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Over the Winter, we noticed our lawn had become overtaken by clover, weeds and overall wasn’t looking as green or healthy as it was last Summer. We researched for about a month before starting any work and invested in tools and supplies we needed to bring our lawn back for Spring.
Note: We have a Kikuyu lawn so the methods and products used may not be suitable depending on your lawn/grass type.
BEFORE AND AFTER:
Here’s how we tackled our lawn renovation:
Step 1: Identifying the issues with the lawn
- Thick and dense lawn from thatch build up (leaf to soil level was 4+ inches in some areas);
- African Black Beetle and larvae infestation;
- Clover and broadleaf weeds throughout.
Step 2: Treating for weeds and clover
We used the Saxon Patio Weeder to manually pull all the broadleaf weeds (Thistle, Plantain Weed, Dandelion Weed, Cudweed). Generally they are easy to identify - round in growth habit and some are hairy/prickly.
We then sprayed all the whole lawn to target any remaining weeds in particular - White Clover Weed. We used Yates Bindii and Clover Lawn Weedkiller Concentrate and mixed the concentrate in a sprayer bottle.
Note: We avoided spraying for a few days either side of mowing to allow the lawn to recover from the mow before spraying with weedkiller and a few days after to allow the weeds to fully absorb the weed killer product.
Step 3: Scalping the lawn
With a lawn as thick as ours, we had to gradually reduce the cut height over a few weekends leading up to the actual lawn renovation. It would have been difficult to scalp the thick lawn resulting in choking out the rotary mower.
Scalping: We set our mower to the lowest height setting and went over the lawns twice. We had to stop often to empty the catcher because of how much thatch and clippings were being collected. I wouldn't suggest doing this with a battery-operated mower as this process requires you to essentially cut down the entire lawn to almost soil level.
Step 4: Scarifying the lawn
We purchased a Ryobi Scarifier and a couple of 5.0Ah batteries for the scarifying process. The scarifier has stainless steel blades that cut through and remove the thatch and dead material in the lawn. By removing the dead layer of grass that sits on the soil, it allows for more water, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots.
We went over the lawns twice in different directions and didn’t use the catcher that came with the scarifier. Instead, we picked up the dead material with the rotary mower. We ended up removing over 1 trailer load of thatch from the two front lawn areas!
While it may look like we’ve decimated the lawn and there’s nothing left of it, in contrast we’ve only removed all the thatch and dead material to allow the lawn to breathe again. The grass solons/runners still remain within the lawn and will eventually grow and spread out as the lawn recovers. Now that much of the soil is exposed, it will allow for light, air and nutrients to reach the grass roots.
Step 5: Fertilising
We had half a bag of Neutrog Sudden Impact Lawn Fertiliser leftover from last season so we used this slow-release granular fertiliser after scarifying and generously watered it in. This product worked really well for us last year and isn’t as expensive as other lawn fertilisers. It would probably be beneficial to also water in with Seasol or a liquid fertiliser but we didn't have some on-hand at the time.
Step 6 (Week 1): Treating for lawn beetle and larvae
We noticed a lot of magpie activity on the lawn as they would feast on the worms and black beetles. We waited for a rainy day and just before the rains came, we sprinkled a couple of bottles of Richgro Lawn Beetle and Grub Killa Insecticide and if we notice more insect damage throughout the season, will reapply as needed.
Week 1 Recovery:
Step 7 (Week 2): Core-aeration and levelling with sand
After 2 weeks the lawn was starting to recover and fill in but there were still some low spots and dips. So before spreading sand, to level out these areas, we manually core-aerated the lawn. We used the Cyclone Lawn Aerator but struggled to get decent cores as the soil was surprisingly not compacted.
Week 2 Recovery:
We purchased the Ryobi Edger to create the sharp edges.
Step 8: Recovery after lawn renovation
We kept the lawn well-watered, continued to hand pull any weeds that emerged. We mow every 3-4 days to keep the ryegrass down (we still have remnants of other grasses within the Kikuyu from scattering off-the-shelf lawn seed last year). We might have to apply a lawn growth regulator to slow down the growth so we don’t have to mow so often.
To create the stripes, we purchased a (now discontinued) Ryobi cylinder mower and modified it by adding a weighted roller on the back. We spent some time taking it apart and backlapping the cylinder mower with backlapping paste. Backlapping maintains the sharpness of the blades for a sharp scissor-like cut.
Week 3 Recovery:
Week 4 Recovery:
4 weeks after doing the lawn renovation, it has almost fully recovered. There are still some areas which need to thicken out a bit but overall, happy with the recovery after 4 weeks.
In the process of planning for this lawn renovation, we discovered a brick garden bed edge (photo below) that was concealed under the old thick lawn! The side garden bed is still a work in progress while we continue to planting it out.
Tips/Lessons learnt:
- Treat weeds and apply a beetle insecticide before they overtake and decimate the lawn;
- Avoid using off-the-shelf lawn seed unless the grass seed is the same as what is in your existing lawn. Otherwise you’ll end up with a mix of different grasses in your lawn;
- Renovate lawn in the growing season (34°C Rule: Add your low and high degree temperature and if it’s above 34°C consistently, then it’s warm enough to do a lawn renovation);
- For stripes, we purchased a reel mower and modified/added a weighted roller on the back. Alternatively, you can roll over and create the stripes using a water filled roller.
- (For Kikuyu lawns) Maintain a low mowing height and mow often to avoid thatch build up. We made the mistake of mowing higher in the Summer months to maintain a green-looking lawn which resulted in creating a thick, dense and unhealthy lawn.
Mid-season Lawn Update
It’s been a couple of months since we posted a follow-up on the lawn project so we thought we would post an update of the lawn maintenance for anyone interested or currently undertaking their own lawn renovation.
On 27 Nov we resprayed the clover/bindii weeds which resulted in yellowing. We learnt that while the Kikuyu is resistant to the clover weed killer, it still caused it to stress and turn yellow.
Since the lawn was looking pretty worse for wear after the clover weed spray, we applied worm tea from our warm farm (using the Holman QuikMix Spray Gun), Powerfeed and Seasol.
We were excited to get our hands on the dethatcher attachment for the Ryobi scarifier so as soon as it was available for sale in Australia we headed down to our local Bunnings. The dethatcher attachment has spinning metal tines that pull up any lateral above-ground grass roots and excess thatch. It’s far less aggressive than the scarifier tool and we found was great for a general “groom” of the lawn.
The lawn came back quite well after a few weeks however we were having to mow every 2-3 days to maintain the height of cut and remove the Kikuyu seed heads - they looked like thin white hairs that pop up overnight after mowing. Still unsure as to whether this is climate-related (hot days with cold nights), a soil imbalance issue, or just normal for Kikuyu?
Since the grass was growing so fast and mowing every 2-3 days was not feasible for us, over the Christmas and New Year holidays, we applied a plant growth regulator (PGR) - PrimoMaxx Turf Growth Regulator. It worked almost overnight and we only have to once a week now. We also did a foliar application of liquid iron and a wetting agent (on separate days and 24hrs clear of watering and mowing).
We were originally looking for an old Scott Bonnar from the 80s that we could restore as a little project but over the holidays, we came across a great deal and purchased a used Masport Olympic 500 Golf. Although our small patch of grass probably doesn't warrant one of these and the lawn is far from perfect, we figured we probably won't come across one in the near future again. The mower runs great but we'll be doing a service here soon to ensure it continues to tick on for years to come. Thankfully, new replacement parts are available to purchase online as we anticipate needing to replace the bedknife soon.
Thank you for following along our lawn renovation/lawn maintenance process. We're still learning/researching everyday and trying to figure out how to improve so any suggestions or tips you have for us would be greatly appreciated! 😊
Hello @homeinmelbourne,
Thank you for updating us on how your lawn is doing. I'm sure our members will appreciate the level of detail you provided, especially on the steps you took to fix the yellowing and dead patches (a widespread problem) and your inclusion of the products and tools you are using to maintain the lawn.
Look forward to seeing more updates.
Thanks again,
Akanksha
Thank you very much for the update. Your lawn looks fantastic and using the drum mower will give you the perfect manicured lawn. It's like going to the barbershop for the perfect haircut.
Eric
Hi @mich1972 ,
Thank you so much! We've just completed another mini mid-season lawn renovation again and the lawn has almost completely recovered. It involved a height of cut reset, scalp and scarify - we will core aerate and top dress next growing season but not this time around.
For anyone interested or following along, here's how the mid-season lawn renovation is going:
6 February - Before mid-season lawn renovation:
6 February - Scalped, scarified, applied slow-release granular fertiliser and sprayed liquid soil wetter
We took the lawn back down to soil level, scarifying to remove the above and below ground thatch, tearing through the horizontal stolons and breaking up the rhizome layer below ground to allow water, air and nutrients to reach the roots. It looks drastic but it's a great feeling starting from scratch and knowing that the lawn can breathe and come back a lot healthier in just a couple of weeks.
8 February - 2 days after mid-season reno:
10 February - 4 days after mid-season reno:
11 February - 5 days after mid-season reno:
13 February - 7 days after mid-season reno:
15 February - 9 days after mid-season reno:
22 February - 16 days after mid-season reno:
- Recovery as of yesterday (22 February) is at about 85%-90% coverage which is quite quick considering we sprayed PGR not too long ago. I think the recent heat we've received in Victoria has helped boost the recovery growth.
- Height of cut is reset at 14mm which we hope to maintain over the dormant Winter months coming up.
- Treated with Accelepryn to address the black beetle larvae and prevent further damage.
It might seem daunting to take a lawn back down to dirt and while it looks bad at the start, it always comes back greener, healthier and stronger. 🙂
Thank you so much for the update, your lawn looks immaculate and the stripe pattern looks amazing.
Eric
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