Franchise Growers Readylawn now has several franchise growers around New Zealand. “We’ve become the biggest producer of sod in New Zealand,” says Roger. Te franchise locations are strategically selected to serve targeted markets. Current franchise growers on the South Island are located in Nelson, Timaru, Dunedin and Wanaka. Teir North Island franchise is in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand.
With ever evolving technology, the company’s website (
www.readylawn.co.nz) has become a great marketing tool for the overall company, its divisions, and its franchise growers. Readylawn also is active on Facebook (www.
facebook.com/readylawn/).
Teir website states, “No matter where you live throughout New Zealand, and no matter what time of the year, with Readylawn, you can have a beautiful, healthy, lush lawn growing at your home or business in a matter of hours.
“Readylawn is sold and installed by turf experts across the country who have the experience, expertise, and local knowledge to ensure that your new lawn will grow lush and healthy. Our operators take pride in their product and will go the extra mile to ensure your lawn is a success.”
Tere are three distinctive growing reigons across New Zealand. Te North is subtropical, with temperatures seldom approaching freezing. Its average growing season temperatures range from 15 to 30 degrees C (59 to 86 degrees F), with moderate to high humidity. Its primary growing season runs from August to June.
Te warm-temperate zone runs through the middle of New Zealand, with cool winters and warm summers. Spring and summer temperatures range from 10 to 25 degrees C (50 to 77 degrees F). Winter temperatures can drop to freezing in some areas. It’s main growing season extends from mid-September to May/June.
Te South is the cold-temperate zone, with cold winters and warm summers, and a shorter growing season than the other zones. Its winters do get below freezing, with little to no humidity. Its main growing season runs from October/November to April/May.
So, each Readylawn franchise offers turf options by category, crafting a specific blend of cultivars ideally suited to each one’s local conditions.
Stadium, called the backyard lawn, is their best hard-wearing lawn, which contains a fine-turf type ryegrass. Tey promote its excellent wear resistance and damage repair and medium drought resistance, recommending it for high activity areas.
Superfine, called the general lawn, contains two grass types, browntop and fescue, which complement each other for a soft, fine texture. Tey promote it as one of the best
TPI Turf News January/February 2018
Readylawn’s original Christchurch farm has now grown to 128 acres, all in turfgrass production.
all-round turf lawns, with good wear characteristics and medium drought tolerance.
Fescue, called the connoisseur’s lawn, is the finest textured grass offered. Tey promote it for its uniform, deep-green color and weed resistance, and note it is slower-growing than their other offerings.
Rhizomatous tall fescue is offered only by the Auckland franchise grower. Tey note its leaf texture is rather coarse. It is promoted for its ability to stay greener in dry summer periods and tolerate higher temperatures than their other grasses, and for its improved wear tolerance and lower water needs.
With all the innovations and growth, Roger Morgan keeps Readylawn rooted in the strengths on which the company was based. Tey promote that with their slogan, “Readylawn, the original same day lawn.” And with this statement, “Te trusted brand for over 45 years!” And he’s practical, too. “We still own the original Brouwer harvester purchased used in 1982. She is revered by the staff, kept in the shed, and can still do a full day harvesting on the farm when the computer on the ‘new one’ has a meltdown.”
Family Matters Roger says, “Craig now manages our retail turf installation division. Our youngest brother, Grant, is crop farming an hour south of the home farm. It’s an entirely separate operation. Grant is not involved in the Readylawn Industries Ltd./Lawnworks Ltd. business. And our dad, Alan Morgan, recently ‘retired’ properly in his 80th year, but is still very active.”
And Roger is looking to the future. “Te third generation, like many farmers’ kids, grew up involved in the farming activities, such as cultivating the soil and mowing, and they are skilled operators of farming equipment,” he says. “Once they’ve finished schooling and spent a little free time travelling they have expressed a desire to continue with turf farming, which would be a great privilege for our family.”
Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News. All photos courtesy of Readylawn Industries Ltd. unless otherwise noted.
39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
