Meet Josh Straub: 20+ years on the tools, now on the Fernland turf team
Former Lismore Workers Golf Club superintendent Josh Straub joins Fernland's turf sales team, bringing more than 20 years of hands-on turf experience.
Written by
Jason
Tubestock Planting Rates and Establishment: A Contractor's Guide
Planting density sets your labour, guards and replacement allowance. The first six weeks set your establishment count. A practical guide for revegetation contractors covering root checks at delivery, site preparation, planting rate per operator, weed control by scale, and the return schedule that decides whether a planting holds.
Winter Turf Stress Mitigation: The Plant Science Behind Why Turf Stops Recovering in the Cold
Your turf has not stopped recovering. It has stopped being able to. By mid-winter, most sports fields and fine turf surfaces have hit the same wall. Divots from Saturday are still open the following weekend. Frosted corners stay grey for days. Disease scars from a cold, damp week are not healing, and weeds are filling the [...]
Transplant System Trays
Fernland is now stocking the full Transplant Systems air-root pruning seedling tray range, giving Australian forestry nurseries, revegetation contractors, and commercial vegetable seedling producers access to one of the most technically advanced propagation tray systems available. Built from UV-stabilised virgin HDPE and engineered for both manual handling and nursery automation, the Transplant Systems range covers six [...]
Plastic-Free Revegetation in Australia: A Contractor's Guide to Compliant Tree Guards and Stakes
Procurement language in Australian revegetation is shifting. Council tenders, NRM grant conditions, and corporate ESG-linked planting contracts increasingly require contractors to spec a "plastic-free" or "fully biodegradable" planting kit. For crews who have run the same plastic Corflute and synthetic stake combination for a decade, this raises a practical question: what actually qualifies as plastic-free, [...]
Why Australian Nurseries Are Moving Away from Peat (And What to Use Instead)
Sphagnum peat has been a fixture in nursery growing media for decades. Its water-holding capacity, low bulk density, and predictable pH made it the reliable default for plug production, tubestock, and container growing across Australia and globally. That position is now shifting. Not because peat performs poorly, but because the case for depending on it [...]
Coir vs Jute for Erosion Control in Australia: How to Choose the Right Material for Your Project
Jute products break down in 6 to 18 months depending on product type and conditions. Coir netting lasts 2 to 5 years. Both are 100% biodegradable, wildlife-safe, and classified as Rolled Erosion Control Products (RECPs) under IECA Australasia guidelines. The right choice depends on your slope grade, water exposure, project timeline, and budget. Jute is [...]
How to Get the Most Out of Coir-Based Growing Media in Your Nursery
Coir-based growing media has become standard practice in Australian production nurseries. It holds up to eight times its weight in water, rewets easily after drying, maintains its structure longer than bark or peat, and is produced from a renewable coconut industry byproduct. But many growers who switch to coir find that plants yellow unexpectedly, root [...]
Why Every Professional Turf Program in Australia Needs a Biostimulant Stack
The fertiliser is doing less work than you think If your turf program runs on fertiliser, irrigation, and reactive fungicide applications — you're managing symptoms. The soil underneath is the real production engine, and in most Australian turf situations, it's running below capacity. Compacted profiles, depleted microbial populations, and locked-up phosphorus don't show up on a colour [...]
Sports Field Line Marking Best Practices in Australia: The Complete Pre-Season Guide for Turf Managers
Line marking is one of the most visible indicators of professionalism on a sports field. For turf managers, greenkeepers, and grounds staff across Australia, clean and accurate markings aren't just about appearance—they influence player safety, game compliance, and turf longevity. As school sport, AFL, rugby, cricket, and community competitions ramp up at the start of the [...]
Summer Turf Survival Guide
The Australian summer presents unique challenges for turf managers and groundskeepers. With scorching temperatures, intense UV exposure, and unpredictable rainfall patterns, maintaining lush, healthy turf requires strategic planning and the right approach. This comprehensive guide covers essential practices to help your turf not only survive but thrive through the hottest months of the year. Smart Watering [...]
Nursery Summer Management Checklist: Irrigation, Pests & Weeds
Australian summers place extreme pressure on wholesale nurseries. Extended heatwaves, high evaporation rates, and reduced staffing levels can quickly turn minor issues into catastrophic stock losses. This Nursery Summer Management Checklist outlines the essential, preventative agronomic practices required to protect nursery stock during peak summer conditions. Based on advice from Fernland Agronomist Patrick Gorman, this guide focuses on four non-negotiable pillars [...]