How can buffalo lawn be dethatched without harming the runners?

[frankieg]

I have a buffalo lawn that’s looking pretty ratty so I thought that maybe I’ll try dethatching it for the very first time.

I just ordered the WOLF-Garten Multi-Star 35cm wide Scarifying Roller Rake last week at my local Bunnings, but now I’m wondering if scarifying / dethatching is suitable for grass types like Buffalo that have above-ground runners.

Surely the tines of the rake will just rip through the runners? How can such a lawn not be harmed by scarifying / dethatching it? Surely scarifying / dethatching is only suitable for different grass types?

Community manager's note: Check out How to dethatch your lawn for expert advice.

[EricL]

Hello @frankieg

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's fabulous to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about dethatching your Buffalo lawn.

Before I make any recommendations, would it be possible for you to post a photo of your lawn? In this manner, our members will be able to see its current condition. We can then offer you suggestions on how to revive your lawn. It would also be helpful if you can tell us the lawn's current condition, Is it spongy when stepped on? Are there any bald patches? Any information you can offer will add to a better diagnosis of the health of your turf.

Thatch occurs when grass runners grow over the top of each other, killing the runners underneath. Ideally, Sir Walter Buffalo requires dethatching at least every 2 years, but sometimes it needs to be done earlier due to the buildup of thatch. Using a WOLF-Garten Multi-Star 35cm wide Scarifying Roller Rake is one way to dethatch your lawn. It is unavoidable that some of the runners will get cut or dragged when you pull the Scarifying rake. One other method is to put your lawnmower to a lower level. But not so low that you kill your lawn.  

Scarification does two things. It breaks open the surface of the soil allowing air nutrients and water to penetrate into the soil. It also removes excess thatch. You're absolutely correct when you say that not all grass needs to be detached. Depending on the current state of the lawn dethatching is a necessary step to keep your lawn healthy.

We look forward to seeing photos of your lawn.

Eric

[pstq]

How old is the lawn? We put in buffalo grass about 15 years ago. It's fairly thick now, but I like it. It makes it resistant to damage from the dog digging or us dragging things across it. Is it ok to just let it get thicker, or can it end up killing it?

[EricL]

Hello @pstq

One sign that the thatch has grown too thick is when the turf starts to turn brown. Even with steady watering, it will not turn green or recover. If no action is taken, the lawn will die off. 

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to care for buffalo lawn

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Jason]

Just thought I'd also tag our resident lawn care expert @Adam_W into this discussion.

Were you able to share a photo of your lawn for us @frankieg? Please let me know if you need a hand uploading an image.

Thanks,

Jason

[frankieg]

Great. Thank you. I’ll take some photos this week and upload them. Shouldn’t have any problems uploading the photos.

Calling it a buffalo lawn may be a bit of a stretch, however. I’m only guessing it’s buffalo grass as it has only runners (stolons) which are reddish in colour at the joints, no underground rhizomes. Also, calling it a “lawn” is a stretch too: it’s 50% weeds. White clover, bindii, paspalum, and lots of others too which I can’t identify. I pull the weeds I can out (I don’t use poisons) but I don’t ever get close to eliminating them altogether.

[frankieg]

Here are some photos. As I said, it barely deserves the name ‘lawn’!

[frankieg]

Oh, and to answer your questions. It’s not spongy as far as I can tell. There are bare patches and there are those dead grass patches that you can see in the photos. There are at least 8 or 9 different types of weeds. The large ones like dock, dandelion, paspalum, etc. I can get out by hand. The clover and the other smaller weeds are hard to know what to do with, as is the weed that has very thin runners like grass (the runners are not much thicker than a wire really) which I don’t know the name of.

[EricL]

Hello @frankieg

Let's do a quick assessment of the condition of your lawn. Based on the photos you've posted and the conditions you've mentioned. I believe this lawn will need to be treated in several steps. 

• First, we need to aerate the soil using Saxon Lawn Aerator Sandals. This will open up the soil and allow air and nutrients down into the roots.

• Use Yates 4L BuffaloPro Hose On Lawn Weed Killer. This will kill off most of the weeds. The issue that presents itself is, how much actual turf do you have left and is it worth trying to treat your remaining turf? Think carefully as using this weed killer might reveal that you have very little turf left.

• When all the weeds have been removed and you have a better idea of how much turf you have left you can either use Turf Seed or patch it up with a slab of Sir Walter Buffalo Turf. 

At the moment I think thatching is not the major issue in your garden. I believe you'll need to address the weed infestation first and then you can start treating your lawn.

Let me tag our experienced member @Adam_W for his recommendations on how to treat your lawn.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[frankieg]

Thanks for this. I actually have the Saxon Lawn Aerator Roller already and am thinking about getting the Cyclone Tubular Steel Lawn Aerator instead as it will actually make holes rather than mostly just run along the top of the lawn like the roller aerator does.

So I will aerate first and then let you know how I go. Thanks again.