TURF

Homme Poco · Post by **Homme Poco** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:05 pm

Anybody know of a good,reasonably local ,supplier of hard -wearing turf?If there is any availiable.Can collect if need be.Also any idea of what the cost per square metre might be?
MANY THANKS.
HP

iane · Post by **iane** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:44 am

Do not buy turf - it will need you to water it and then you will become public enemy number 2 (after the pool owners)

Homme Poco · Post by **Homme Poco** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 2:05 pm

Boa Tarde Iane
Don´t need it till the autumn/winter,but thouht I had better start making enquiries now.Once established it shouldn´t take as much water as my neighbours plants,the gardener walks around for five or six hours with the water coming out full bore(from the hosepipe that is).It´s only a smallish area anyway.
Nevertheless your coments have been taken on board.
THANKS
HP

iane · Post by **iane** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:08 pm

Not to be taken too seriously I hope

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 3:26 pm

On the same subject ..I want to use grass seed..(Cant afford Turf) and I can somebody advise about the different type of grass seed available...I dont like those Big Leaf type...Why do they use them a lot here ,are they more hardy and require less watering or what....I just need nice normal grass.....should I be looking for a particular type.....?

iane · Post by **iane** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 4:09 pm

Nice normal grass will cost a fortune in watering - the coarse broad leaf stuff is used beacuse it is tougher and needs less water - my neighbour laid a lawn using only some of the tough stuff (dont know its name) to bind together more "standard" grass - it lasted 2 years and he has just "binned" the whole thing and slabbed the area.

Water use is a bigger an bigger issue - could you think about some of what I believe they call "hard landscaping" instead ??

paramonte · Post by **paramonte** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:16 pm

The variety more adaptad to our soil in the south is no doubt panicum reppens vulgar Portuguese name is escalracho. Requires very low water. To give you an idea I watered mine about four times last winter and is ok now (I may Email you the photos). Was used in older football fields, stands a lot of walking.
Disadvantages of escalracho: should be planted stem by stem and takes about 1 year to close and fill all the voids. Some people doesn’t want to wait that long. But if you do you have a friend for life. Gardeners don’t like this grass because is low maintenance (not good for business) and is not seeded, so you have to kneel down to plant, and wait 1 year…
In India there is seed for escalracho, not here AFAIK, because is labour intensive to extract seeds from escalracho and it produces low.
Other disadvantage is that it is not as beautiful as other grass varieties, you will not have that British looking lawn, but it rains a lot there…

Other argument I have seen here and there is that escalracho is an infestant. I would say, yes it is in rich soils, not in most of our soils.

Since gardeners (and owners) normally want fast results with seeded grass, an Angolanaise variety has been used called KIKUYO (Pennisetum clandestinum ?) : It is seeded and grows faster (1 month?) . Kikuyo looks like the escalracho, but I have no experience with this variety. It is said to have low water requirement.

Paramonte

dgibbons · Post by **dgibbons** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:28 pm

How about artificial turf? I've just spotted a thread on another forum that sings its praises. Apparently it has improved greatly since the days of Astroturf. It may be worth consideration in the current climate of water shortages.

A few suppliers links from the other forum:
www.evergreensuk.com
www.palmyra-ltd.com
www.artificialgrass.org.uk

Homme Poco · Post by **Homme Poco** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:06 pm

Thanks to all ,especially paramonte,any ideas where i could buy the KIKUYO(Pennisetium clandestinum).Iknow bugger all about grass,is this a wind up?Please help!!!!!!(ellie might know)
HP

paramonte · Post by **paramonte** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 10:38 pm

HP:
I was introduced recently to Kikuyo by a gardner in Vila Nova de Milfontes. He showed me a garden with it. I have no idea where the seeds may be sold, and can´t get back to the gentleman.
I would advise you to actually see a garden with this grass before buying the seeds.
I forgot to say that Escalracho ( and Kikuyo as well, I was told) may take virtually any soil, even sand because that´s what I have in my garden in Lisbon I live close to the sea. No soil preparation. Regarding getting escalracho they sell on demand as the stems perish in a few days. They will cut stems for you and you will have a few days to plant. The cost in Lisbon is 50 Euros for a bag that will allow for about 200 m2. You may take stems from a friends garden as well.
Paramonte

Homme Poco · Post by **Homme Poco** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:02 am

Bom dia Paramonte.
Thanks very much for that will try "ask Jeeves",or get my wife to ,not very good with computors.
CIAO
HP

Homme Poco · Post by **Homme Poco** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:49 pm

Decided against grass, especially with the lack of rain,am going to make a sand garden its only for the kids to play futeball on anyway.Who knows "Le ERIC" might come round for akickabout! and even a swedish beach -volley- ball team.
I can always dream.
Boa noite,
HP
P.S.Have to go and do the VAT .GREAT!!!!!!

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