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I installed new bufallo instant lawn in October in the front and the back of the house. It all looked fine so I stopped watering it everyday with the sprinklers after the first 3 weeks and changed to every 3 day cycle. Found the grass to start yellowing and heads developing so I started watering every day again. Everything came back perfectly except a few spots in the front lawn. I remember I saw some scrubs when I was rotary hoing the garden at the prep stage of the instant lawn installed. I thought this was h the e reason so I bought Scott’s lawn builder scrub + insect + fertiliser. It doesn’t seem to do anything after 2 dosage. I tried adding richo sulfate of amonia still the same. Any other ideas I should try?
Hello @quacka
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your questions about your lawn.
It sounds like you did a solid job establishing your buffalo lawn, but those persistent yellow patches could be caused by a few different factors. Since you already suspected grubs early on and treated with Scott’s Lawn Builder Grub + Insect + Fertiliser twice without seeing results, it’s worth considering whether something else is at play.
If the affected areas are not bouncing back like the rest of the lawn, check if the grass is easily pulling up from the soil. If it lifts away with no resistance, it could mean root damage from grubs, and in that case, a stronger treatment like Richgro Lawn Beetle & Grub Killa might be more effective. If the roots are still intact, the issue may be more related to watering, soil health, or a fungal problem.
Buffalo grass is generally drought-tolerant, but daily watering after establishment can sometimes cause shallow root development, making it more vulnerable to stress when watering frequency changes. Since the rest of the lawn recovered with extra watering, but those patches didn’t, try using a soil wetter like Seasol Super Soil Wetter & Conditioner to improve moisture penetration, especially if the soil is compacted or hydrophobic.
If you’ve already applied sulphate of ammonia without much improvement, nitrogen deficiency is unlikely the cause. However, if the grass is looking thin rather than just yellow, aerating those areas and applying a top dressing of a sandy loam mix or a light application of lawn soil from Bunnings can encourage new growth.
Fungal issues can also cause persistent yellow patches, especially in humid conditions. If you notice a soft or slimy texture to the affected areas, or if there’s any white or grey mould-like growth early in the morning, a broad-spectrum fungicide like Yates Mancozeb Plus could help.
Lastly, if none of these solutions work, consider testing the soil pH with a kit from Bunnings. Buffalo grass prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (around 5.5 to 7). If the pH is too high or low, using either lime (for acidic soil) or sulphur (for alkaline soil) can help bring things back into balance.
Since your lawn responded well to more frequent watering, try keeping those patches a little more moist than the rest of the lawn while also ensuring deep watering rather than just surface soaking. That should help determine whether the issue is moisture-related or something else.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
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