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How to fix instant Buffalo lawn with bald spots after 3 months?

I installed new bufallo instant lawn in October in the front and the back of the house. It all looked fine so I stopped watering it everyday with the sprinklers after the first 3 weeks and changed to every 3 day cycle. Found the grass to start yellowing and heads developing so I started watering every day again. Everything came back perfectly except a few spots in the front lawn. I remember I saw some scrubs when I was rotary hoing the garden at the prep stage of the instant lawn installed. I thought this was h the e reason so I bought Scott’s lawn builder scrub + insect + fertiliser. It doesn’t seem to do anything after 2 dosage. I tried adding richo sulfate of amonia still the same. Any other ideas I should try?

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EricL

Hello @quacka

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your questions about your lawn.

It sounds like you did a solid job establishing your buffalo lawn, but those persistent yellow patches could be caused by a few different factors. Since you already suspected grubs early on and treated with Scott’s Lawn Builder Grub + Insect + Fertiliser twice without seeing results, it’s worth considering whether something else is at play.

If the affected areas are not bouncing back like the rest of the lawn, check if the grass is easily pulling up from the soil. If it lifts away with no resistance, it could mean root damage from grubs, and in that case, a stronger treatment like Richgro Lawn Beetle & Grub Killa might be more effective. If the roots are still intact, the issue may be more related to watering, soil health, or a fungal problem.

Buffalo grass is generally drought-tolerant, but daily watering after establishment can sometimes cause shallow root development, making it more vulnerable to stress when watering frequency changes. Since the rest of the lawn recovered with extra watering, but those patches didn’t, try using a soil wetter like Seasol Super Soil Wetter & Conditioner to improve moisture penetration, especially if the soil is compacted or hydrophobic.

If you’ve already applied sulphate of ammonia without much improvement, nitrogen deficiency is unlikely the cause. However, if the grass is looking thin rather than just yellow, aerating those areas and applying a top dressing of a sandy loam mix or a light application of lawn soil from Bunnings can encourage new growth.

Fungal issues can also cause persistent yellow patches, especially in humid conditions. If you notice a soft or slimy texture to the affected areas, or if there’s any white or grey mould-like growth early in the morning, a broad-spectrum fungicide like Yates Mancozeb Plus could help.

Lastly, if none of these solutions work, consider testing the soil pH with a kit from Bunnings. Buffalo grass prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (around 5.5 to 7). If the pH is too high or low, using either lime (for acidic soil) or sulphur (for alkaline soil) can help bring things back into balance.

Since your lawn responded well to more frequent watering, try keeping those patches a little more moist than the rest of the lawn while also ensuring deep watering rather than just surface soaking. That should help determine whether the issue is moisture-related or something else.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

quacka

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/48178#Comment_48178

Thanks Eric for the valuable info.

The PH test came to around 6.25 so it looks fine. I tried pulling out the dead grass and the roots seem to hold ok to the soil. The soil seem to be a bit dry, no signs of mould. I was using gypsum after we laid the turf(forgot to do it before hand even though I already bought it) not sure if it dried the soil. The top soil I used was turf sand which worked well at the back. At the front it does feel a bit dry where the dead spots are. As I have some left I am not sure if I should put some more on top and apply some wetting agent as your suggestion.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/86153#Comment_86153

Hi @quacka,

I'm a bit concerned about the amount of products we've added to the area. At three months, your grass only needs water and sunlight. Please don't apply any more fertiliser, especially if you have done two dosages. There's no need for even one at this stage, and two is enough to kill your lawn as they are designed to be added six months apart.

Chances are this area just hasn't taken well, and this is not unusual. I suspect it's more to do with your preparation of the area. Did you aerate the soil, and apart from adding the sand, was there anything else you did to prepare?

Personally, I'd buy another roll of the grass, dig up this grass, aerate the soil underneath, especially if it is compacted, add some topsoil and lay a new roll. If this area has not taken due to the area being overly compacted, it will be hard to get the grass to infill without aerating it.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

quacka

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/108401#Comment_108401

Yes I got someone to rotary hoe it with machine before I put on top soil.

With my offcuts, I did put it to an area on the side of the house where I been growing it for times like this. I was just worried that there is something wrong with these patches hence I haven’t done it yet

. I will dig up the area with a shovel, cover it with top soil and move the grass there and see how it goes.

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