How to revive lawn after weed killer killed grass?

[newbiebunny]

 

First time renter and lawn maintainer! My father told me to spray weed killer around the edges of the property to help with weedeating, so naive me did. Not realising it would kill the grass.. I'm kicking myself over this-- that’s worse that the whole neighborhood has newly planted luscious grass, so it’s an eye sore

Any advice on how to fix this, Whether it be reseeding or whatever. Or could I contact a gardener to fix this? 

Thank you in advance!!

[EricL]

Hello @newbiebunny

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

I'm sorry to hear you've had a bit of a weed killer mishap. It's perfectly alright, it's all part of the learning process. The damage can be fixed and you can get your lovely turf back. First, we need to know what kind of weed killer you used on your turf? Would it be possible for you to post a photo of the container? Next, how long has it been since you sprayed it? 

Generally, most weedkillers have a 72hour evaporation window you can then start to plant anything you want. But to be on the safe side, I recommend at least letting three weeks pass so that the poisons have dissipated from the affected soil. In order to replace the turf that was damaged, you'll need to identify what kind of turf it was. 

I suggest bringing several blades of the grass so that you can match them to the turf available at the store. If the turf is available as a slab you can easily cut out the damaged area using a square edge shovel and place the replacement patch right over the damaged area. The other method is to remove the dead turf using a Pick-Hoe and add Seasol 25L Lawn Top Dress Mix before levelling the soil to re-seed it.

I suggest using an All-purpose lawn seed to patch the damaged area. It takes approximately four weeks for the seeds to cover the area. Here is an excellent discussion for your reference - Lawn recovery with seeds by @prettyliving.

Here is a link to our best advice: How do you control weeds in your garden?

Here is a handy step-by-step guide: How to repair a lawn by @Adam_W

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[newbiebunny]

 Hi Eric, thank you for the reply. This is the stuff I used and it was done about 2-3 weeks ago

[EricL]

Hi @newbiebunny

Thanks for posting a picture of the weedkiller you used. I just need a few more bits of information so we can determine if it's safe to begin repairing your turf. Did you use a sprayer or did you just mix this in a bucket and manually tipped it into the area? Do you remember how much of it you made? Have you been having a lot of rain in your area lately, particularly in the last three weeks?

Although it has been three weeks as you mentioned, if there has been no rain, some of the chemicals may still be present in the soil. If you've not been having any rainfall these past few weeks, I suggest watering the area to make sure that the weedkiller has been diluted into the soil. 

Let me call on our experienced members @Adam_W and @Noelle for their recommendations on when to start repairing your turf.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[newbiebunny]

I used a sprayer. Made a full sprayer bottles worth. But only used 1/4 of it. It’s definitely been raining a lot these past few weeks! 

[Noelle]

Hi @newbiebunny 

According to the NZ retailer's website (https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/kiwi-garden-weedkiller-concentrate-1l/R2677317.html), the product you have used has the following properties:

• Systemic action – Penetrates throughout the weed including the roots
• Broad spectrum – Kills a wide range of weeds
• Leaves no residual – Sprayed area can be seeded or planted straight after spraying
• Highly effective weedkiller
• Economical – When diluted with water 1L of concentrate makes 100L of spray
• Easy to use – Dilute and spray

It does not say on the front label what the active ingredient is (which is unusual, because generally this is a legal requirement, especially in Australia) but I suspect it may be glyphosate, if only from the above listed features. This is not a selective weedkiller so it will kill anything that is sprayed.

If it is glyphosate or similar then it will biodegrade in the soil via microbial action within 2-3 weeks. You should allow at least that time period between spraying and preparing for repairs. Sadly dead grass cannot be revived - you will need to replace it either by sowing lawn seed or laying turf to cover over the areas affected. 

[newbiebunny]

Hello everyone,

Just an update. I’ve sown? the new lawn seed and am waiting to see the results to see if it’d need some more. 

I appreciate your time and advice, thank you!

[EricL]

Hello @newbiebunny

Thank you for the update, if everything proceeds accordingly you should have new turf cover in four weeks. 

Please keep us updated with your progress, we look forward to seeing your garden repaired.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric