October 2020

12 Mowing Tips for the Perfect Cut Every Time

Posted on October 26, 2020September 11, 2026 by Nathan Edwards

A few simple tips on mowing your lawn will go a long way to ensuring you get a nice even cut, without ripping, scalping or smothering the lawn each time you give the grass its regular haircut.

Skip to: What Height Should I Mow My Lawn At? Should I Catch or Leave Lawn Mower Clippings? Should I Change My Mowing Directions? Can I Use the Same Mower on Different Lawn Types? How Fast Should I Walk When Mowing My Lawn? Should I Sharpen My Mowers Blades? Should I Use a Cylinder or Reel Lawn Mower? Is it Best to Mow When the Lawn is Dry? What Time of Day is Best to Mow My Lawn? Why is it Important to Mow Regularly? Will Levelling My Lawn Help When Mowing? Choosing The Right Lawn Type for You

What Height Should I Mow My Lawn?

Don’t mow your lawn too short, as this can put your lawn under extreme stress. It can leave brown or bare looking patches on your lawn, and if cut too short regularly, can seriously deplete the lawn’s energy reserves and is an open invitation for weeds to invade and seed. A good guide is the ‘one-third rule’ – only remove one-third of the leaf each time you mow.

Guideline for ideal mowing heights

(General rule of thumb: shorter for summer, longer for winter)

Should I Catch or Leave Lawn Mower Clippings?

It is ok to leave your mowers clippings on the lawn every now and again, as clippings are a great source of nitrogen and can act as a natural fertiliser for your lawn. Recycling your grass clippings back into your lawn can actually account for 25% of its annual nitrogen requirements.

If you are using a regular mower you should only be leaving small amounts of clippings every so often. If you have a mulching mower which cuts the clippings up much finer, then it is ok to leave the clippings on your lawn, so long as they aren’t left in clumps and they are evenly distributed.

You definitely need to take the type of grass you have into consideration when deciding whether to catch your clippings. If you have a couch lawn and are looking for a manicured finish, it’s always best to catch your clippings. If you have a buffalo or kikuyu lawn, you can generally follow the instructions provided above.

Should I Change My Mowing Directions?

Mowing in different directions not only minimises ‘mownotony’, it also contributes to a healthy lawn by encouraging the individual blades to grow straight, which in turn provides more space for new blades to grow. Ultimately, this gives you a thicker lawn.

Can I Use the Same Mower on Different Lawn Types?

If you have a different grass in one area, say front to back, wash or clean down your mower before mowing the other grass type. Some grasses like kikuyu for example, can be easily transported into other varieties where they can quickly start to invade and spread. Ideally you should try to install the same grass in all areas if you are looking to keep your grass variety clean.

How Fast Should I Walk When Mowing My Lawn?

If you want a consistent cut, you need to stick to a consistent pace when mowing. If you race over one area and are much slower in another, the grass is likely going to be cut inconsistently with bouncing and movement creating differentiation in the height of cut.

Should I Sharpen My Mowers Blades?

Keep your mower well maintained; sharp blades are crucial for a good cut. Blunt blades tend to tear, rather than cut the lawn. Check out our Sharpen or Replace Mower Blades blog for more information.

Should I Use a Cylinder or Reel Lawn Mower?

Reel mowers, cylinder mowers in particular, will have a better quality of cut due to the slicing ‘scissor’ action. This action is superior to that of the chopping action of a rotary mower, when comparing both with sharp well-maintained blades.

Having said this, a rotary mower with sharp blades and decent power produces a good enough cut that most people would be happy with.

Is it Best to Mow When the Lawn is Dry?

Rain is great for fertilising, but not ideal for mowing. Mowing when the grass is wet can damage the leaf blades as they will tear rather than cut, leaving an uneven edge. This can give a ‘chopped’ look to your lawn. Wait until the lawn has dried out after rain or irrigation before you mow.

What Time of Day is Best to Mow My Lawn?

When mowing, do so earlier in the day or as the sun has started to go down again. The hot sun in the middle of the day is more likely to do damage to the freshly cut lawn, so doing so when it is cooler will cause less stress to the leaf.

Why is it Important to Mow Regularly?

Avoid long periods between mows – regular mowing is best. Keep in mind that your mowing routine may also need to change with the seasons. Warm season varieties like Kikuyu and Couch, for example, love hot summers and will have vigorous growth during this time. Regularly mowing your lawn promotes lateral growth and allows more of the sun’s rays to get amongst the leaf of your lawn.

Will Levelling My Lawn Help When Mowing?

If you have lumps or depressions in your lawn it can be a good idea to top dress your lawn. During the active growing season is the best time. Information on top dressing can be found here. Levelling and topdressing will help to ensure a more even cut with less scalping.

Choosing The Right Lawn Type for You

Consider the amount you are willing to mow when choosing a turf variety. Some types of grass will require more frequent mowing than others. Mowing frequency will be an important aspect of maintaining a healthy lawn.

Anything we have missed?

Let us know what mowing tips you have found works best on your lawn.

For more lawn care tips and advice, make sure you check out our other lawn care blogs here.

Clover or Oxalis?

Posted on October 26, 2020January 21, 2025 by Nathan Edwards

Clover or Oxalis?

How to tell the difference

These two weeds, clover and oxalis, are commonly misidentified due to their similar leaf appearance, but they are different plants.

While treatment for both can be the same in many instances, it is important to understand how each of them grows so you can take action to prevent them from infiltrating your lawn again. There are also a many different species of oxalis that can be particularly tricky to eradicate from your lawn. This is why identification can be the key to success.

The main difference between clover and oxalis is that oxalis has small light green heart shaped leaves, while clover has oval shaped leaves.

White Clover (Trifolium repens) Common Oxalis/Yellow Wood sorrel (Oxalis Stricta)

Clover (Trifolium)

Clover is the common name for plants of the genus Trifolium, which consists of over 300 different species.

The clover commonly found in Australian lawns has leaves with three leaflets (4 if you’re lucky!) with circular markings and creeping stems that set roots at the point they touch the ground. The flower that it produces can be white or pink depending on the species (Trifolium repens, Trifolium fragiferam).

Treatment:

Clover is a legume that draws nitrogen from the air and stores it in its roots, so it doesn’t require a large amount to grow. Because of this, clover in your lawn can be a sign of nitrogen deficiency in your soil. When there is sufficient nitrogen in the soil for your lawn, clover will be much less likely to survive. As a result, an application with a lawn fertiliser high in nitrogen can assist in removing clover from your lawn.

A selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control, Estate Herbicide or Bin Die if you have available. Estate Herbicide 250ml Concentrate has recently been introduced to replace the recently discontinued product Bin Die Concentrate.

Oxalis (Oxalidaceae)

Oxalis, also known as wood-sorrel, is a genus of plants with green or purple leaves and many variations in flower colour including white, pink or yellow. Below we focus on the common species found in Australian lawns.

Creeping Oxalis (Oxalis Corniculata)

Creeping Oxalis, as its name suggests, quickly runs along the surface of the soil and produces roots from the leaf as it goes and creeps under and through your lawn. When seed pods mature, they dry out and explode, causing the seed to spread. It is a very invasive and nasty weed, so it’s important to take action against it as soon as possible.

Treatment:

Creeping Oxalis is difficult to remove as crowns break off leaving roots for re-growth. You can hand remove small plants or dig out sections where you need to if they aren’t particularly large. If there is a substantial spread of creeping oxalis through your lawn, you will get better results by spraying your lawn with a selective herbicide.

A selective herbicide such as Lawn Solutions Australia All Purpose Weed Control or Estate Herbicide will help to eradicate Creeping Oxalis in all lawn types including kikuyu and couch and are safe to use on most varieties of buffalo except the ST varieties.

Soursob (Oxalis Pes-caprae)

Soursobs spread with leaves along the ground, producing large yellow flowers with 5 petals and a long white tuberous root.

The problem with Soursobs is that they are extremely resilient to herbicides. They have a fast-growing system of onion like bulbs growing beneath the surface. In addition to this, they have small secondary bulbs known as bulbils. These bulbils are attached to the root system and each Soursob can have as many as 20 bulbils! When you remove the plant, the bulbils are left behind that then detach and grow into a new plant.

More information on Soursob here.

Kikuyu Grass in Focus

Posted on October 26, 2020September 2, 2025 by Nathan Edwards

Kikuyu Grass

Pronunciation

Kuh koo yoo

Cenchrus clandestinus

Kikuyu grass is native to the highland regions of East Africa. Kikuyu is most well known for being a highly invasive and aggressive grower and it is this trait that makes it suitable in some cases as a home lawn.

With the ability to perform in most Australian climates, Kikuyu can stand up to a wide range of conditions. Kikuyu can be a good option for both home lawns and larger spaces such as racecourses or parks and is also used as pasture for livestock grazing. It was introduced into Australia for this reason, as a robust pasture grass for cattle.

If you’re looking for a grass that is an economical all-rounder, then Kikuyu could be an option for you.

Key Characteristics

Kikuyu thrives in a sunny aspect and handles full sun. It is able to establish a strong, deep root base which helps it stand up to the hot summer days and provides acceptable drought tolerance.

Strong, deep root base
Poor shade tolerance
Highly invasive, quick repairing
Acceptable drought tolerance

Kikuyu spreads through vigorous growth by both stolons and rhizomes, making it a common option for larger areas and for erosion control. Due to its strong vertical and sub-surface growth habits, it can easily invade and spread throughout your garden and becomes very difficult to control.

Kikuyu can grow in a wide range of soil types, but performs at its best in fertile, light to medium textured soil with moderate drainage and salinity levels. The ideal soil pH for Kikuyu is 5.5-7.0, but it can tolerate levels as low as 4.5.

Being a warm season turf variety, Kikuyu prefers growing temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius but can manage in conditions much hotter. During winter, Kikuyu will go into a certain level of dormancy and will stop growing when exposed to frost.

Kikuyu is not a great performer in low light or shaded areas and will require at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight in order to thrive.

Important points for installation of Kikuyu Grass

Install the grass as soon as possible after delivery
Lay on a bed of 100mm of quality turf underlay
Use Lawn Solutions Australia Lawn Launcher at label rates to give the grass a head start and retain moisture in the new soil bed
Roll to compact new turf to improve contact with the soil
Soak the newly laid turf thoroughly for 10-14 days after installation or until established
Reduce irrigation once established and water only when the grass appears to be dry
Minimise irrigation in the cooler months to avoid your lawn getting waterlogged
Consult your local supplier for seasonal advice on installation timing in cooler regions

Kikuyu Grass Maintenance

Irrigation

it is important to be mindful of correct and efficient irrigation practices to maintain a healthy kikuyu lawn.

If watering is necessary once established, water only when there are signs of the grass drying out, e.g. wilted leaves
Do not water in the cooler winter months unless there are signs of the above
If irrigation is needed, deeply soak the top 100mm of soil (generally 30 minutes with a standard sprinkler will suffice)
Water early morning for improved efficiency and plant health

Mowing

Kikuyu will require frequent mowing throughout the warmer months due to its aggressive growth habits. It’s important you mow regularly to ensure you don’t remove more than one third of the leaf in one pass.

Ensure that mower blades are sharp to prevent tearing of the leaf
Never remove more than 1/3 of the leaf blade at any one time unless dethatching
Dethatch if required in late spring for best results

Fertilising

Kikuyu is known to be highly responsive to nitrogen and can see a strong flush of leaf growth when a high amount of nitrogen is applied. For this reason, we recommend applying a slow release fertiliser during the warmer months to ensure leaf growth doesn’t quickly get out of hand.

Apply slow release granular fertiliser at a rate of 20-25g/m2 or 2-2.5kg/100m2
For best results, fertilise at least 3 times per year. Important dates are late spring, mid to late summer and late autumn
Always irrigate after applying fertiliser
On new lawns, apply fertiliser after you have cut your lawn at least once

Weed and pest control

Most domestically available chemical weed and pest control products can be used on kikuyu lawns. However, most Winter Grass killer herbicides are not safe to use on Kikuyu and the use of Paspalum herbicides (containing DSMA) are limited to spot treatment only.

It is always best to read the label and check with your supplier for recommended products before any application.

Although a Kikuyu lawn’s initial cost can be lower than other varieties, it is important to consider the long-term maintenance and upkeep costs associated with this type of grass.

If you think Kikuyu is the right choice for your lawn, you can’t go past Australia’s number one Kikuyu Grass – Eureka Kikuyu. Eureka Kikuyu is available Australia-wide and is suitable for a wide range of areas.

Eureka Kikuyu Premium VG Grass is another great option if you are in Victoria as it has an improved ability to cope with the cooler winters than other types of kikuyu. This variety is exclusively available from Lawn Solutions Australia accredited turf suppliers in Victoria only.

You can find contact details for your local supplier here.

How to repair a thin and patchy lawn

Posted on October 26, 2020November 10, 2020 by Nathan Edwards

If you have a patchy lawn, there are a few things you can do to make the path to recovery a lot easier and quicker.

Most warm season lawns will spread laterally, thickening up and recovering with some care and attention – These include couch, buffalo, zoysia and kikuyu.

Here’s where to start…

Rake out the dead material

When the grass dies, for whatever reason, the dead material is left in the patch or sward of the grass to decompose slowly. To help your lawn thicken up again and recover quicker, rake out as much of this material as you can. This will provide space for the healthy grass to spread back through and also help more sunlight, water and oxygen to penetrate boosting the health of the grass in these areas.

Aerate with a garden fork

Aerating will help to decompact the hard-bare ground making it easier for the healthy grass to spread its roots into the bare soil. Drive a garden fork into the ground to around 100mm and wriggle it back and forth to fracture the soil profile. If you have subsoil irrigation be careful that you don’t do so too deeply or where you are likely to come in contact with a pipe. After aerting can also be a good time to apply soil conditioners like gypsum to improve your soil base.

Treat the weeds

Weeds will be taking up space in the lawn making it difficult for the grass to thicken, so now is the time to get on top of them. Spray the appropriate broadleaf herbicide, dig the easy ones out by hand and persevere while the lawn is vulnerable to ensure you get on top of them and prevent further spread.

There is also a way to prevent some weed types from appearing at all. A pre-emergent herbicide like Oxafert targets weed seeds before they take hold by forming a barrier at soil level that stops the germination of any new seedlings. Pre-emergents can be used in the prevention of Winter Grass, Summer Grass, Crowsfoot and Crab Grass.

Your lawn may also be affected by invading grasses like kikuyu or couch. For tips on removing unwanted grasses from your lawn click here.

Lightly topsoil

Now you don’t want to smother an already unhealthy lawn, but a light amount of topsoil in the bare and patchy areas can bring the levels up making it easier for the healthy areas to spread across. Topsoil will improve the soil profile, improving drainage and providing nutrient to help strengthen the lawn. Make sure you water it in really well after application, so it assists rather than hinders the growth of your lawn.

Fertilise

Any weeds that were there have now been treated or removed, so you can go ahead and feed the lawn without having to worry about feeding the weeds as well. A good quality slow release granular fertiliser will have a good mix of everything your lawn needs to get it kicking along again on the path to recovery.

Water your lawn

Once you have fertilised your lawn, you need to water it down into the profile really well where it can go to work and where it won’t burn the leaf of your grass. Watering over the coming weeks will help the grass to grow as strongly as it can and with some good sunshine your grass should see a lot of growth and improvement.

Mow regularly

You have gone through a bit of hard work above to get the grass humming along again, which will likely mean a bit more mowing. This part is important in ensuring that your lawn stays on the path to recovery. Regularly mowing your lawn will encourage lateral growth further thickening the profile of your lawn. A thicker lawn will also be a lot better at restricting weeds growth and will be more resilient to disease related issues. If you mow regularly at your normal mowing height, you should also avoid removing more than one third of the leaf blade off in one pass.

Simple lawn care principles to avoid a patchy lawn

Once your lawn is back to full health and not patchy some simple lawn care undertaken seasonally should keep it from deteriorating like it did before.

For more information on any of the lawn care areas we have covered above, click on the links below: