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A Kikuyu lawn was throughly weeded, scalped, fertilised and aerated to give the grass a new lease of life.
The project
Over the winter, we noticed our lawn had become overtaken by clover and weeds, and overall wasn’t looking as green or healthy as it was last summer. We researched for about a month before starting any work and invested in tools and supplies we needed to bring our lawn back for spring.
Note: We have Kikuyu grass so the methods and products used may not be suitable depending on your lawn/grass type.
Here’s how we tackled our lawn renovation.
Steps
Step 1
We first identified the issues with the lawn:
- Thick and dense lawn from thatch buildup (leaf to soil level was 10cm in some areas)
- African Black Beetle and larvae infestation
- Clover and broadleaf weeds throughout.
Step 2
To treat the weeds and clover, we started by using the Saxon patio weeder to manually pull out all the broadleaf weeds (Thistle, Plantain Weed, Dandelion Weed, Cudweed). Generally, they are easy to identify - round in growth habit and some are hairy/prickly.
We then sprayed all the whole lawn to target any remaining weeds, in particular White Clover weed. We used Yates Bindii and Clover Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate and mixed the concentrate in a sprayer bottle.
Note: We avoided spraying for a few days either side of mowing to allow the lawn to recover from the mow before spraying with weedkiller and a few days after to allow the weeds to fully absorb the weed killer product.
Step 3
Time to scalp the lawn.
With a lawn as thick as ours, we had to gradually reduce the cut height over a few weekends leading up to the actual lawn renovation. It would have been difficult to scalp the thick lawn resulting in choking out the rotary mower.
Scalping: We set our mower to the lowest height setting and went over the lawns twice. We had to stop often to empty the catcher because of how much thatch and clippings were being collected. I wouldn't suggest doing this with a battery-operated mower as this process requires you to essentially cut down the lawn to almost soil level.
Step 4
To scarify the lawn, we purchased a Ryobi Cordless Scarifier and a couple of 5.0Ah batteries. The scarifier has stainless steel blades that cut through and remove the thatch and dead material in the lawn. By removing the dead layer of grass that sits on the soil, it allows for more water, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots.
We went over the lawns twice in different directions and didn’t use the catcher that came with the scarifier. Instead, we picked up the dead material with the rotary mower. We ended up removing over one trailer load of thatch from the two front lawn areas.
While it may look like we’ve decimated the lawn and there’s nothing left of it, in contrast we’ve only removed all the thatch and dead material to allow the lawn to breathe again. The grass stolons/runners still remain within the lawn and will eventually grow and spread out as the lawn recovers. Now that much of the soil is exposed, it will allow for light, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots.
Step 5
We had half a bag of Neutrog Sudden Impact Lawn Fertiliser leftover from last season so we used this slow-release granular fertiliser after scarifying and generously watered it in. This product worked really well for us last year and isn’t as expensive as other lawn fertilisers. It would probably be beneficial to also water in with Seasol or a liquid fertiliser but we didn't have some on-hand at the time.
Step 6
Next step was treating for lawn beetle and larvae.
We noticed a lot of magpie activity on the lawn, as they would feast on the worms and black beetles. We waited for a rainy day and just before the rains came, we sprinkled a couple of bottles of Richgro Lawn Beetle and Grub Killa Insecticide and if we notice more insect damage throughout the season, will reapply as needed.
Step 7
After two weeks, the lawn was starting to recover and fill in, but there were still some low spots and dips. So, before spreading sand, to level out these areas, we manually core-aerated the lawn. We used the Cyclone 3 Prong Lawn Aerator but struggled to get decent cores as the soil was surprisingly not compacted.
We purchased the Ryobi Cordless Edger to create the sharp edges.
Step 8
We kept the lawn well-watered and continued to hand pull any weeds that emerged. We mowed every three to four days to keep the ryegrass down (we still have remnants of other grasses within the Kikuyu from scattering off-the-shelf lawn seed last year). We might have to apply a lawn growth regulator to slow down the growth so we don’t have to mow so often.
To create the stripes, we purchased a (now discontinued) Ryobi cylinder mower and modified it by adding a weighted roller on the back. We spent some time taking it apart and backlapping the cylinder mower with backlapping paste. Backlapping maintains the sharpness of the blades for a sharp, scissor-like cut.
Four weeks after doing the lawn renovation, it had almost fully recovered. There were still some areas which needed to thicken out a bit but overall, we're happy.
In the process of planning for this lawn renovation, we discovered a brick garden bed edge (photo below) that was concealed under the old thick lawn! The side garden bed is still a work in progress while we continue planting it out.
Tips and lessons learnt
Here are some tips and lessons learnt:
- Treat weeds and apply a beetle insecticide before they overtake and decimate the lawn
- Avoid using off-the-shelf lawn seed unless the grass seed is the same as what is in your existing lawn. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a mix of different grasses in your lawn
- Renovate lawn in the growing season (34°C Rule: Add your low and high degree temperature and if it’s above 34°C consistently, then it’s warm enough to do a lawn renovation)
- For stripes, we purchased a reel mower and modified/added a weighted roller on the back. Alternatively, you can roll over and create the stripes using a water filled roller
- (For Kikuyu grass) Maintain a low mowing height and mow often to avoid thatch build up. We made the mistake of mowing higher in the summer months to maintain a green-looking lawn which resulted in creating a thick, dense and unhealthy lawn.
It might seem daunting to take a lawn back down to dirt and while it looks bad at the start, it always comes back greener, healthier and stronger.
Before and after
How to repair a lawn
Experienced Workshop member Adam has compiled an extensive guide How to repair a lawn. It includes a list of tools and materials and video.
More inspiration for your lawn project
Community member Ben was frustrated with a backyard that turned into a mud pit in winter, so decided to install drainage to fix the muddy lawn.
Workshop member homeinmelbourne had trouble growing turf so decided to install artificial grass in their side yard revamp.
Ask a question if you need a hand with your own lawn rejuvenation project. We're here to help.
Hi @mich1972 ,
Thank you and happy first day of Spring!
Yes, we have been eagerly waiting for the weather to warm up enough to do the lawn renovation. In the meantime, we've been working on hand-pulling all the patches of weeds and removing other grass varieties out of the Kikuyu lawn over the past 3 weekends - trying to get on top of it before we do our reno for this coming season. Weeding is an endless job for us around here!
@mich1972 How are your plants and beautiful garden going? 😊
Some photos from March - before the lawn went into dormancy:
