Damage to lawn can be caused by various factors and Cynthia Carson reports on recent research that highlights the tolerances of various turf types to wear.

Lawn can be considered a form of horticultural flooring. This green
carpet, like the coverings we lay within our homes, is subject to wear by a variety of sources, such as foot traffic, cars, pets and equipment. Both human and animal behaviour follows patterns resulting in tracks or patches through the lawn. Common examples are motorbike tracks near the letterbox, a path from the back door to the clothes line, or a bare area where the dog runs up and down the front fence line. Lawn subject to breaking, turning and standing fares the worst.

This article addresses the following topics:

• Traffic: the problem
• Observed wear
• Contributing factors
• Species selection
• Managing wear
• Difficult sites

The weather is warming and now is the time of year to start preparing
for the summer months. The next 3 months could be quite hot and dry before the rains arrive again. And yes, there may be some lush weed growth, but if you have been mulching regularly and pulling the weeds before they flower and seed, there will not be too many of them and those that do appear can be rapidly dealt with.

These last dry months are a great time to finish off the last of your building work. Make sure structures are solidly built, tied down and ready for the summer storm and cyclone season. Summer storms can be destructive, eroding bare ground and washing away unmulched or unplanted topsoil. Get those plantings established now.

This article addresses the following topics:

• Vegetables
• Trees
• Shadehouse
• Shrub and Groundcovers
• Annuals
• Pond

A three page feature on Flowering Trees is included this issue.

Special information is alsoprovided for:

• Vegetable planting schedule for August, September and October
  for subtropics and tropics
• Annual planting schedule for August, September and October
• Perennial Vegetable Planting Guide