Types of Grass for the Best Lawns in Perth

An important part of any Australian backyard is the lawn, but for many Perth home owners, it is a rushed after-thought that they often have not budgeted for. The busy, expensive and stressful time of building a new home, moving in and scheduling all the connections of electricity, phone line and internet often mean that very little time, consideration and budget is given to the lawn choice and care. At this stage of the whole “new home” process, some parents just want something cheap and fast to “keep the sand out of the house”.

Correct soil preparation is very important in Perth, because the soil (If I can call it soil), is almost entirely made up of sand in most places. So visit your local garden nursery and find out what treatments are recommended in in your area. It is wise to get truck-load of top soil before planting or installing lawn. Also, soil wetting agents are beneficial for keeping the water from draining instantly away before it has had the chance to soak the grass roots.

For many landscapes, the lawn is the foundation of the entire design, so it stands to reason that some special care and consideration should be taken in selecting the ideal grass for you and your yard’s needs.

The grass enthusiast is admittedly a niche market, so sadly, most people do not know a whole lot about grass and the different options of grass that one has to choose from when designing their lawn. There are tons of varieties of grass out there, each with their own unique qualities, advantages, and drawbacks.

For most people who don’t care about having some exotic, boutique strain of grass occupying their lawn, the wide range of grass choices is helpfully narrowed down based on what region of the world you live and what types of grass grow and thrive there. In Australia, the common selections of grass for people’s lawns are generally one of five different strains. Those strains are Buffalo grass, Zoysia grass, Couch grass, Queensland blue couch grass and Kikuyu grass. There are some rough price guides below, but you can also check gumtree to see what specials are available for the different types of grasses here in Perth. You can also find people who will prepare the ground and install or plant the grass for you.

Buffalo grass
Buffalo is probably the most widely used grass for lawns in Australia. It is favored for its ease of growth and maintenance. You can recognize buffalo grass by its unique blades which are wider than most other types of grass which grow in the region.

While thought to be a bit too coarse and scratchy for many people’s tastes, modern times have ushered in evolutions of Buffalo grass which maintain its strengths and benefits while being softer and gentler than earlier versions. As for its price, this is ideal if you are on a budget.

You could buy this grass for only $10 per square metre. But you have to know that this is before installation and other services that you could get from a company.

Zoysia grass
This strain of grass found its way to Australia from regions of Asia. While it has not been widely embraced by Australians, it is gaining popularity in recent times for its low cost, low maintenance, durability, and water consumption efficiency.

The little amounts of water that it can survive on making it a good option for people interested in alternative gardening and eco-friendly landscaping. This costs more than the Buffallo grass.

Couch grass
Couch is another widely used grass for lawns across Australia. Many favor it for its soft yet durable and easy to grow properties. The drawback to this is that it can easily grow beyond a uniform cut during the warmer seasons, requiring some additional maintenance to keep it looking tidy. This costs about the same as the Zoysia grass.

Queensland Blue Couch
Oddly enough, this strain (despite its name) does not originate from Queensland, nor is it even a member of the Couch family of grasses. This grass draws people for its unique shade of green, which has a bluish tint.

On one hand, it is easy to keep from growing wild while also thriving in hot and humid climates. The disadvantage of this strain is that it requires some delicate means of keeping it weed-free, as it is a bit more fragile in the presence of common weed killers and chemicals than other forms of grass.

This is usually really expensive, which is why a lot of people choose to buy the seeds. It would only cost you $19 per 100g of seeds. Prepare to pay more than a thousand if you’ll have it installed.

Kikuyu grass
This strain is a good option for people who live in arid areas with poor soil, as it is a thriver and a survivor. It may, however, not be the best choice in all cases, as it’s ability to grow means that it can become invasive to other parts of the landscape, requiring additional maintenance.

The best way to do it is to plant it using seeds. It is more cost-efficient because you could get $5.99 for 20 pieces of Kikuyu seeds. However, if you’re in a hurry to cover up your lawn, you could always resort to company services, which is more expensive that it could cost at least $1000 depending on the size of your lawn.