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How to stop weeds in Sir Walter Buffalo Grass

Sir Walter Buffalo DNA is widely regarded as Australia’s favourite lawn. It’s shade and drought tolerant, weed and wear resistant and requires minimal maintenance. It’s a great choice for pretty much everyone’s backyard – especially if you have children and pets! Weeds can be insidious though, even in a lawn as robust as Sir Walter! They can sneak through the smallest gap in your lawn care routine causing frustration and annoyance. So if you have weeds in Sir Walter grass, read on – we’ve got you covered. sir-walter-turf

Weeds in Sir Walter grass

Sir Walter’s DNA certification means it’s guaranteed to be supplied free from weeds, pests and foreign grasses. Sir Walter grass is naturally weed resistant. And that comes down to its unique ability to suffocate the growth of weeds when it’s in a healthy, thriving state. But, if your lawn care routine hasn’t been as consistent for whatever reason, weeds can still find a way of taking root and shooting through. turf

Weed prevention is better than cure

In an ideal world, your lawn will be weed free through prevention and a regular lawn care maintenance routine. This includes:
  • Watering, ensuring an occasional good, deep soak. This will help the grass roots to grow deeper and stronger.
  • Mowing to a good blade height. If you set your mower blades a little higher, it will enhance the thickness of your grass blades. This will make it harder for weeds to grow in the first place.
  • Fertilising on a regular basis, so your lawn has the essential nutrients for sustainable, healthy growth. Our favourite premium fertilisers are Lawn Solutions Oxafert or Lawn Solutions Fertiliser.
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The most common weeds in Sir Walter grass

The weeds that most commonly invade Sir Walter lawns are:
  • Nut grass, which has been called the ‘worst weed in the world’. It’s so insidious, we’ve written a whole post on how to get rid of nut grass.
  • Bindii, which can be particularly problematic if you have children running about the yard in bare feet. Bindiis are an annual weed that flowers in autumn and winter and seeds in spring and summer. The seeds are the ‘prickle’ felt when walking with bare feet.
  • Clover, which commonly takes hold during winter and early spring.
  • Paspalum, which most commonly germinates in summer.
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Best treatment options for weeds

If weeds sneak through into your Sir Walter grass, the best treatment options are:
  • Removing the weeds by hand or hoe. To permanently remove the weeds at the root, pull them out by hand (while wearing gloves) or dig them out with a hoe. This works particularly well if you are dealing with a relatively small area of weeds in your lawn.
  • Spot spraying the weeds using a suitable herbicide and following the product instructions. This is the preferred option if weeds have taken hold of a larger portion of your lawn.
It’s quite rare for weeds to get a good foothold in Sir Walter grass. But if this happens in your backyard, a good all-round spray is Lawn Solutions All Purpose Weed Control. If you’re not sure of exactly which weed you’re dealing with or would like to chat about your individual backyard, get in touch with us. We can chat about what’s going to work best to deal with the particular weed invading your Sir Walter grass. weeds-lawn We hope this has helped you to be ready to identify and act if weeds show their unwelcome face in your Sir Walter Buffalo turf. Check in regularly with our how to and product info pages for more lawn care and backyard DIY projects. If weeds continue to get the better of your lawn, please get in touch with our expert team at Rock’n’Soil. We’d here to help with all your individual lawn care needs.