Front Yard Grass Turned Brown - Please Help!

[Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 11:26
Last edited 12/10/2017 - 11:50 by 1 other user

Hello OzB'ners,

We had Buffalo Kakadu grass installed in Aug 2017 by a landscaper. Initially it looked all good but now it has almost turned brown. I water it for almost an hour everyday as I thought it wasn't getting enough water or has been very dry lately in Sydney due to no rains. I also put in Hortico fertiliser a week ago to see if it helps but it didn't.

The issue is in the front yard however the backyard seems to be ok. There are some brown patches there but not as bad as the front yard.

Ozbargainers, I need your expert advise. What can be done to improve this situation? It is already giving me grief and stress.

Click on the link to view pic:

Home & Garden

Comments

  • altomic on 12/10/2017 - 11:37

    Buffalo Lawn Turning Brown
    There are two main reasons buffalo lawn will turn brown, these are due to lawn care practices, or lack thereof, or will be due to the buffalo turf itself, either the wrong buffalo grass brand is being grown or we're growing buffalo in the wrong region - or a combination of both.
    Second behind this will be things such as lawn disease and lawn pests which may be responsible for the buffalo lawn turning brown, but these things generally present themselves differently than just as a lawn which is brown or isn't holding its green colour throughout the year.
    So in repairing a buffalo lawn which is brown, our first course of action is to begin to implement a good year round lawn care regimen for our buffalo turf, and paying special attention to the pre-winter and mid-winter fertilising for the lawn. And then if the problem persists, we can then move onto other possible causes for our buffalo lawn turning brown.

  • nocure on 12/10/2017 - 11:43
    +11

    Too much water OP, just a good deep water once a week is plenty, I would be checking for lawn grub.
    Mine

    • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 11:54

      We were advised to put in water everyday for the first 6 weeks and then reduce it to once or twice a week.
      PS - Your lawn looks amazing !!

      • nocure on 12/10/2017 - 11:58
        +5

        Thanks, Another one heaps of Scott's Lawn Builder.

        • montorola on 12/10/2017 - 13:07
          +2

          Dude, your backyard looks like a holiday retreat in itself!!!

    • Scab on 12/10/2017 - 11:56
      +3

      Your yard looks lovely, wish mine was like that.

      • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 13:24
        +1

        I wish people would leave comments like this for my lawn :(

    • lolmao on 12/10/2017 - 12:00

      this is nice

    • purplelady on 12/10/2017 - 12:53

      I can't even say if I have grass more or weeds more in my lawn -_-

      How do I differentiate them if they look like grass? I know which one is clover or dandelion, but the ones looking like grass?

    • bluesky on 12/10/2017 - 18:34
      +1

      Wow! Your lawn looks emaculate and lush :-)

      • Euphemistic on 14/10/2017 - 09:27

        Not sure if wanting to say immaculate or emancipated.

        • bluesky on 14/10/2017 - 14:38

          SP … immaculate meant. Fingers will do their own thing :-)

          emaculate looks like similar word perhaps hardly used anymore, although not what I want to type.

  • Toons on 12/10/2017 - 12:06

    everyone i know this has happened too including me at a few properties has been lawn beetle, I'm in WA so i can't say if it's the same over there, as soon as it happens give it a spray they start surfacing pretty quickly, so even if you wanted to try a sample patch overnight you might get the answer

    they start off as patches and get bigger

    Bunnings will have the stuff the garden centres are fairly good with advice or have been in my experience.

  • one man clan on 12/10/2017 - 12:13

    It looks pretty dry to me.

    Putting fertiliser on a stressed plant can cause more problems. Seasol is better.

    At this stage you are probably going to have to replace that lawn. Did they prepare it with top soil etc or just roll it out onto old hard soil? It may not have been properly prepared.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 13:28

      Honestly, not too sure. I wasn't home when the did the lawn. But most likely yes and they had got the soil delivered.

  • Squidmcsproggen on 12/10/2017 - 12:15

    over watering
    water for 10 minutes every 4 hours during daylight hours when newly laid
    reduce to twice a day after 2 weeks
    Buffalo doesn't like too much water

  • myusername on 12/10/2017 - 12:36

    seasol for the win

    https://www.seasol.com.au/

  • supnigs super skids on 12/10/2017 - 12:39

    needs a sunny spot too. its hard to grow when its mostly shady

    • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 13:26

      In the later part of the day, the sunlight reaches all over the front yard.

  • Nugs on 12/10/2017 - 14:11

    "We had Buffalo Kakadu grass installed in Aug 2017 by a landscaper"

    and the landscaper said……

    • [Deactivated] on 12/10/2017 - 14:37

      What do you mean?

      • onetwothreefour on 12/10/2017 - 14:48
        +1

        What did he say when you asked him why it's gone brown?

  • Euphemistic on 12/10/2017 - 16:27

    Isn't buffalo growing season just about to kick off? We haven't really had the weather for growing lawns either.

  • bluesky on 12/10/2017 - 18:29

    Not sure about your situation - but in general, I notice neighbours who cut the grass too short/scalp their lawns have rather unhealthy-looking lawns. By leaving it a bit longer, and mow more often at a taller grass height, the lawn will improve. A self-mulching lawnmover also seems to really improve the lawn.

  • sirrah on 13/10/2017 - 11:14

    If your lawn is brown in patches or spots, may very well be a fungus (sometimes called "Dollar Spot" Get fungicide from Bunnings and spray your lawn. Quick recovery

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