How to Choose the Best Fertiliser for Your Sir Walter Buffalo Grass

When to Fertilise DNA Certified Sir Walter Lawns

What is the Best Lawn Fertiliser for Sir Walter Buffalo Grass

How to Apply Fertiliser to Your Lawn

A crucial part of lawn care, fertilising encourages healthy growth and ensures your lawn gets all the nutrients it needs throughout the year.

However, depending on the lawn variety you have, and the seasonal needs of your lawn, the best choice of fertiliser will change.

In this article we discuss how to choose the best fertiliser for Sir Walter Buffalo Grass, Australia’s most popular lawn variety.  

When to Fertilise DNA Certified Sir Walter Lawns

Soft leaf Buffalo lawns, including Sir Walter, will perform best when they are fertilised regularly throughout the year.

Generally speaking, a bit of fertiliser every 6 – 8 weeks keeps a Buffalo Lawn in tip-top shape. However, this can become quite expensive to upkeep, so we recommend fertilising each season. This way, your Sir Walter lawn is ready for the unique challenges that each season brings.   

Fertilising New Lawns (Less Than 1 Year Old) 

Fertilising requirements for new lawns are slightly different. As your lawn is establishing, it will use more nutrients in the soil to grow strong, healthy roots at the same time as grass blades. As this growth is so rapid, your soil will quickly be depleted of the essential nutrients that a new Sir Walter lawn requires.

After the first 6 – 8 weeks of your new lawn, we recommend that you apply fertiliser to re-introduce the missing nutrients in your soil.

The Best Lawn Fertiliser for Sir Walter Buffalo Grass

Compared to other lawns, Sir Walter Buffalo Grass lawns require additional iron to thrive.

This is one of the reasons that Sir Walter Fertiliser is such a good choice. Designed specifically for DNA Certified Sir Walter lawns, this fertiliser is our go-to choice for maintaining a healthy lawn throughout the year. The slow-release granules will deliver a small amount of nutrients to your lawn each day for up to 12 weeks after the initial application to aid in sustained growth.

While Sir Walter Fertiliser is a great allrounder, you may find that a slightly different fertiliser is more beneficial for your lawn depending on the season.  

Pre-emergent in Autumn 

Winter is a particularly tough time for lawns as they struggle to get enough sunlight, frost damages their grass blades, and weeds take control of your lawn.

Oxafert pre-emergent herbicide is an excellent choice to combat these issues. It stops weeds from germinating, ensuring that your lawn doesn’t have to compete for nutrients and sunlight, and has additional fertiliser in mix to give your lawn the boost it needs.  

This pre-emergent herbicide will typically last 3 months and can be used all year round but is most effective for combating the challenges that winter poses on your lawn. 

Lawn Paint in Summer 

Similarly, summer poses its own challenges on lawns as it’s hot, dry and often drought-conditions during summer month. This can lead to lawns browning in the sweltering heat.  

If you find that your lawn is browning, you may wish to swap out your usual Sir Walter Fertiliser for a lawn paint, such as Lawn Solutions Australia’s ColourGuard PLUS.  

ColourGuard PLUS is a liquid fertiliser as well as a natural grass pigment that instantly restores the colour of your lawn. 

How to Apply Fertiliser to Your Lawn

Uneven application will create green and yellow spots in your lawn where it has got too much, or too little, fertiliser.

If you’ve chosen a granule fertiliser, use a spreader so you get a nice even coverage. First, pop on your gardening gloves. Then, adjust the spreader setting as indicated on the back of the pack and in line with the size of your lawn. Fill the tray with fertiliser and then walk at a steady pace, turning the handle as you go so it evenly spreads it over your lawn. 
For a liquid fertiliser, however, you’ll need to attach it to a hose. Just clip the bottle to the end of your hose and you’re ready to go!

Finally, don’t forget to water in the fertiliser immediately and thoroughly to prevent it burning your lawn.