Lawn care advice needed

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garrith

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Hi

We have recently moved in to a new home on a large property. The lawn was riddled with those pesky paper thorns, but we have managed to get those under control.

Now with summer on the way I need to get the lawn in order, but I'm not entirely sure where to start. The grass is quite sparse in places with sandy patches where the thorns used to be.

Do I go ahead and start planting instant lawn or should I first go with a lawn dressing or fertiliser to get the existing grass growing and feed the soil before planting the instant lawn?

In total the area is around 1000sqm and due to budget constraints I'm going to have to tackle this in stages.

I'd appreciate your input.

Cheers
 
/following.

My lawn needs attention too. Im considering putting an irrigation system in next year. Right now, grass has taken a beating during the winter.
 
Artificial grass for the win... Everything is fake these days anyway, might as well
 
TBH, best investment was to remove almost all the grass and replace with river rocks/pebbles.
Cheaper to maintain and no annoying grass with weeds in it or cutting it
 
Afon Kulikov said:
TBH, best investment was to remove almost all the grass and replace with river rocks/pebbles.
Cheaper to maintain and no annoying grass with weeds in it or cutting it
Click to expand...

You want the OP to cover his whole yard in rocks and pebbles?
 
garrith said:
Hi

We have recently moved in to a new home on a large property. The lawn was riddled with those pesky paper thorns, but we have managed to get those under control.

Now with summer on the way I need to get the lawn in order, but I'm not entirely sure where to start. The grass is quite sparse in places with sandy patches where the thorns used to be.

Do I go ahead and start planting instant lawn or should I first go with a lawn dressing or fertiliser to get the existing grass growing and feed the soil before planting the instant lawn?

In total the area is around 1000sqm and due to budget constraints I'm going to have to tackle this in stages.

I'd appreciate your input.

Cheers
Click to expand...
What is the root cause? Do you have lots of shade (under trees), lack of water, or high traffic?
 
garrith said:
Hi

We have recently moved in to a new home on a large property. The lawn was riddled with those pesky paper thorns, but we have managed to get those under control.

Now with summer on the way I need to get the lawn in order, but I'm not entirely sure where to start. The grass is quite sparse in places with sandy patches where the thorns used to be.

Do I go ahead and start planting instant lawn or should I first go with a lawn dressing or fertiliser to get the existing grass growing and feed the soil before planting the instant lawn?

In total the area is around 1000sqm and due to budget constraints I'm going to have to tackle this in stages.

I'd appreciate your input.

Cheers
Click to expand...
What lawn do you currently have? Some lawns go dormant during winter but pick up again during warmer months. You can aerate & scarify, - put a bit of top soil or lawn dressing and water over the next few weeks.

If you prefer to replace, Depending on your location, sun/shade area and how you plan on maintaining it (frequency of watering depending on water budget etc) Kikuyu lawn is generally more cost effective, quite popular and fast growing, but struggles in shaded areas.
 
RonSwanson said:
What is the root cause? Do you have lots of shade (under trees), lack of water, or high traffic?
Click to expand...
About half is shaded, but even the sunny areas are in a bad state. I think it's due to a lack of maintenance. They allowed the thorns to take over and I don't think it had been watered much at all.
 
Wide said:
What lawn do you currently have? Some lawns go dormant during winter but pick up again during warmer months. You can aerate & scarify, - put a bit of top soil or lawn dressing and water over the next few weeks.

If you prefer to replace, Depending on your location, sun/shade area and how you plan on maintaining it (frequency of watering depending on water budget etc) Kikuyu lawn is generally more cost effective, quite popular and fast growing, but struggles in shaded areas.
Click to expand...
I think it's Kikuyu, hard to tell as the lawn currently looks like veld. I'm leaning toward doing what you've recommended as the first option. It's going to take longer than replacing, but should be a lot cheaper.
 
garrith said:
About half is shaded, but even the sunny areas are in a bad state. I think it's due to a lack of maintenance. They allowed the thorns to take over and I don't think it had been watered much at all.
Click to expand...
OK, so a mix. Best to use grasses that are suited to the occasion. Kikuyu is cool for full sun and high-ish traffic, if traffic is an issue then put down some paving stones. For shade and under trees, LM-Berea is best, needs a little more water than Kikuyu though. Both can be planted via seed, plugs or if you really want to splurge, get 1mx.5m blocks. Both will spread rapidly.
Weeds can be sorted once the grass has taken, use a broadleaf herbicide.
 
garrith said:
I think it's Kikuyu, hard to tell as the lawn currently looks like veld. I'm leaning toward doing what you've recommended as the first option. It's going to take longer than replacing, but should be a lot cheaper.
Click to expand...
1000sq is pretty large - once you certain its kikuyu, you can rent a decent scarifier from your local tool hire/lawnmower place for a day, alternatively get your own from leroy merlin.
Lawn dressing or top soil will cost quite a bit as you would need about 10m3 or so for the 1000m2.
In the interim may be cheaper to get fertilier with higher phospate for root development
 

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/NotFollowing. I have the Sahara Desert for a lawn...40 days and 40 nights of rain coupled with all the Fecal matter the ANC spews ain't gonna save that Decrepit beast....
 
garrith said:
Thanks for all the advice I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
I'm a lawn guy - nothing beats walking barefoot on a lush, green lawn.

To add my 2c to the above, water generously, but infrequently. You're looking to water about 25mm once per week. And then add a lawn fertilizer - builders had a 7:1:3 going for R120 / 10kg which covers about 500m2.

Since budget is an issue I'd hold off on lawn dressing, scarifying and the like until next season. That way you get one season to see what you need to do before throwing money at it.

The other key is mowing. Assuming kikuyu, mow twice a week at about 3cm.
 
I want to get my lawn going again after winter . Its Kikuyu but I noticed there are patches of clover growing amongst the grass. How do I get rid of the clover?

This week I got a few bags of lawn dressing and laid that down and gave the grass a good water.
 
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