Winter Grass in Lawns
Winter grass is a highly common weed in most lawns throughout Australia. It has a bright green leaf which is very soft in it's early life cycle, and will most commonly appear ...
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Buffalo grass can be quite good at outcompeting many weed types. However, once a Buffalo lawn begins to lose some of its health and vigour, many weed types can then invade the turf very quickly and abundantly. In this Buffalo weeds article, we’ll cover some of the best and most effective means of killing Buffalo lawn weeds as quickly as possible. While tackling all weed types in the proper order.
Before beginning weed treatments, we want to fertilise the lawn first. This will achieve two different desired results. First, it will increase the success rate of the weed killers by a large degree. Second, it promotes the health and vigour of the turf bringing it back to full health faster, thus allowing the turf to naturally outcompete weeds on its own.
Fertilise the lawn 3 to 7 days before beginning weed treatments.
The biggest family of weeds are called Broadleaf weeds. The term ‘Broadleaf Weeds’ refers to characteristics which many weed types have in common. Many different weeds can fall into this category such as Bindii, Clover, Catsear, Dandelion and various others.
Because so many weed types fall into the category of Broadleaf weeds, these are the weeds we will first target with a Broadleaf Weed Killer designed for safe use on Buffalo grass.
A Buffalo Broadleaf Herbicide will cost around $15. The solution is diluted in water in a large spray bottle with a wand attachment for spraying. The weed spray is then applied to the Buffalo lawn as per manufacturer’s guidelines, being careful not to apply too much, nor too little. Therefore be sure to measure the lawn before mixing the required herbicide.
Within 2 to 3 weeks, we’ll begin to see our weeds dying off. But we can’t rest on our achievements just yet. A closer look at the turf will reveal some younger weeds emerging, and some weed types that were sprayed – not dying. This is normal. Broadleaf weeds such as Oxalis can require 3 to 4 treatments to control.
We want to apply a second application of Buffalo Safe Herbicide 2 to 3 weeks after the first. This will give a double hit for those harder-to-kill weeds, which improves the chances of killing them, plus it will also kill off, very quickly, those younger weeds.
Before killing Winter Grass in the Buffalo lawn, we must first allow the lawn to rest for at least a few weeks from the previous weed treatment.
Winter Grass Weed Killer should be mixed in a watering can as per manufacturer’s recommendations, and applied to the lawn. The herbicide is then watered into the lawn where it interacts with the roots of Winter Grass to kill the weed.
Winter Grass can only be treated pre-emergent in May, or otherwise in June or July. Once past these months the plant will become too mature and too strong and will easily resist all treatment methods
When we have the majority of weeds under control, it’s time to tackle some of the more difficult weed types which may require specialist sprays, or other treatments.
Weeds such as Nutgrass can now be treated, being very careful to allow the lawn to rest and recover between different weed treatments.
Kikuyu invasions in Buffalo grass can be treated any time throughout this entire process. This is because we do not use a weed spray on the Kikuyu which would otherwise go into the soil or onto the rest of the Buffalo turf.
Instead Kikuyu will need to be carefully hand painted with Glyphosate weed killer.
We do this by mixing the Glyphosate in a sturdy and safe container, wearing rubber gloves and dipping our gloved hand into the weed killer and gently wiping over the Kikuyu. Alternatively, we can use a small paint brush to carefully paint the roots and stems of the Kikuyu grass – always being very careful not to spill any Glyphosate onto the lawn. Glyphosate will kill any plant or lawn it comes into contact with.
These weed treatments will effectively kill the majority of weeds in heavily infested Buffalo lawns. We just need to be careful to space out the treatments to allow the turf enough time to recover between these poisons being applied.
While undertaking these weed treatments, we should also be actively trying to bring the lawn back to full health, which simply involves following good lawn care practices.
A strong healthy Buffalo lawn will naturally fight off many weed types on its own.
We began by fertilising the turf. Be sure to follow-up fertilising every 2 months, using a good quality lawn fertiliser with trace elements.
Mow the lawn regularly, as this promotes green leaf growth, and removes many seeds from many weed types before they have an opportunity to reinfect our lawns.
Check watering, that the lawn is receiving enough water, as well as not too much. Aim to water the lawn deeply and less often. An application of Wetting Agents will also help the lawn soil distribute water throughout its profile far more effectively.
Finally, check and rectify any other factors which may be leading to poor Buffalo lawn health. Reduce cars or other foot traffic to the turf if necessary, remove excess shade, and check and rectify water logging or other issues. Your Buffalo lawn will then soon be back to full health and naturally fighting-off weeds all on its own.
