How to revive patchy Buffalo lawn?

[LinL]

My buffalo lawn is not doing well. I’ve neglected it. Lots of bare and dry spots. Areas under shade is doing better. Wondering if it can be revived with lots of love and care or should I start again and returf my lawn? If I can revive it, please let me know what to do. There’s some weeds and there’s a patch of a different type of grass growing in some spots, one with a finer leaf. Thanks

Fine leaf grass

[MitchellMc]

Hi @waltercflui,

I'd start by aerating the whole lawn, especially in that patchy bit. It looks quite compacted and aerating will assist. You can then apply some lawn feed if you haven't already and you might like to topdress, with around 5mm of soil over the whole area. Water it in well.

Your lawn should start looking amazing in no time. 

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[waltercflui]

Thanks @MitchellMc !

Shall I apply lawn feed on the whole lawn or just the patchy / brownish area?

I have watched this video, so I guess the sequence is mowing, aerating, apply lawn feed, apply topdress, spread them evenly with a rake, and the finally watering, all in one go?

 https://www.bunnings.com.au/diy-advice/garden/lawn/how-to-aerate-and-top-dress-your-lawn?srsltid=Afm... 

Shall I hold doing this if there will be rain in the coming few days?

[JacobZ]

Hi @waltercflui,

The whole lawn will benefit from its application, not just the struggling bits, so it's worth applying the lawn feed to the whole lawn. 

Yep, that sequence is perfect and can be done all in one session or spread out over the course of a weekend. 

You could certainly mow and aerate before the rain, but I wouldn't apply the lawn feed or top dress as there is potential that the downpour could wash them away. Best to do these when there is a period of at least 3-4 days of clear skies so they can be gently watered in and the grass can over grow them.

You might like to check out How To Care For Your Lawn In Spring and How To Care For Your Lawn In Summer for some further guidance on caring for your lawn in the coming months.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[bax]

 

Hey everyone just looking for some advice on how to get my lawn looking how it was when I first laid it atm it’s very thick and spongy with a lot of dead grass throughout it and some areas of my lawn have sunken what’s the best way to get it all level again and do I need to Reno my buffalo?

first photo is where the level has dropped and second photo is where I think it’s dead or lacking nutrient maybe and third is a close up of second, any advice will be helpful and I’m open to try anything to fix it thanks in advance! 

[JacobZ]

Hi @bax,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

There are 3 steps I would recommend, dethatch, aerate and top-dress.

The layer of dead grass is called thatch. A layer of dead and living organic material, like grass clippings, stems, and roots, accumulates between the soil and the actively growing grass blades. Removing this layer of material will help the grass breathe and absorb nutrients more effectively, which will in turn create a thicker healthier lawn. You can remove this thatch using a Cyclone Timber Handle Long Thatching Rake or Ryobi One+ 18V Brushless Cordless Scarifier OSF1835BL.

Once your lawn has been dethatched, it will look quite bare and, in most cases, extremely dry and brown. Do not worry, this is all part of the process.

Check out How To Dethatch Your Lawn for some guidance on this process.

Now that the thatch has been removed, you should aerate the soil with a Trojan All Steel Spiked Aerator.

Check out How To Aerate And Top Dress Your Lawn which also covers the final step, top dressing.
 

Use a high-quality top dressing mix such as this Seasol 25L Lawn Top Dress Mix. Apply a layer approximately 10-15mm thick and spread with a Cyclone Top Soil Spreader aiming for a nice even surface.

Once top-dressed, water your lawn well using the mist setting to avoid any soil runoff.

Given a few days of sunlight, the lawn will start to repair and fill out and within a few weeks it will look brand new again.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[kirkyroberto]

So I’ve been reading a lot of posts here trying to get some idea of what to do with my lawn. It’s huge at 320m2. Country VIC climate and it has been let go. I am only guessing that it’s Buffalo but having read a lot of discussions and looked closer I think it is mainly weeds. I considered killing it off and starting again but I’ve been put off by the enormity of the exercise. Also I’m trying to do it at minimal cost but the weeds grow so fast that I’m spending 1 day every weekend mowing so it’s about my time too.  Plan is to fertilise then use buffalo pro weed killer to spray the lot. Then potentially repeat if necessary. Then aerate and reseed. I’m tipping 90%of the “lawn”will be gone after the weedkiller works. But I’ve noticed I have a lot of established winter grass too- and it needs a different product…maybe Munns? Question is can I spray the Buffalo pro killer and the Munns at the same time? Have to let it go for basically two weeks no mowing according to the Buffalo pro directions so thought might as well do it at the same time. But the Winter grass killer best window seems to be spring for established so now I don’t know what to do? Do I wait and deal with it separately in autumn like some of the advice says? Also can I reseed with Kikuyu instead of buffalo? It says it’s invasive on buffalo and the buffalo thatching is an issue for me, as well as browning in summer where I am. Long term I want to use the Primo Max Growth regulator on my lawn ready for next spring to keep it healthy and get my life back- the mowing is killing me.  

 

 

  

[JacobZ]

Hi @kirkyroberto,

Thank you for your question and welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

It's a big project, but if we break it down into a few steps, you should see some success this year with great results showing by this time next year.

I’d suggest starting with weed control. Once the weeds are managed, dethatch, scarify, and aerate the lawn, then top-dress and overseed. Finally, maintain a consistent routine of mowing and watering to support healthy growth.

I can't say for sure what species of grass you have as the sections that are not taken over by weeds are quite brown. The grass leaf looks thin, which is not generally a sign that you have buffalo, but because it is so dry, it may be buffalo that has curled up under stress. With this in mind, it would be best to use buffalo-friendly products like the BuffaloPro Hose On Lawn Weed Killer that you've mentioned. As you've said, this will only cover certain weeds, but being a more broad-spectrum weedkiller, this is a good starting point. Apply this and wait a week to see what is being killed and what isn't and then we can help select a suitable product to control what remains.

The next step after weed control is to dethatch your lawn. As you have such a large area, you might like to consider purchasing a Ryobi One+ 18V Brushless Cordless Scarifier OSF1835BL with the Ryobi Dethatcher Attachment RSCA1. Start with the dethatcher attachment on and do 2 passes over your full lawn to pull up any of the thatch. Tidy up and dispose of the clippings before moving on. You'll then want to scarify, which is essentially cutting the grass right down to the dirt. These two processes open up the space between the leaves and essentially give the grass a reset. It will look dead at this point but fear not because it will come back. Check out How To Dethatch Your Lawn for a bit of guidance on this part of the process.

After this, you'll want to aerate the lawn. You can use a Saxon Lawn Aerator Spiked Roller, but due to the size of the area, I'd suggest hiring a Lawn Corer to speed up the process and reduce the toll on your body.

Once aerated, you'll want to top-dress the lawn. Topsoil can be purchased in bags like this Seasol Lawn Top Dress Mix or purchased in bulk through your local store's Special Orders desk. For an area the size of your lawn, bulk ordering will likely be more cost-effective. Use a Top Soil Spreader to smooth and spread out your topsoil. Check out How To Aerate And Top Dress Your Lawn for some guidance.

You can then overseed your lawn with Kikuyu seeds using a Scotts Handy Green Spreader to get even coverage. 

After the seed is down, you should water daily to promote germination and growth. Ensure you use the mist setting on your hose or sprinkler, so the seeds aren't washed away.

Once the lawn is established, you can follow How To Care For Kikuyu Grass for tips moving forward.

Let me know what you think and if you have further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Jacob

[waltercflui]

Thanks @MitchellMc and  @JacobZ . I did aeration and top-dressing as mentioned above two weeks ago and keep watering twice daily, 30 mins each. 

Two weeks on there seems to be no improvement while the healthy part is thriving.

I also did soapy water test and cannot find grub.

What was going wrong and what can I do?

[MitchellMc]

Hi @waltercflui,

Did you apply a lawn feed?  Perhaps try applying some PowerFeed to the area.

When watering, ensure you're not overwatering. Stick your finger in the soil, and don't water if it is still damp/wet. I suspect you might be overwatering if you do so twice a day. There's also a chance that these areas haven't been growing well due to the lawn not having adequate drainage and staying too wet after rain. By watering twice a day, you could be compounding the issue. Only water when the soil starts to dry out.

Mitchell

[waltercflui]

Thanks @MitchellMc  I will adjust my watering schedule - maybe just once a day at dawn?

I have applied lawn feed 2 weeks ago - the Scott lawn builder for buffalo. Shall I apply more ?