How to improve couch lawn?

[mickyg]

Below are some pictures of front lawn - Couch. 

1st from 24th November - weeds and poorly maintained couch. No TLC. 

2nd from 2nd Dec - (not in order) Seasol, weed removal, watering, aerate, seed. Had already seen improvement! 

3rd from 7th Dec (today) - After a fresh mow. 

My plan was so dethatch/scarify next using Ryobi. So was given a low cut but wondering if this is the best way to go about it? Few bald spots, particularly around the garden bed where it’s really moist. We have a very large tree on our nature strip so perhaps not providing enough sunlight in these areas. It’s been fairly tropical (Geelong VIC) and with plenty of rain and hot weather. Wondering what’s the next move? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JacobZ]

Hi @mickyg,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is brilliant to have you join us.

You can already see the progress in your lawn which is fantastic.

Your plan to dethatch and scarify your lawn is exactly what I would recommend. In your last few photos, you can see just how much brown dead grass is sitting between the green stuff, this is thatch. Removing this will help aerate and create room for new green growth to come through. The Ryobi One+ 18V Brushless Cordless Scarifier is a great option for this, or you could use this Cyclone Timber Handle Long Thatching Rake as an alternative. Check out How To Dethatch Your Lawn for some guidance.

Once the lawn has been dethatched, you might consider topdressing it to level out any low spots where water can pool and cause issues with your lawn. Use a top-dressing mix like this Seasol 25L Lawn Top Dress Mix alongside a soil spreader to level out any low spots. The spots under the trees will also greatly benefit from the application of topsoil. Check out How To Aerate And Top Dress Your Lawn for some guidance.

After these steps, regular watering and mowing will help encourage sideways movement from your lawn to the spots where thatch has been removed. Keeping a consistent height of cut will train your grass to put its energy into sideways growth which will thicken your lawn up over time.

My last suggestion is to apply Lawn Solutions Oxafert Herbicide And Fertiliser following the manufacturer's instructions for application. Oxafert is a combination fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide. It will provide nutrients to your lawn while preventing weeds from appearing. This is a fantastic product that is definitely worth trying out.

You might like to have a look through the Lawn section of D.I.Y. advice on our website, which contains a wealth of information on a variety of lawn topics and issues.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob

[mich1972]

Good afternoon @mickyg You can definitely see a difference from starting to now ! Heaps better, it just takes time mate.  Jacob has given good advice. Keep in touch, can’t wait to see what it looks like in a couple of weeks 🌿🌿😀

[mickyg]

Thank you so much! Dethatch this week with a fert, plenty of water and regular mowing, we’ll see what it brings! Fingers crossed 🤞 😊

[mickyg]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write back! All makes sense and keen get that all ticked off 😊 thanks again, appreciate it!