Kikuyu Grass

Using Kikuyu Grass As A Lawn

While Kikuyu is no longer a first choice for new lawns, Kikuyu grass does remain in high use around Australia for a vast array of reasons. It is highly popular on Ovals, Sporting Fields and other public areas which experience heavy usage. For homeowners Kikuyu is most often considered a preferable grass type for most of these same reasons.

Apart from it's high wear resistance, Kikuyu also has good shade tolerance, produces a nice soft lawn and can be very drought tolerant. For shady areas, Kikuyu will easily accept being cut at almost any height, which increases it's shade tolerance as a result.

Kikuyu Grass and Rapid Growth

Due to it's rapid growth, Kikuyu will require more frequent mowing than most other grasses, in it's peak growing season and under optimum conditions - Kikuyu can easily grow up to a foot high within a week or two, producing a massive amount of clippings, and often making the grass unsuitable for use as lawns in all environments.

Despite this and under lower growth rate conditions, Kikuyu can be mowed very low with a Cylinder Mower, producing a nicely manicured finish.

Kikuyu As A Weed

Kikuyu has overtaken many wild areas in Australia, often including and choking up creeks and other waterways. It has proven extremely difficult to eradicate permanently from these areas, leading many Governments to classify Kikuyu as a Noxious Weed.

As a direct response to this, most Kikuyu sold now is a sterile variety which can no longer continue to propagate itself by natural breeding methods. This sterile grass is sold as Male Sterile Kikuyu and should be the first and only choice for anyone wishing to plant a new Kikuyu lawn.

Weed Control In Kikuyu Lawns

Like Buffalo, Kikuyu has a broader leaf blade than most other grasses, and like Buffalo again and due to that same wide leaf blade - Kikuyu will not cope very well with all weed killing herbicides. Before purchasing any weed killers to be used on lawns, carefully read the label to check whether it is suitable for use on Kikuyu. A wrong application of herbicide could severely sicken, damage or even kill a Kikuyu lawn.