How to repair buffalo lawn?

[montyy]

 

 

What is the best way to repair our buffalo lawn?

We have several dirt patches which seam to be not repairing. I have tried fertilising and seasol lawn applicators but it doesn’t want to bounce back.

I removed a large section of the dead grass which I could almost pull up like it was a turf roll. I suspect when we bought the property around November 24 that the turf was laid for selling purposes.

The lawn gets at least 2-3 hours of sun per day in all sections depending on position of the sun.

Should I pull up the whole area and redo it properly by aerating, new soil and turf?

Any other suggestions?

First time dealing with lawn issues like this!

[JacobZ]

Hi @montyy,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for your question.

There is absolutely no need to remove the soil and start again. It looks like you have some low spots, compacted soil and potentially drainage issues. The fact you could lift it quite easily indicates the roots had struggled to break through to the soil beneath, likely due to compaction of the soil.

What I would suggest is aerating then top dressing your lawn. You can use How To Aerate And Top Dress Your Lawn as a guide.

This process will allow oxygen to get to the roots, help with drainage and level any low spots in your lawn. With better soil conditions, the roots will extend sideways, and the bare patches will begin to fill in.

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

Jacob

[montyy]

Hi Jacob,

While I will relay the sections of dead grass, would you recommend when aerating that we use a mixture of soil/sand?

Once we top soil and aerate should the buffalo grow back over the dirt sections?

Is spring the best time of the year to do this?

Should I fertilise the soil when top soiling or some time after?

Thanks!

[JacobZ · Accepted solution]

Hi @montyy,

Start by aerating everything. Both the bare areas and the areas with grass will benefit. This will break up the soil, allowing better drainage and encouraging better root growth.

When everything has been aerated, apply a mix of topsoil and sand around 50mm thick to the bare section and a thin layer around 10-20mm thick over the existing grass. Use a soil spreader to level and spread the soil and sand mix. The mixture will provide a good base for the roots of the new turf to grow into, and it will level and add nutrients to the already existing grass.

As long as the soil mixture is spread thinly over the existing buffalo so that the leaves can still poke through and it doesn't suffocate it, the grass will grow thicker and bounce back beautifully.

Spring is usually the best time to start work on your lawn, but it is not too late now. Grass grows predominantly in the warmer months, going dormant throughout Winter. While your time for improvements is nearing an end, depending on your location, Autumn is still usually warm enough for your grass to grow, and you should be fine if you start the work as soon as possible.

I would hold off on fertilising as most topsoil mixes have some fertiliser already mixed in. Over fertilising can burn the grass and cause more harm than good.

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

Jacob