Can I fix my buffalo grass lawn?

[aworkingman7282]

    

It’s been around 8-10 months since I got this brand new buffalo lawn installed. There is even weed mats below. However my lawn is looking terrible and I even see some weeds as seen in the picture.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? It’s been like this for almost two months now.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @aworkingman7282. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about lawn care.

The first thing to work out is why your new buffalo lawn has mostly died off. Can you tell me a bit about the past seven months? For example, was it healthy and green at the start and then gradually went downhill, or has it struggled from the very beginning? Did the decline coincide with hotter months or perhaps dry periods? Without understanding what caused the grass to fail, it’s really hard to know the best way to fix it.

From your photos, what remains is quite sparse, so trying to nurse it back may not give a great result. The weed mat underneath could also be a factor. If it’s too close to the surface, it can restrict roots from penetrating properly and make it harder for the grass to establish. Grass needs adequate soil depth, water, sunlight, and nutrients to thrive, so if any of those were lacking, it could explain the decline.

At this stage, there’s not much that will encourage it to fill in well. You could try aerating the area, adding a layer of topsoil, and fertilising, but given how patchy it is, relaying the turf is probably the most reliable option. If you can provide more detail about what’s happened over the last seven months, such as watering, fertilising, and sunlight exposure, it will help identify the underlying issue so you can avoid the same problem with a replacement lawn.

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

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell
 

[aworkingman7282]

Hello thank you for the prompt reply.

It started off well for the first few months. Then after maybe 2-3 months it developed a patchy area that wasn’t fixing on its own. Then this summer maybe around november the lawn became like this. In terms of sunlight it gets a-lot of sunlight even right now. We also water it normally.

[MitchellMc]

With your normal watering, how often and for how long would that be @aworkingman7282? How deep is the weed matting under the lawn? What was the condition of the soil like that you laid the turf on, and did you improve it at all before laying? When it started to die off, were there any things you tried to save it? Have you fertilised the lawn? Have you tried any treatments for curl grub and beetles?

Mitchell