Hi there,
We have recently installed fresh sir Walter buffalo grass on our lawn.
We are located in South-West Queensland so it does get quite hot. Black soil
We prepped the soil extremely well (rotary hoe, limestone to bring the ph level up, soil wetter and levelling rake)
We have an automatic watering system which we ran morning and night for 20 minutes each time.
This grass was installed about 8 weeks ago, was going extremely well even after our first mow. Then we mowed a little lower after 4 weeks and we left it unattended for about 8 days over the Christmas break (still watering automatically once a day at 4am) it was extremely hot though. Around 38 degrees average.
I thought it might be sun but some parts are in a lot of shade and others in a lot of sun.
My main question is, do I need to rip out the dead bits? Or persist and it should come back? Let me know please! Thank you!
by Amckillo
2 Comments
It probably still wasn’t enough water.
Plus was probably a little too early to cut it on anything other than highest or 2nd highest setting.
Well, looks like your lawn is having a bit of an identity crisis – some patches living their best life while others are looking a bit brown-hearted! Here’s the root of the matter:
Sir Walter Buffalo is usually tough as nails, but even the hardiest grass can get a case of the summer blues. At 38°C (that’s an absolute scorcher!), once-a-day watering might be leaving your lawn a bit thirsty – it’s like giving someone a sip of water in a sauna and expecting them to feel refreshed!
Don’t get too blade-happy about removing those dead patches just yet. Sir Walter is pretty hardy – it’s got underground runners that can help it bounce back. Here’s what I’d prescribe:
1. Bump up watering to 3 shorter sessions (10 mins each) in the early morning hours
2. Keep mowing height at 50-60mm – let it keep its summer shade umbrella
3. Apply a seaweed-based soil conditioner to help with heat stress
Give it about 2-3 weeks with this regime. If those patches haven’t shown any green signs of life by then, we might need to patch things up (pun intended)!
Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a resilient lawn. You’ve got good bones there with that black soil – just needs a little TLC to get back on track!