Well, I can tell you that at 30 years of age, I never expected to spend my spare time writing about grass – but I’m just so happy that we have been able to save our lawn! Here’s how we completed our lawn revival.
Of all the renovations we’ve completed on our home, the backyard was probably the most transformative, and we went from a cold, concrete slab to a really enjoyable outdoor living space.
It was a huge undertaking, but our beautiful, luscious lawn was the cherry on top – so when things started to go south, the pain was real!
Our lawn type
For context, the type of turf we laid is called Sir Walter Buffalo turf from Lawn Solutions Australia. It’s said to be one of the more resilient varieties, and great for dogs. We purchased a few pallets and laid it ourselves, taking care to follow all the recommended prep work and maintenance to avoid any issues.
Everything seemed to be going well, and by the end of summer, we felt confident that we’ve done all we need to. How wrong we were!
Noticing a problem
Due to the configuration of our block and some big trees on our neighbours’ properties, our backyard doesn’t get a lot of sunlight in the cooler months. This means it can get quite damp, which we were a bit concerned about.
We had installed drainage under the grass as an extra precaution in case of flooding, but after a while, we noticed the grass seemed to be struggling.
We put it down to a lack of sunlight and assumed it would come back to life once spring rolled around. But when spring arrived, things only seem to be getting worse and we started to worry.
Buffalo grass isn’t cheap – and including the cost of topsoil, fertiliser, etc, it set us back around $3000. Adding in all the hours we spent, it was heartbreaking to think that it may have all been for nothing and that we might have to start again.
The diagnosis
After treating what was left of the grass with a few good-quality fertilisers and still not having any luck, we did some further research. We soon discovered the problem was actually nothing to do with the lack of sunlight and was probably caused by lawn grubs. (Yep, it’s a thing. And yep, gross!)
Lawn grubs are small insects that live in the soil and eat away the roots, causing the grass to die off and lift up in clumps. They can occur in any lawn, but generally prefer a healthier lawn – like newly laid turf.
The treatment
While there is a range of different products designed to treat lawn grubs, prevention is always better than the cure if you want to keep your lawn healthy all year round.
The good news is that it’s actually fairly simple, once you know what you need to look out for. Here are the steps we took to revive our lawn and what we will continue to do to avoid the same issue happening again.
1. Aerate the soil
The first step to treating lawn grubs is to aerate the soil. There are a few ways to do this, but we purchased a pair of lawn aerator sandals which are basically spikes that strap to your shoes to aerate the soil while you walk on it. Fashion.
2. Treat with insecticide
The next step is to treat it with an insecticide specifically designed to kill off lawn grubs. There are lots of different options on the market but some of them seemed really intense even including aggressive warnings like WILL KILL BEES. Not cool.
We decided to try a more natural solution that also included a lawn fertiliser as a first option, thinking that if it didn’t work we would have to go for one of the heavy-duty products. Thankfully, the Multicrop EcoGrub 3 In 1 Insecticide we purchased did the job, and before long new grass started growing through. Happy days!
3. Dress with topsoil
Dressing your lawn with topsoil is a super important step because it adds much-needed nutrients while also helping to protect new growth.
Spread around one centimetre of good-quality soil over the area leaving the tips of the grass exposed, and use a rake to even it out. We have been using Hortico Lawn Top Dress Mix as well as White River Sand, which helps to level the soil and supports drainage.
4. Fertilise regularly
As part of the treatment, we fertilised every two to three weeks and got serious about our watering – particularly as the weather was starting to heat up.
We have tested a few different fertilisers, but the one we’ve had the best success with is the Seasol Buffalo Lawn Fertiliser (although you might have better luck with a variety that specifically caters to your lawn type).
5. Fill in the gaps
While it was reassuring to see the grass starting to grow back, things didn’t happen overnight. We even purchased a few new strips of buffalo grass to add to the areas that were extra sparse, as Buffalo grass is a creeping variety and is not grown by seed.
A friend recommended putting down some fast-growing winter grass seeds to fill in the gaps and cover up the patches while we waited for the buffalo to take over. We used Munns Professional Sun And Shade Premium Lawn Seed Blend which worked a treat, and before long we had a luscious green lawn again.
6. Keep up regular maintenance
We’ve been consistently fertilising it after we mow (now that we actually have something to mow again!) and we’re taking extra care to get it in good shape before winter. The buffalo grass hasn’t yet taken over the winter grass – but we are hopeful that by summer this year we will once again have a beautiful buffalo grass lawn.
Having been through this process we’ve learnt a few things about maintaining a good lawn – namely that it’s not as simple as you might think. We hope these tips help you to revive your lawn – and if you’ve recently laid new turf, we hope they save you some heartache!
