Establishing a lawn from seed

Autumn is an ideal time to establish a new lawn from seed or to oversow an existing lawn. It's by far the cheapest way to get yourself a new lawn and its a whole lot easier than you think!

There are a few reasons why Autumn is such a great time, those being there is still warmth in the soil, a higher likely hood of rain and the fact that extreme temperatures (either high or low) are unlikely.  You'll need to act now though because as soon as the weather consistently dips below 22 degrees C, it will be too late!

You can start from scratch for a totally new lawn or oversow an existing lawn to fill in bare patches and re-generate a tired looking front or back yard. 

Many people ask, "When is too late to sow lawn seed?"

You can sow most varieties including Couch, Kikuyu, Rye and Tall Fescue now and right through March. Once April comes along, you can still sow cool season grasses such as tall fescue and fine leaf rye however it's too late to sow couch and kikuyu because these types slow down and become dormant during the cooler months. 

Sowing a lawn from scratch

Click here for DIY instructions or have a look at our step by step video for sowing seed 

 

Oversowing an existing lawn:

Oversowing can be a real handy solution if you find yourself with a patchy or poor looking lawn now leading into winter. As lawns like kikuyu, couch and buffalo start transitioning into winter dormancy, you can find that they can become patchy and loose colour. Oversowing is often overlooked as a solution, but it can be a really good way green up your lawn now and through the winter months. If you're looking to sell your home, it's a fantastic way to green up a lawn quickly.

For oversowing Couch:

Use fine leaf rye. This variety has a fine blade similar to couch and will blend in really well. It's shade tolerant and will look good now and right through winter. Germination typically takes 10-14 days at this time of year.

For oversowing Kikuyu and Buffalo:

Use tall fescue. Once mature, Tall fescue has a broad blade, similar in colour and texture to these varieties and like fine leaf rye will germinate now and look good throughout winter. Germination typically takes 10-14 days at this time of year.