How to care for couch grass

Warm season grasses (like couch grass) love to be cut short, so give it a healthy trimming down to approximately 2cm. Before you start mowing, check that your blades are sharp. This will give you a manicured, clean look; it also prevents unnecessary stress on your grass.

Water couch grass deeply to encourage strong root growth. This will also help your lawn become more drought tolerant. The best time to water is in the morning to help reduce wasted water from evaporation; it also lessens the risk of fungal diseases.

Couch grass typically needs to be watered every one to two weeks, but take into account the climate, season and soil conditions in your area. If it’s hot and dry, you’ll need to water more often; if it’s cold and wet, you can water less. If you start to notice your lawn yellowing, this means you’re either watering too frequently or not enough.

Fertiliser will have an impact on the growth, colour and health of your lawn. Couch grass loves high-nitrogen fertiliser, which is ideal for sustained growth. There are many different types of fertilisers to choose from, but liquid fertilisers or pellets and granules work best.

Liquid fertilisers are ideal for the cooler months and are easily absorbed, making them a quick booster for your lawn’s colour and health. Pellets and granules break down slowly over time, making them great for sustained growth and a hands-off approach.

If you're aiming to achieve a lush, vivid green lawn, try adding a liquid iron fertiliser, natural colourants and micronutrients to your lawn. Make sure to follow the instructions for application on the label and introduce micronutrients in controlled quantities until you achieve the desired results.

One of the best things about couch grass is it’s hardy and weed-resistant. However, if you do catch a stray broadleaf weed, you can easily get rid of these manually or by using a selective herbicide for spot control.

Couch grass is also resistant to most pests and diseases; the main pest you’ll have to look out for is couch mite. These mites feed on your grass, leaving behind a thinning lawn and clumped rosettes of growth, also known as “witches’ broom”. Couch mites like it hot and dry, which is another reason to keep up a healthy watering regime. If you’ve got a particularly bad case of couch mites, use an advanced insect killer. Follow the instructions on the back of the label and apply evenly over your lawn.

If you’re finding patchy areas in your couch grass lawn, restore the area by reseeding or applying a top dressing.

Aerating your lawn involves poking tiny holes into the soil so that air, water and food can get to the roots better. This helps your grass grow stronger and healthier. It’s especially helpful to aerate your lawn if you have areas that get a lot of foot traffic, as the soil can become compacted here. A general rule of thumb is to aerate your couch lawn once or twice a year in spring or summer while it’s actively growing. You can do this by using a garden fork or using a manual lawn core aerator.

Dethatching involves removing the dead grass layer and other debris that can build up on the surface of your lawn over time. This helps your couch turf breathe better and allows nutrients and water to reach the roots more easily, keeping your lawn looking fresh and healthy. If your grass is looking patchy, yellowing or growing slowly, these are signs that you should dethatch.

Couch lawns need to be dethatched regularly as they build up thatch layers pretty quickly. Do this in late spring or summer, as this is when the grass is at its healthiest and can recover quickly from any stress. Dethatch using a dethatching rake, power rake or lawn scarifier to remove the thatch layer. Once you've finished, be sure to dispose of everything properly following your local council's guidelines.

Top dressing is helpful when your lawn is looking a little lacklustre, uneven or stressed. It will help improve the soil structure, add a boost of nutrients and smooth out uneven areas. You can do this by spreading a thin layer of compost or special soil mixture evenly over your couch lawn and using a shovel and rake to even out the distribution.