Loosing the battle

[multiweb]

Hi there, first post here. I need some help with a weed problem in my front lawn. I'm located in Sydney - Australia. I used to have a beautiful buffalo lawn (pre 2003). Then in 2004 I extended my house one level up. The front lawn was like a war zone from December 2003 to June 2004. Then we had 3-4 years of drought until it rained again in 2009 onwards. The lawn took a serious hit. Since then I never managed to get it back to its former glory. I tried everything. Top soil, coring, re-seeding, cow manure. My problem is weeds. I can't win. Last autumn I hand picked them all and thought I made it but this winter they came out again out of nowhere and I have more weeds than lawn. I really don't know what to do so I though I'd join this forum see what I'm doing wrong. Thanks for any pointers.

[Duekster]

Buffalo does not like traffic. If you over fertilize it then weeds often take over. Cow manure is often full of weeds you have never seen or heard of before.

You should start with a pre-emergent to break the weed cycle. Not sure of the products or timing down under.

Also not sure of the weed control products you have at your disposal. There are some mixes of professional products to give a broad spectrum release.

Fertilization should deliver about 2 pounds of N / K a season split and applied 6 to 8 weeks apart. Mow at 2 inches for a while to get the buffalo to fill in.

If you are going to use compost then make sure it is fully cooked to reduce the weed pressure, particularly cow manure.

[Smallaxe]

If you have to pull weeds, then put down the seed in the bare spot where the weed was... Clean up one small area at a time so it is correctly germinated and irrigated, then expand from there...
Typically I'm able to seed in small spots all summer long, but this year it is so hot with the sun scorching everything that I haven't even attempted it... I'm hoping soon that we'll be filling in thin areas, then going for renovations later...

Your climate and type of turf is like you're in a foriegn country,,, so it is difficult to say anything more than general principles...

[multiweb]

Thanks very much for the quick replies. I've learnt more in 5 minutes than the past 6 months Main weed with tough roots seems to be clover.

Originally Posted by Smallaxe

If you have to pull weeds, then put down the seed in the bare spot where the weed was... Clean up one small area at a time so it is correctly germinated and irrigated, then expand from there...
Typically I'm able to seed in small spots all summer long, but this year it is so hot with the sun scorching everything that I haven't even attempted it... I'm hoping soon that we'll be filling in thin areas, then going for renovations later...

Your climate and type of turf is like you're in a foriegn country,,, so it is difficult to say anything more than general principles...

Thanks. It makes a lot of sense to break down the treatment in smaller areas.I always tried to spray/seed as wide as I could with what the quantity of product I had. Will try that next.

Originally Posted by Duekster

Buffalo does not like traffic. If you over fertilize it then weeds often take over. Cow manure is often full of weeds you have never seen or heard of before.

You should start with a pre-emergent to break the weed cycle. Not sure of the products or timing down under.

Also not sure of the weed control products you have at your disposal. There are some mixes of professional products to give a broad spectrum release.

Fertilization should deliver about 2 pounds of N / K a season split and applied 6 to 8 weeks apart. Mow at 2 inches for a while to get the buffalo to fill in.

If you are going to use compost then make sure it is fully cooked to reduce the weed pressure, particularly cow manure.

Thanks. It never occured to me that the manure would be part of the problem, so was overfeeding that I'm also guilty of. What is a pre-emergent? Something to kill the weeds' seeds before they come up?

[MOW ED]

Hi there, a pre emergent is just about like you said. It interrupts the weed cycle when weeds are in their seed form. Also keep this in mind when you put grass seed down. Depending on the product you use, many pre emergents will not let the good seeds grow either. Dimension. Team-Pro. Pendamethalin. are a few names of pre-emergents. I am not sure of the rules and regulations in your country but we have to be certified to commercially apply. Homeowners can get access to unregulated chemicals but I just want to give you a suggestion to please read and follow all application directions to the letter. Use proper protective gear weather it be gloves mask ect and only apply as the label states. No need to sicken yourself, your family or neighbors by a bad application.

I also agree with the above on the cow manure being a major contributor to the weed population. Good luck with the lawn.

[Duekster]

Originally Posted by multiweb

Thanks very much for the quick replies. I've learnt more in 5 minutes than the past 6 months Main weed with tough roots seems to be clover.


Thanks. It makes a lot of sense to break down the treatment in smaller areas.I always tried to spray/seed as wide as I could with what the quantity of product I had. Will try that next.



Thanks. It never occured to me that the manure would be part of the problem, so was overfeeding that I'm also guilty of. What is a pre-emergent? Something to kill the weeds' seeds before they come up?

Yes, Pre's stop germination of seeds. Breaks to weed cycle.