So, spring is about to be sprung 😁 - see minimum temps for Bloem jumping from low single digit to 11-13C from the 26th August, and IT'S TIME TO JUMPSTART THE LAWN...

So, let's talk about this - what's YOUR winning recipe for a champion lawn? What do you do to beat your neighbors and having the first green lawn on your street?

I'll start with mine: mostly Kweek (known as Bermuda in the US, even though it's origin is Southern Africa...):

• Mow very low with first mow of the season - check (all done on Friday). Thereafter, mow to about 20mm blade height.

• Spray pre-emergence herbicide before start of growth season - Now planned for tomorrow (Sunday) due to "water shedding" we had in Bloem for the last 3 days... should have done this on Saturday, but could not apply without water 😡🤬

• Spray general insecticide next Friday, weather permitting, and repeat every 6 weeks. (I use a mix of Syngenta Meridian 25WG and Karate Zeon)

• Apply high nitrogen fertiliser (I use Kynoch Turbograss, or preferably Kynoch Green Gold if I can get my hands on this... and Syngenta Qualibra wetting agent every 6 weeks.

• Pray for decent rain 🙏

So, let's hear from all the green thumbs on the Forum 😁

Edited August 24, 2025Aug 24 by HennieL
Typo corrected

Nice 👌. I use Protek 7:1:3(15) – Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. Before applying it (usually in the rain with a raincoat on), it’s important to aerate the lawn first. Back when I was still in Gauteng in 2021, I had an engineering shop build me a custom aerator – something you just can’t buy like this. It’s become an essential tool and will travel with me wherever I go. You simply remove the plug on the drum and fill it with water for extra weight if needed, then flip it over when done to keep the spikes clear of the ground.

58 minutes ago, TaliaB said:

Nice 👌. I use Protek 7:1:3(15) – Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. Before applying it (usually in the rain with a raincoat on), it’s important to aerate the lawn first. Back when I was still in Gauteng in 2021, I had an engineering shop build me a custom aerator – something you just can’t buy like this. It’s become an essential tool and will travel with me wherever I go. You simply remove the plug on the drum and fill it with water for extra weight if needed, then flip it over when done to keep the spikes clear of the ground.

Yup, aeration is important - nice spike roller, been thinking about something similar for some time now. Would love to have a core aerator, but am not aware of anyone selling them in South Africa - will probably also be way to expensive...

I managed to spray the pre-emergent herbicide (Pennant Magnum) and the insecticides very early this morning (started 06:30 on a very cold Bloemfontein morning - hosepipe frozen solid 🥶) and completed about 525 square metre of lawn in two hours - needed another hour to defrost myself afterwards 😁

I just use epsom salt.

Its cheap and you get fantastic green lawn

On 2025/08/25 at 7:31 AM, AM786 said:

I just use epsom salt.

Its cheap and you get fantastic green lawn

Yes, Magnesium Sulfate boosts chlorophyll production, which in turn can give a lawn a nice, deep green look. Just be aware that applying too much can cause nutrient imbalances, inhibit the uptake of other essential minerals, and over time can lead to an increase in soil salinity that would be harmful to the lawn.

On 2025/08/24 at 4:33 PM, TaliaB said:

Nice 👌. I use Protek 7:1:3(15) – Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium. Before applying it (usually in the rain with a raincoat on), it’s important to aerate the lawn first. Back when I was still in Gauteng in 2021, I had an engineering shop build me a custom aerator – something you just can’t buy like this. It’s become an essential tool and will travel with me wherever I go. You simply remove the plug on the drum and fill it with water for extra weight if needed, then flip it over when done to keep the spikes clear of the ground.

I also use Pro-tek 7;1;3

Its brilliant

I used to swear by Kynoch Green Gold (a mielie fertiliser, believe it or not 🙃), but since that has become unavailable I've changed to Kynoch's Turbograss 10:1:5(36). This also contains 4% Sulfur (S), 2% Magnesium (Mg) and a trace amount of Zinc (Zn). I buy a 50kg bag from the local kooperasie - cost about half the price of the same product sold in 5kg bags at our local nursery and Builders Hardware.