Choose a recovery path
How much healthy lawn is left?
Choose the closest description. Each path matches a repair approach to how much healthy lawn remains.
Check the cause first. Review watering, wear, shade, products recently applied and signs of pests or disease before starting major work. Compare the damaged patch with healthy lawn nearby: check moisture below the soil surface and inspect leaves and roots using our common lawn problems guide before choosing repair work.
Before establishing new grass or applying products during recovery, read and follow the entire label of each product already used or proposed for the area. Check that the label permits your seeding, turf, plugs or runners, and any use on new or recovering grass. If the label does not make this clear, contact the product's manufacturer (their details are on the label) before proceeding.
Check your grass and cultivar before buying seed. Identify the cultivar from your turf records and check its published establishment method before choosing seed. Buffalo lawns are repaired with turf, plugs or runners rather than seed. For Zoysia, choose light renovation for surviving grass or matching turf for bare areas rather than oversowing by default. Cool-season lawns can be candidates for re-seeding; cultivar, climate and establishment timing still matter.
Background: Lawn Solutions Australia's Buffalo establishment guidance, its hybrid-grass propagation guide and our grass-by-grass renovation guide.