Looking for tips on getting my lawn (Sydney) back to something reasonable.
Basically, it looks like much with a scattered strands of grass up to 6"
long.

I guess it is a matter of what cutting and fertilising pattern to follow
i.e. do IO cut low to make it branch and run, or cut high frequently?

As I said, mulch, the lawn is surrounded by tree, but I should be able
to at least get a good patch back in the centre.

TIA

In article
<43ce47fd$0$1045$61c65585 [at] un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au>,
Terry Collins <newsonespam-spam [at] woa.com.au> wrote:

> Looking for tips on getting my lawn (Sydney) back to something reasonable.
> Basically, it looks like much with a scattered strands of grass up to 6"
> long.
>
> I guess it is a matter of what cutting and fertilising pattern to follow
> i.e. do IO cut low to make it branch and run, or cut high frequently?

Depends a bit on what sort of grass you have, but I would be very hesitant to
cut a lawn short in a Sydney summer. One or two hot days would half-kill it,
nd you would be back where you started. I would go with the cut high and
frequently programme.

If your soil is water-repellent (hopefully it isn't after this rain!), use the
mulcher setting on your mower (if you have one). Rainy weather is also a good
time to put out fertiliser, if you have it -- Dynamic Lifter will do.

When things get a bit dryer, say in a week or two, use Roundup to get rid of
any broad-leafed weeds. Roundup works fastest in hot, dry weather.

OTOH if you decde that it's just too shady for grass, you could just roundup
the lot and replace it with bark chips and a hardy groundcover, tussock
grasses and maybe a pond or something in the middle. It could be that the
surrounding trees are sucking all the moisture out of your soil and it's not
worth the battle..

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"In Melbourne there is plenty of vigour and eagerness, but there is
nothing worth being eager or vigorous about."
Francis Adams, The Australians, 1893.

Chookie wrote:

> OTOH if you decde that it's just too shady for grass, you could just roundup
> the lot and replace it with bark chips and a hardy groundcover, tussock
> grasses and maybe a pond or something in the middle.

Something like that is my preferred option, but I'm having steep
resistance from the SO {:-(.


> It could be that the
> surrounding trees are sucking all the moisture out of your soil and it's not
> worth the battle..

It is possible. they get top dressed twice yearly and fertilised and a good
soak when needed (we can use the tank anytime), but still they are looking
like lawn invading light mulch.