How to know what lawn type is growing on your property

Observe your lawn closely

Keeping a close eye on the lawn helps you identify your lawn type to a great extent. You get familiar with the greenery prevailing there and start learning the plants’ growing patterns and the grass. Staying close to nature also brings a positive attitude to your personality.

You also start diagnosing the problems that your lawn would probably have been facing: it helps you act to save your yard without late. Learn the growing and flourishing patterns of your lawn and keep yourself busy in yard’s maintenance. It won’t just allow you to spend time in a great way, but will also enable you to learn and understand a lot about your garden.

Identify your turf

Different types of grass require different mowing heights and lawn treatments. You need to identify your lawn’s grass in order to perform correct lawn operations. Learn the growing seasons and the favourable conditions in which your turf performs well.

As most of the Australian regions are warmer, warm-season grasses grow well in Australian lawns. Warm-season grasses such as Zoysia, Buffalo, Couch grow best at 25-35°C.

There are many different kinds of grass, and most lawns have a combination of them. It’s essential to understand your grass variety so that you can select the appropriate treatment for your yard. For example, if you choose a winter weed control for a warm-season yard, you might potentially damage it.

The following are the most common grass types found in Australia. Within these grass groups, there are several variations to choose between – all of which carry their own specific features and characteristics to the table.

Australian homeowners have a wide range of grass varieties available to choose between that fit several different environments and lifestyles. Below is a summary of each kind of grass in Australia and its corresponding types: move through it to discover yours.

Buffalo grasses

Buffalo grass is a favourite type of turf in Australia. It is considered to be robust and easy to grow and maintain. Buffalo grass is best remembered for its broad leaf blade.

Buffalo grass lawns also referred to several reports in past times about its scratchy appearance, which was often extremely irritating to the skin, particularly to the skin of young kids who played the most on it.

Those days are long gone; the new soft Buffalo grasses are no more annoying, rather gentle and playful, and can make a lovely, green lawn when adequately cared for.

Appearance

Soft leaf Buffalo grasses usually have a large leaf that is rounded in shape and has been developed to be soft to the touch and underfoot. Buffalo grasses also have an expanding growth pattern, with both rhizomes and stolons.

The average leaf size of the large leaf Buffalo grass is anywhere from 7 mm wide or above. Examples of Buffalo grasses with a large leaf are Prestige and Palmetto Soft Leaf Buffalo. The other common Buffalo grass with a medium-wide leaf is Sapphire Soft Leaf Buffalo.

Zoysia grasses

Zoysia grass had a rocky start to Australia, even though it has been in the region for quite a long time. This was possibly due to the titles it was given at the beginning of its arrival. Names such as Manilla grass, Korean grass and Temple grass haven’t ever resonated with Australians – possibly since they seem more appropriate for ornamental grass than for home-grown lawns.

Zoysia is exceptionally heat-tolerant, is significantly smoother for lawn mowing, has very low fertiliser requirements, and is salt and drought-tolerant. It looks good throughout the year in warm areas. It can be ignored in winter can be abused and recovered.

Zoysia grass has a much broader leaf blade than Couch, which is tapered to its tip. It’s a warm-season lawn that loves all the warmer areas of Australia, but not the cooler parts. Zoysia has both above and below surface rhizomes that significantly contributes to its low water consumption, drought tolerance and restoration.

Appearance

Zoysia grasses can be identified by the tip of their pointed leaf. Zoysia grasses also have a compact, expanding growth pattern with both stolons and rhizomes.

Usually, the size of the leaf of Zoysia grass falls between the two ranges of fine and medium. Fine-medium leaf size varies from 4mm to 7mm and includes Zoysia grasses such as Empire and Nara Native. Fine leaf category is the thinnest of all leaf forms and usually less than 4mm, grasses such as Augusta Zoysia fall into this group.

Kikuyu grasses

Kikuyu turf was another one of the standouts of Australian lawns in past times, and still today. Kikuyu turf is titled after the most common ethnic grass category in Kenya.

Kikuyu has a moderate leaf width, a greenish leaf colour, is very gentle and loves the temperature, moisture and sunlight. It is also highly adaptable with the potential to thrive in very weak soil types.

Kikuyu may be of high maintenance as it may need frequent mowing of the lawn during the summer months. However, Kikuyu is very common in parks and ovals, and homes with heavy wear and tear requirements for the lawn, such as having big dogs and busy hard-playing children.

Male Sterile Kikuyu is a pleasant addition to the team of Kikuyu. It is of more outstanding quality than regular familiar Kikuyu turf. It has inert seed heads so that it cannot replicate a new lawn anywhere if the seed spreads – such as the lawn of your neighbour or the open environment.

Appearance

Kikuyu grasses enjoy full light, have a fine-medium leaf blade (between 4mm-7mm) and a thick, expanding growth pattern of both stolons and rhizomes.

Kikuyu grasses also have a pointer leaf tip similar to other grasses, such as Buffalo. An example of Kikuyu grass with a fine-medium leaf blade is Kenda. Unlike standard Kikuyu, Kenda is developed to be sterile and produces minimum seed head which reduces its likelihood of encroaching on neighbouring properties or creating trouble for people with allergies.

Couch grasses

Couch grass has always been a common form of lawn based on its low price, longevity and ease of care. It can also be meant to provide the highest level lawn without even a lot of problems. It is a fine leaf lawn with some outstanding qualities.

It is fast-growing grass with the ability to withstand wear and tear. It gets repaired quickly and can develop a beautiful lawn when handled appropriately and mowed periodically.

Couch needs regular mowing of the lawn in hotter seasons, and detaching when required is also a fantastic strategy. Couch grass would also need an excellent year-round fertilising routine to keep flourishing; otherwise, it will quickly become robust, thin and messy. Couch may slip right underneath fences, into garden beds and other places that are not your lawn. This is because of the aggressive underground runners that this grass is famous for.

Appearance

Couch grass has a very fine pointy leaf tip and a standard leaf size of just under 4mm. Couch turfs have a very evasive growth pattern, with rhizomes and stolons expanding.

Learn when your lawn grows

Different grass varieties grow at different periods of the year. It is necessary to feed the turf at the right moment to drive the growth and to produce a thick, green lawn.

Warm-season grasses grow more aggressively during the warmer months. Start feeding in the spring and proceed every six to eight weeks before early autumn.

Though most cool-season grasses are not preferred in Australia, some varieties may still perform well. Cool-season grasses grow more strongly in fall and spring, with a potential to fall asleep during the heat of the summer. Feed twice in the spring and twice in the autumn. In summer, feed each six to eight weeks only if you water the turf to keep it thriving.

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