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• Lawn Climate Types

Best grass for Adelaide climate

Weather-wise, Adelaide is a town of contrasts. The Mediterranean climate gives rise to chilly, single-figure overnight lows in winter, before turning on the burners over summer, with the dry, penetrating sun so often raising the mercury above the 40°C mark.

Grasses that can cope with these extremes can be hard to come by. Adelaideans need something that won’t brown off with the occasional frost, but that will also be able to cope with the scorching, bone-dry temperatures of January through to March.

But before any decisions are made you need to find a lawn that suits your demographics within Adelaide and personal needs. Look at these lawn characteristics:

• Shade tolerance – is there a lot of trees, gardens or house eave coverage?
• Drought tolerance – is the area prone to little rain and drought conditions?
• Wear tolerance – does your lawn need to cope with the rough and tumble from kids and pets?
• Do you want a strong green colour that is aesthetically pleasing?
• Soil type – do you need to first test your soil to see whether it needs more nutrients or topsoil added?

Then based on what characteristics you need and want in a lawn you can choose from either –a Buffalo or a Kikuyu grass.

Buffalo Turf Types for Adelaide Climate

Buffalo grasses are comfortable, convenient and easy to maintain and an ideal choice for Adelaide’s yards.

Buffalo grass is also adept at handling the varying seasonal conditions that occur in Adelaide and surrounding regions.

Buffalo also has self-repairing qualities, making it ideal for high-traffic situations such as a family yard.

Behind Buffalo grasses hard-wearing characteristics are deep roots as well as fast-growing stolons and runners that enable quick recovery from lots of traffic. 

Due to Buffalo grasses large, deep-rooted system, it is an efficient water user and can stay greener for longer during dry (drought) conditions.

Buffalo lawns are also known for bouncing back quickly once drought and water restrictions have ended.

Sapphire Soft leaf Buffalo

Not only is a Sapphire buffalo lawn hard wearing, due to its quick recovery from wear damage, but it is one of the most shade tolerant Buffalo grasses on the market.

Sapphire’s folding leaf creates a lawn that is unbeatably soft.

Because of its deep root system, Sapphire has excellent cold tolerance – it has a brilliant winter colour in Adelaide and holds its winter colour longer than most varieties. With its deep root system, Sapphire is also an efficient water user and drought tolerant.

Sapphire turf is a favourite of ours for Adelaide because the kids can play and fall, and leave diverts without getting hurt and a bonus is that it won’t worry the grass.

Large pets are also able to rough and tumble on this soft leaf Sapphire Buffalo without causing too much damage – but with the strong rhizome growth recovery is quick and effective.

We believe it is the only fine-textured, quick recovering Buffalo grass in the world. And a Sapphire buffalo lawn also has excellent disease tolerance, and a great winter colour.

Sapphire Buffalo costs between $10 to $15 per square metre. Find local Adelaide grower suppliers easily with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Sapphire Buffalo info, visit our Sapphire Buffalo info page and get 3 quotes from local Sapphire growers today.

Kikuyu Grass for Adelaide Climate

Kikuyu grass is generally regarded as one of the more “vigorous” grasses, and the most economical lawn.

Kikuyu lawn thrives in full sun which makes it perfect for all Australian homes it also has a high cold tolerance making it ideal for Adelaide’s extreme chilly weather.

It will regenerate quickly if worn out, which is why Kikuyu turf is often used for families with pets and kids, schools and sports fields.

The main problem with Kikuyu grass is that its fast-growing nature means that it can become invasive, requiring frequent mowing through the warmer parts of the year.

Care must be taken to stop Kikuyu from escaping the confines of your lawn and spreading to other parts of your yard or garden, even crossing over to a neighbour’s yard.

Kenda Kikuyu

Unlike common Kikuyu, Kenda grass is bred to be sterile and produce minimal seed head meaning it is less likely to spread into surrounding garden beds or onto foot-paths.

Kenda’s sterile seed head also means it has low allergenic characteristics which reduce its likelihood of causing problems for allergy sufferers.

Thanks to Kenda’s strong root system that grows vigorously, it is an efficient water user, highly drought tolerant and handles all kinds of wear and tear – whether it’s from large dogs, active kids or regular backyard parties.

Kenda is and an ideal choice for areas with low rainfall or council water restrictions.

Kenda Kikuyu costs between $7 to $11 per square metre. Your local Adelaide grower suppliers can easily be found with our online supplier locator tool. To get more Kenda Kikuyu info, visit our Kenda Kikuyu info page and get 3 quotes from local growers today.

Browse turf recommendations for other Aussie cities below:

• Best Turf Types for Adelaide
• Best Turf Types for Perth
• Best Turf Types for Brisbane
• Best Turf Types for Melbourne
• Best Turf Types for Sydney

Or check out our handy Quick Lawn Selection Guide