Walking on healthy, soft, green grass is one of the best feelings, wouldn’t you agree? Having a luscious lawn that’s well taken care of helps tie your backyard together, providing the perfect finish for your plants and trees. Not only is it fantastic to look at, it’s practical too – whether it’s kids, pets or parties, knowing how to care for your lawn is more than just the occasional mow.
You can have a big area dedicated to your lawn or a small, tidy grass patch that completes the garden aesthetic, it’s best to think about what you need or want your lawn to do for you and your family. If you’re not quite sure what lawn is best for your backyard or climate, you have plenty of options to choose from that work for you and find out exactly how to lay it.
The best types of lawn to maintain
Buffalo
One of the newer ‘soft leaf’ lawn varieties that grow well in both cool and warm climates, while tolerating foot traffic and playtime in the garden. Buffalo grows well in shady areas and is an easy lawn to maintain, being a good all-rounder for most backyards.
Couch
This variety grows well in all climates though it needs more lawn maintenance. It requires regular close mowing through the growing season and monitoring to prevent it from spreading into garden beds. Some gardeners choose to poison the edges to prevent it from spreading, which can be effective but not such clean finish. It can also be cut short which is great if you need a children’s play area. Couch is available mixed with a blend of other lawn seeds, including rye, which grows quickly and reduces the chance of weeds before the couch gets established.
Kikuyu
Easy to take care of and a tough variety, this lawn care requires regular mowing in the growing season but it easily handles foot traffic and play very well. Like Couch, this grass is highly invasive and will need to be checked at the borders – it thrives in the sun when well-watered and isn’t a fan of the shade.
Queensland Blue Couch
Beautiful results in warmer climates and has a lovely dark green hue, perfect for an aesthetic grass to create colour and texture to your garden where it’s always warm.
Tall fescue
A soft lawn that doesn’t spread to your garden beds; it’s commonly used for roll-out lawn and it can adapt to a variety of soil types except heavy clay. This grass while beautiful and easy to care for, can only handle a small amount of play or foot traffic. Lawn maintenance for this variety means plenty of water and can handle frost.
Zoysia
This grass variety is great for warm climates and the lawn maintenance is low as it doesn’t grow quickly, as it has dense growth and has a good tolerance for play and foot traffic. Lawn care is easy and tolerates shade and salt well, which is perfect for areas near the beach or pools.
How to lay your lawn like a pro
Knowing how to maintain your lawn starts with having the right foundation and irrigation sprinkler system. The soil preparation is key whether you’re sowing seed or using roll-out grass, which has become quite popular due to it’s moisture-locking virtues which helps the seed grow in smaller areas. Be sure to sow seed or lay turf when the weather in your area is mild, so the growth isn’t interrupted by heat stress or slow growth due to very cold weather conditions.
Break up the soil, removing rocks and any old grass you have in your area, then level it and install your irrigation system for lawn which will help with your lawn’s longevity and makes it easy to water. Bring in sandy loam to cover the area to a depth of around 100mm, but check that the levels are correct to allow for this.
Once this is done, rake it smooth then add lawn starter fertiliser over the area so the seed has a good chance to grow, remember to sow the seed according to the supplier’s instructions. You can hire a seed spreader to ensure even distribution if your area is quite large. Use a rake to lightly touch over the area to ensure the seed is in contact with the soil without moving the seed. Top dress with 2mm of soil to keep the seeds moist and safe from birds or wild weather.
The area needs to be kept moist during the first week until the seeds can sprout, lightly water 2 to 3 times for your best chances, though watering from a sprinkler may be too strong until all the seeds have sprouted. For extra lawn care, keep people and pets off the lawn for at least one month until the lawn is established.
Learn more on how to water or irrigate your lawn.
Buffalo
One of the newer ‘soft leaf’ lawn varieties that grow well in both cool and warm climates, while tolerating foot traffic and playtime in the garden. Buffalo grows well in shady areas and is an easy lawn to maintain, being a good all-rounder for most backyards.
Couch
This variety grows well in all climates though it needs more lawn maintenance. It requires regular close mowing through the growing season and monitoring to prevent it from spreading into garden beds. Some gardeners choose to poison the edges to prevent it from spreading, which can be effective but not such clean finish. It can also be cut short which is great if you need a children’s play area. Couch is available mixed with a blend of other lawn seeds, including rye, which grows quickly and reduces the chance of weeds before the couch gets established.
Kikuyu
Easy to take care of and a tough variety, this lawn care requires regular mowing in the growing season but it easily handles foot traffic and play very well. Like Couch, this grass is highly invasive and will need to be checked at the borders – it thrives in the sun when well-watered and isn’t a fan of the shade.
Queensland Blue Couch
Beautiful results in warmer climates and has a lovely dark green hue, perfect for an aesthetic grass to create colour and texture to your garden where it’s always warm.
Tall fescue
A soft lawn that doesn’t spread to your garden beds; it’s commonly used for roll-out lawn and it can adapt to a variety of soil types except heavy clay. This grass while beautiful and easy to care for, can only handle a small amount of play or foot traffic. Lawn maintenance for this variety means plenty of water and can handle frost.
Zoysia
This grass variety is great for warm climates and the lawn maintenance is low as it doesn’t grow quickly, as it has dense growth and has a good tolerance for play and foot traffic. Lawn care is easy and tolerates shade and salt well, which is perfect for areas near the beach or pools.
Knowing how to maintain your lawn starts with having the right foundation and irrigation sprinkler system. The soil preparation is key whether you’re sowing seed or using roll-out grass, which has become quite popular due to it’s moisture-locking virtues which helps the seed grow in smaller areas. Be sure to sow seed or lay turf when the weather in your area is mild, so the growth isn’t interrupted by heat stress or slow growth due to very cold weather conditions.
Break up the soil, removing rocks and any old grass you have in your area, then level it and install your irrigation system for lawn which will help with your lawn’s longevity and makes it easy to water. Bring in sandy loam to cover the area to a depth of around 100mm, but check that the levels are correct to allow for this.
Once this is done, rake it smooth then add lawn starter fertiliser over the area so the seed has a good chance to grow, remember to sow the seed according to the supplier’s instructions. You can hire a seed spreader to ensure even distribution if your area is quite large. Use a rake to lightly touch over the area to ensure the seed is in contact with the soil without moving the seed. Top dress with 2mm of soil to keep the seeds moist and safe from birds or wild weather.
The area needs to be kept moist during the first week until the seeds can sprout, lightly water 2 to 3 times for your best chances, though watering from a sprinkler may be too strong until all the seeds have sprouted. For extra lawn care, keep people and pets off the lawn for at least one month until the lawn is established.
Learn more on how to water or irrigate your lawn.
