How to repair the Buffalo lawn?

[waltercflui]

I have two problems on my buffalo lawn:

1) Perhaps I might not have watered the lawn enough. Some are withered / brown after a few weeks of dry spring.

2) The lawn under a tree are patchy/sparse

What can I do to repair and restore the green lawn?

Thank you so much!

Walter

[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

[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 ?

[MitchellMc]

That's enough lawn feeder for now @waltercflui. It's important to base your watering schedule on the moisture retained in the soil. Since we are unsure if it's being overwatered, before you water it, stick your finger in the soil. If it's damp/wet, don't water if it's almost completely dry water.

Mitchell