hardy than other Green Couch varieties, but recovers quickly once drought stress is removed. It is tolerant of temporary, though not permanent, waterlogging, and has a moderate tolerance of salinity.

Fertilising: A low maintenance lawn, Queensland Blue Couch tends to thrive in poor quality soil and copes well with lower levels of fertiliser and insecticide/fungicide than other Couch varieties. Fertilising with McKays Slow Release Fertiliser several times per year will improve the overall look and performance of your lawn.

First Mowing: Approximately 4 weeks after germination.

Mowing Frequency: In Summer mow Weekly, in Winter mow every 2^nd or 3^rd week.

Mows beautifully with a cylinder mower or rotary. It can be mowed very low for bowls or croquet (35mm). Once mowed, it never leaves an unsightly appearance of cut and exposed stolons (runners) like other lawns may do. It is less aggressive than real couches, and doesn’t thatch up nearly as quickly as Couch grass. It produces minimal seed heads compared to standard couch varieties meaning this is an easier to mow lawn.

Mowing Tips:

• Only remove 1/3 of the leaf area at any one time.
• The lower you mow it, the more often you need to mow
• In shady areas increase the mowing height of the grass
• Mowing is the best form of weed control

Disadvantages of Queensland Blue Couch:

• Queensland Blue Couch is not as traffic tolerant as other couch varieties but it will recover quickly if damaged. 
• Queensland Blue Couch is among the least shade tolerant warm-season turfgrass species.

Ideal Usage: Domestic and commercial lawns, sports fields, gardens and parks.

Seed & package details: 100% Queensland Blue Couch.

Independently Tested: 98% purity. A seed testing certificate is available upon request.

Where can I sow this grass in Australia? Areas 1, 2, 3, 4,5, 7

Shade tolerance: Moderate

Daily Sunlight required: 8+ hours

Drought tolerance:  Excellent

Frost Resistance: Moderate

Traffic Tolerance: Excellent