How to choose the right grass for a South Australian lawn

January 3, 2025

Picking a grass is one of those decisions you make once and then live with for 20 years, and it is worth 10 minutes rather than grabbing whatever bag is nearest. The climate here narrows the field a long way before you get to personal preference.

Warm season and cool season, and why it matters here

Grasses split into two groups and the names are a bit misleading, because it is about which season they do their growing in rather than which one they survive.

Warm season grasses grow hard through the heat and go dormant and off colour through winter. Kikuyu, couch, buffalo and zoysia are all in this group.

Cool season grasses do their growing in the cooler months and struggle through summer. Ryegrass and the fescues are the common ones.

We have hot dry summers and cool wet winters, which is exactly the pattern warm season grasses are built for, and it is why almost every established lawn around Strathalbyn is kikuyu, couch or buffalo. A cool season lawn can be kept alive here, but it is the one that will be drinking through February while the neighbours are not, and that is a decision you make with your eyes open rather than by accident.

The four that actually suit

Kikuyu. Fast, cheap, tough and forgiving, and it repairs its own bare patches because it spreads by runners. The trade is that it grows at you, so it means more mowing, and it will head into your garden beds if you let it.
Couch. The one that takes the lowest cut and looks the most like a bowling green. Loves full sun, handles traffic, and does not cope with shade at all.
Buffalo. The best of them for a shaded yard and the softest underfoot, which matters if kids are on it. Broad leaf, wants a higher cut, and the modern soft leaf types are nothing like the old scratchy ones.
Zoysia. Slow growing, so much less mowing, and it holds colour reasonably well. The trade is that slow growth means slow repair, so it takes its time recovering from damage.

The thing that catches people out, and it costs real money

You cannot grow buffalo from seed. The named soft leaf buffalo varieties do not come true from seed, so buffalo is laid as instant turf or planted as runners, and anything sold as buffalo seed is not going to give you the lawn you are picturing.

Kikuyu, couch and ryegrass all establish perfectly well from seed, which is far cheaper than turf. So the practical question is often less about which grass you like and more about which method you can afford, and that answer decides the grass rather than the other way around.

Four questions that settle it

How much shade? Heavy shade means buffalo, and nothing else on the list will be happy. Full sun opens up all four.
How much traffic? Kids, dogs and cricket mean kikuyu or couch, because both spread by runners and repair themselves.
How much mowing are you prepared to do? Kikuyu is the most, zoysia the least, and that gap is bigger than people expect over a summer.
Seed or turf? Seed is much cheaper and slower. Turf is instant and costs a lot more. That answer rules some grasses in and out on its own.

Whichever you pick, the first six weeks decide it

A new lawn from seed wants light, frequent watering to keep the surface damp while it germinates, and then the opposite, deeper and less often, once it is up and you want roots going down. Switching between those two at the right time is most of the difference between a lawn that establishes and one that thins out and lets the weeds in.

And do not mow it until it is well up, then take only the top off the first few times.

Shop related products

Brunnings Kikuyu Lawn Seed 1kg. Tough, spreads into gaps on its own, and handles our summers.
Brunnings Tough Lawn Seed 1kg. A quick germinating blend for a new lawn or for thickening an old one.
Brunnings Green Up Lawn Food 2.5kg. For once it is established and you want colour.
Neutrog Upsurge Crumble 20kg. Organic based and slow release, for the bigger lawn.

More in the Brunnings range, Neutrog and the garden centre. Bags are heavy, so local delivery is $5 in Strathalbyn and $10 on the regional run.

Did you know we also stock lawn starter fertiliser, garden lime and gypsum in the shop for getting a bed ready before you sow, along with Cyclone and Gardenmaster rakes and levelling gear. They aren't all on the website, so give us a ring on (08) 8536 4333 to check what is on the shelf.