Natural turf: The foundations of top-tier lawns

For those of us with ample space in our front and back yards, lawns and turfs are often one of the primary considerations.

Yes there’s the shrubbery, trees, water features, flowerbeds – but a well-tended lawn not only serves as the foundation around which these other features amalgamate, it’s arguably the most visible, and it’s where we walk, sit and play.

But there’s a gulf of difference between good quality turf and bad quality turf. We’ve all seen it before: grass that looks unnatural and out of place, a strange shade of green that feels foreign underfoot. So it’s understandable that when landscaping yards, berms or parks in urban areas, there’s a strong desire to have good quality turf that looks good and stands the test of time.

This is what Rolawn aspires to and specialises in. Started in 2005 outside Te Kauwhata in the Waikato region, the company does its business on 65 acres of premium soil, and sets a high benchmark for quality. First established by Dickie and Helen Sansome, who still head up the operation, Rolawn has adopted the UK Turf Growers Association standard in the absence of a New Zealand standard – and Dickie says they stand with confidence behind every roll of turf they send out.

“The foundation of our premium product has always been the soil on which it’s grown,” says Dickie. “The topsoil is sandy loam, which is the ideal soil to grow the kind of turf that looks good in urban settings. We harvest year-round, and we also do all the transporting and unloading ourselves using a truck-mounted forklift.”

Tall fescue is Rolawn’s favoured grass for good strong all-purpose turf. It’s a perennial grass with wide dark green blades that maintain an even colour throughout the season and is happy in full sun and partial shade. The roots of tall fescue grow deep into the soil, drawing up moisture and nutrients.

The team at Rolawn plough the field in preparation for sowing the seed, making sure it has ‘no lumps and bumps’. Seeds are sown during the main growing seasons – autumn and spring – at a density of 300kg seed/ha. The turf is ready for its first mowing after six weeks and is mown two to three times a week thereafter and given a monthly feed of fertiliser.

The only part of the process that Rolawn doesn’t take charge of is the installation – or planting – of the turf at site, which is handled by landscapers who are trained and experienced in the product.

This DIY attitude permeates throughout the entire company: Dickie himself is on site almost every day, and Rolawn operates 52 weeks a year – seven days a week from September to May, and six days a week throughout the remainder.

“Our operation is such that we have the luxury of having a product that is able to be harvested all year round,” says Dickie. “The busier times of the year are spring and autumn; but we actually do more business than is usual in the industry during summer and winter.

“Because we’re on such light soil, it’s free draining – making it ideal for wet winters. And we’ve also got a very good irrigation system – and that makes our quality better in the summer.”

The fully-matured turf takes 10 to 12 months to be fully ready for sale. Once it’s fit for transport, the team uses specialised machinery to cut the turf in strips 400mm wide and 2.5m long. The strips are then rolled up the conveyor into Dickie’s waiting hands for packing onto the pallet beside him. These 14kg rolls are tightly wrapped and stacked on the truck for delivery – from the Bay of Plenty all the way up to Auckland and Northland.

This whole process is made easier by virtue of the convenience of the turf itself. “The rolls are comparatively lightweight, making them easier to handle,” says Dickie. “If you grow turf on clay soil, for example, it makes the rolls sticky and heavy, making it difficult to handle. We don’t have that problem with the tall fescue.”

One of the defining qualities of Rolawn’s turf, though, is its instantaneity: depending on the season, the turf is harvested the day before or the morning of delivery. With a 24-hour turnaround for delivery you can order turf today for supply tomorrow.

This instantaneity also applies to its installation as well as its shipping. “Compared to other ways of establishing a lawn, ours is instant,” says Dickie. “As soon as it’s rolled out, you’ve got a lawn.”

Learn more about Rolawn and its services.