Kikuyu Lawn is patchy

[Sprayman44]

My Kikuyu lawn is very patchy and has lots of thatch. It was laid about 12 months ago, areas have always struggled with growth. But the patchiness seems to be getting worse. I have tried seasol spray and a fertiliser provided to me by the lawn retailer. The edges have never had issues and grow so quickly I’m having to mow weekly. The middle has almost no growth outside of a few dark green patches. It seems to just be producing a lot of thatch, I am beginning to suspect it might be grubs, but again large areas of this lawn have struggled for 6+ months. I have a dethatching rake and have been pulling up what I can, seems to have helped in parts but I don’t understand why it’s producing so much dead material to begin with. Any ideas? 

[Sprayman44]

Also, it gets a lot of water as we have a good irrigation system in place. The block sloped before we retained so there is a thicker layer of loam towards the back. But again, no issues with growth along the edges 

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Sprayman44,

The difference between the middle section and the outer perimeter of your lawn likely holds the key to understanding the issue. While the edges are flourishing, the middle remains patchy, which suggests a problem with water distribution. It’s possible that the edges are receiving additional water from irrigation runoff or overlap from nearby garden beds. On the other hand, the middle section might be getting overwatered, leading to waterlogging and poor drainage, which could hinder healthy growth. To address this, start by checking the soil moisture levels in the main area. Ensure you only water when the soil begins to dry out about 5cm below the surface. This might mean watering every other day during hot periods or as little as once a week in cooler weather.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell