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How to remove weeds and foreign grass from lawn?

I have a home which I believe was originally planted with Buffalo grass. We got a gardener to do something and I believe they replace portions of it with matilda. it was me I just put my lease in there are also portions which used to be trees which we replaced with rolls of Sir Walter from bunnings.

The portions that used to be the trees and shrubs are now growing very well because they have deep soil. the portions in the middle of the front and back garden are not growing very well because it is a mirvac home, and It's basically 10CM of soil and then rocks and rubbish underneath.

there is also a great portion the garden which is very shaded for most of the day and the grass is thinning in that area even though the soil is good.

I'm getting weeds and also stray grass looks like this:

this type of grass seems to grow very in the deep parts much faster vs the proper grass. is there any type of herbicide which can destroy everything unwanted but can leave the preferred grass alone?

do I need any fertiliser for shaded part, which will boost the Buffalo but not help everything else which seems to be stronger.

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JacobZ

Hi @bara3,

Is it possible to get some photos of the yard? Seeing what you are working with will make coming up with a plan much easier.

Unfortunately, removing the invasive grass is likely not possible with selective herbicides, but we could certainly have a look. If you can grab some photos showing each individual grass type, then we can positively identify them and see if there is a selective herbicide that will work.

If there is no selective herbicide that can be used, which unfortunately is quite likely, you can use a non-selective herbicide, such as Roundup, but you would need to apply it only to the invasive grass as it will also kill your Buffalo. This can be done by spot spraying it with a garden sprayer, or using an herbicide applicator brush to ensure it is only applied to the grass you are hoping to kill.

If you are dealing with common broadleaf weeds, then an application of Yates BuffaloPro Weed 'N' Feed would be worthwhile. It is a combination fertiliser and buffalo safe weed killer, so generally speaking, it should help both with poor growth and common lawn weeds.

Unfortunately, the shade level is always going to be an issue, but plenty of water and fertiliser can certainly help.

Unfortunately, if there is a considerable number of rocks and debris beneath the lawn, the only 100% effective method of dealing with this is to dig up and replace the soil, or sift out the debris. You can however improve soil quality over time by applying top soil, but this will not remove the stones. Check out How To Topdress Your Lawn for some guidance on this process.

Hopefully this has given you some information to start with, but if you can provide further details and some photos, we can certainly look at things further.

Jacob

bara3

Here are the grasses (some have longer blades)

here is the thinning out in the shaded area

bara3

here are the weeds and grasses we want to get rid of (taken from nearby because I had recently just weeded the garden)

MitchellMc

Hi @bara3 ,

Thanks for the extra photos, that helps a lot.

Images 1–6 all appear to be Buffalo grass. The second image with the longer blades is quite typical of Buffalo if it hasn’t been mown regularly. The blades will just keep getting longer and the lawn can start to look thinner and less compact. Buffalo really benefits from regular mowing, which encourages it to thicken up and grow more densely.

The third and fourth images show the seed heads of Buffalo. You might see these regularly, occasionally, or sometimes not at all. Buffalo doesn’t always go to seed consistently. But those seed pods are part of the Buffalo plant itself, not a different grass.

In images five and six, the Buffalo does look like it’s struggling a bit. That’s likely due to insufficient light, as Buffalo can thin out under heavy shade. It also looks slightly damp in that area, so you might consider top dressing with a sandy loam or washed sand to improve drainage and help water penetrate more evenly. A light application of fertiliser wouldn’t hurt either, especially coming into the growing season.

Regarding the grassy weeds, Jacob has already provided some excellent advice above. If Yates BuffaloPro Weed ‘N’ Feed doesn’t control them, your next options would be:

Manual removal (digging them out, ensuring you remove the roots), or
Careful spot application of a non-selective herbicide, being very precise so you don’t damage the surrounding Buffalo.

Unfortunately, grassy weeds in Buffalo can be tricky, as there are limited selective options that won’t also affect your lawn.

Mitchell

bara3

what type of fertiliser do you recommend The shaded area?

I'm not sure I understand the different types of fertiliser and whether the ones used for lawn are the same that I would use for various pot plants I have indoors.

Weed killer like this? https://www.bunnings.com.au/garden-basics-1l-weed-kill-concentrate_p0424152

is there anything that can target the last two photos of the second post? those types of grass are the most persistent and hard to manually remove as they break

MitchellMc

Scotts Lawn Builder 4kg Buffalo Lawn Food - 4kg would be suitable for your whole lawn @bara3, including the shaded area. Lawn fertiliser and plant fertiliser are formulated differently. You want a lawn-specific fertiliser.

Yes, the Garden Basics 1L Weed Kill Concentrate is suitable, but remember it will kill everything it touches, so it must be applied with a brush directly to the weed.

For persistent grass, I would suggest painting the above product onto them. Anything that will kill them, would typically kill buffalo.

Mitchell

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