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We bought our first house in July, it was previously tenanted and the lawn was definitely not looked after. We'd really love to make the backyard a nice place for our children and dog but I'm not sure if it is even salvageable or if we should just rip it up and re-turf it? I also have no idea what type of grass this is? We have bought some weed and feed and have been hand pulling all the weeds we can find to try and at least get it back to just the grass as the problem. Open to any and all suggestions and advice, we're total newbies at this!
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Who-Is-Sally. It's a pleasure to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about lawn care.
Congratulation on purchasing your first home! Such an exciting time!
The first thing I noticed was that your soil is incredibly compacted. Compacted soil restricts air, water, and nutrient flow, hindering grass growth. This leads to shallow roots, poor aeration, and increased runoff, negatively impacting overall lawn health. I'd recommend you start by aerating the soil.
Depending on what the rest of the lawn looks like, it could be worth re-turfing the area or re-seeding. Using the image provided as an example, there doesn't appear to be much lawn left and certainly not enough to infill anytime soon. Your grass is Buffalo, so re-turfing is an option that would restore the lawn instantly. Once you've aerated, I'd recommend you apply at least 50mm of topsoil over the area before your new turf.
Here are some helpful guides: How to detect lawn problems, How to repair a lawn and How to take care of your lawn.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mitchell
