How to identify grass or lawn type?

[jimmyjimenez]

Hi guys, 

Just moved into new place first time lawn owner. Have some questions:

1. Could someone help identify what type of grass I have?

2. Also in the second photo attached,  is this a weed that is growing (thr longer stems with purple tips)? This is only found in the front lawn, the neighbours front lawn seems to have these growing as well none in my backyard lawn though.

3. What's the best thing I can do to try create a "fuller" look to my lawn as some areas looking bare? 

Appreciate any advice and help! 

Thanks in advance!

Jimmy

1. Backyard lawn

2. Front lawn weeds?

3. Backyard lawn

 

[sashay]

Thanks @JacobZ !

I’m just patiently waiting for the existing patches to die 😂 I might give it a second spray because even though the kikuyu has turned brown very quickly, the buffalo patches still look green.

[JacobZ]

Hi @sashay,

Buffalo is pretty resilient, so I'm not hugely surprised. It's probably worth a second spray just to ensure it is actually dying off.

Let us know how it goes and don't hesitate to reach out if you have further questions.

Jacob

[Jonathan1]

 

 

  

I've just bought a new house and I want to improve the grass. Given it's a new house, I suspect the cheapest/easiest to grow grass was used. I'm in Hobart.

I want to improve the lawn. After taking these photos, I've aerated it. I've started putting on a top dressing with fertilizer in it. Should I also put some seeds down for the patchy areas or will they fill in naturally? If I need to put seeds down, I want to know what kind of grass it is so I can get those grass seeds.

The first two photos are after I mowed it for the first time. The last two photos are from a week later.

Thanks!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Jonathan1. It's terrific to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about lawn care.

The first thing that stands out in your photos is the amount of dead thatch sitting in the lawn. I’d recommend grabbing a sturdy de-thatching rake and dragging through the area to pull out all that dead material. It can build up between the grass blades and stop new growth from filling in those patchy areas. Once that’s cleared out, the grass will be able to breathe and spread much more easily.

If you haven’t already, it’s worth applying a lawn fertiliser to help strengthen the existing grass and encourage fresh growth. Keep the lawn watered every couple of days, or daily if the weather turns hot or windy, to support recovery.

As for identifying the grass, that can be quite tricky since many varieties look very similar. From what I can see, the blades appear fairly broad, which suggests it could be a variety of buffalo grass. Even among experienced lawn enthusiasts, opinions can differ when identifying species, so it’s not an exact science. The important thing to note is that buffalo is typically laid as turf rather than grown from seed, so you won’t find matching seeds available.

For now, I’d focus on revitalising what you have rather than adding new seed mixes. Most grass seed products sold for patch repair contain a blend of different species, which could leave you with a patchy, uneven appearance. Once you’ve dethatched, fertilised, and kept up with watering, you should see a noticeable improvement as the healthy grass fills in. After it’s recovered, you can reassess whether you want to overseed with a particular variety or continue maintaining what’s already there.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Fisheyeballs]

 Can anyone can identify what kind of the grass is? I was told by a bunnings staff that they are couch so I overseeded some couch grass, and the new growth looks very different from the original lawn.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Fisheyeballs. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about grass identification.

It can be tricky identifying lawn varieties from photos, although in some of your images the blades do look quite thin. Now that you have the new, much finer couch seedlings coming through, the contrast actually makes your original turf look more like buffalo. The existing grass has a noticeably wider, coarser blade, which is typical of buffalo, and there may even be a bit of mixing between the two species across the yard. Couch seedlings start out very spindly and tight like what you are seeing, and once each leaf unfurls it will widen slightly, but even then it is unlikely to match the broader leaves already in your lawn. You are quite right that the new couch seed does not appear to match the existing variety very well, so it may stand out rather than blend in. If you want a uniform lawn, it might be worth encouraging the Buffalo with fertiliser, or relaying turf in sparse areas.

Here's a helpful guide: How to care for a buffalo lawn.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[Fisheyeballs]

Thanks Mitchell, the existing grass has stolon on the ground so I thought it wouldn't be buffalo.

[JacobZ]

Hi @Fisheyeballs,

Buffalo grasses have stolons, so this doesn't rule buffalo out.

Check out Common Lawn Types And How to Identify Them for a bit of guidance.

I also think the idea of applying buffalo-specific fertiliser is the way to go.

Jacob

[Jonathan1]

Thanks for the reply. I've started dethatching and there is a lot of thatch ... I've found a whole heap of plastic mesh, like fish netting. Unfortunately the thatch is clinging to it. I'm trying to rip out all the mesh, but it's a tough job. Do you have any suggestions?

[JacobZ]

Hi @Jonathan1,

Do you have any photos of the mesh that you could upload? I find it odd that you would have mesh underneath your lawn unless it is maybe construction waste or something like that.

Unfortunately, thinking long-term, I think the only thing you can do is persevere and pull it all out. If you put the work in now, the next time you go to dethatch your lawn, it will be much easier to manage.

If you're using a flexible rake, maybe try something with some more solid tines like this Trojan 14T Rake Timber Handle. If you bring the mesh above ground level in a large clump, maybe cutting it off with some scissors to make it more manageable would be handy.

Let me know what you think.

Jacob