Kenda® Kikuyu

Drought Tolerance

Kenda Kikuyu is known for its low water requirements, which make it an excellent choice for areas affected by drought or prolonged periods of low rainfall or water accessibility. As a voracious grower, it also recovers quickly from heat and water stress.

Kenda Kikuyu’s water requirements might be low, but like all grass varieties its colour and condition will improve drastically with regular watering. Wherever possible, water your lawn at least once a week during the warmer months and adjust your watering schedule as the climate dictates.

Learn more drought tolerant turf types here. 

Low Maintenance

Kenda Kikuyu’s lush canopy stems from the fact that it grows more horizontally than vertically, which in turn contributes to a lawn that requires less mowing. It also boasts the best year-round colour of any other warm season grass, including other Kikuyu varieties, making you look like an attuned lawn lover for a fraction of the effort.

Kenda Kikuyu’s dense canopy also makes it difficult for common broadleaf weeds to germinate, helping it stay naturally weed free.

Check out the best low maintenance turf types here. 

High Wear Tolerance

Kenda Kikuyu is an enthusiastic grower and quickly establishes a robust root system, which combined with its dense canopy, contribute to its exceptional wear properties. Its extra large runners boast four times as many rhizomes as other Kikuyu varieties which translates to a harder wearing lawn, and one that bounces back quickly from high traffic or rough play from kids and pets.

Learn more about the best high wear tolerance turf types.

Minimal See Head

Kenda Kikuyu has been specially engineered to produce less seed head than other Kikuyu varieties which not only helps with the aesthetic of the lawn, but also makes it a leading choice for allergy sufferers and pet owners whose furry friends can be irritated by grass seed.

The low seed head also makes your Kenda Kikuyu less invasive to neighbouring lawns or surrounding garden beds.

Year Round Green Colour

Kikuyu grass is known for maintaining a pleasant green colour all year round, and being less affected by cooler weather and frost than other warm season grasses. Kenda Kikuyu has been verified as maintaining the best year-round colour of any warm season grass, meaning that with regular maintenance, your Kenda Kikuyu will be the best lawn in the street regardless of the season.

Soft to Touch

Kenda Kikuyu’s dense, broad leaf and low seed head make it soft to the touch – the perfect choice for those that love to spend time on their lawn, or for backyards frequented by active families.

Best Planting Time

Kenda Kikuyu maintains a great green colour and actively grows nearly all year round, making it the perfect lawn to plant at any stage throughout the year.

Planting in Autumn or Winter when the grass is naturally growing slower will translate to slightly longer establishment period, whereas planting in Spring or Summer when the plant is actively growing will drastically reduce the time it takes for the lawn to establish.

For this reason, many home lawn owners choose to plant their new lawn at the start of Spring as soil temperatures rise, allowing them to start mowing and enjoying their new lawn sooner.

Installing Kenda Kikuyu

Installing any new lawn begins with a good base, and in the case of laying your new Kenda Kikuyu turf you’ll want a nice soil subsurface. Your soil should show the basic signs of good health, and be a rich dark brown colour, be holding good moisture and show signs of bioactivity which can include the presence of worms. If your soil isn’t meeting these standards, consider bringing in a quality turf underlay from your local landscape supplies store.

Once you’ve levelled the soil subsurface, apply a quality starter fertiliser like Lawn Pride’s Under Turf Starter. You can begin laying your rolls of turf, ensuring there are no air pockets between the turf roll and the soil to maximise soil-to-root contact. Lay your turf rolls in a brickwork like fashion – butting the ends of the rolls neatly up against one another, and offsetting each row so as to spread out your turf join lines.

During the turf establishment process, look to water for between 10-15min three times a day as this is when your Kenda Kikuyu’s water requirements will be greatest.

Mowing Kenda Kikuyu

Kikuyu lawns can be maintained at a variety of mowing heights, and the two most common mowing methods in Australia are rotary lawn mowers or cylinder mowing.

Kenda Kikuyu’s lateral growth allows it to be maintained lower than other Kikuyu varieties, but remember that leaf length is directly proportional to plant health, and a longer lawn will hold better colour and be more shade and frost tolerant.

Rotary lawn mowers are by far the most popular, and are the mower most likely to be found in any residential garden shed. They’re perfect for maintaining your Kenda Kikuyu height at a healthy 20-40mm.

Cylinder mowing is becoming more popular in Australia as home lawn owners fall in love with the signature stripes of the cylinder mowing process. Cylinder mowing is suitable for flatter lawns and will reduce your height of cut to between 12-30mm.

The cylinder mowing process does bring with it a raft of plant health benefits including increased disease tolerance due to the cleanliness of the cut, and will not affect overall plant health or condition despite the lower height of cut compared to a rotary lawn mower.

Watering Your Lawn

Keeping your lawn sufficiently watered is a delicate balance between providing enough water for your lawn to grow and thrive, without overwatering and stunting root development or welcoming in fungal issues.

In the growing season (Spring and Summer) look to water at least once a week for around 15min as your baseline, and adjust this based on environmental and climatic pressures. If the weather is exceptionally warm and there’s been little rainfall, look to water your lawn whenever it’s showing signs of heat stress which may include slight changes in colour, or a reluctance of the leaf to spring back up after you stand on it.

Similarly, dial this watering schedule back if the weather is cold and wet, as your lawn’s water requirements will subside as the temperature plummets. During Winter, remember that cold, windy conditions can dry the lawn out just as much as hot dry conditions.

A quality soil wetter like Lawn Pride’s HydraMaxx will help your soil absorb and store water, allowing better nutrient uptake during the growing season and reducing the likelihood of moisture stress during dry spells.

Fertilising

Fertilising your lawn is one of the easiest ways to improve overall lawn condition and take a good home lawn to a great one. Kenda Kikuyu already boasts that signature, dark green colour, but it too can benefit from the addition of external supplements such as granular fertilisers, and liquid soil and plant conditioners.

Consider starting Spring with a high-quality granular fertiliser like Lawn Pride’s Turfmaxx which contains slow-release nitrogen for sustained growth with a hint of Iron for an added boost in colour.

Quality granular fertilisers will provide between 8-12 weeks of nutrient release depending on the climate in your region, and can be used in conjunction with liquid fertilisers like Lawn Pride’s GreenXtra, or soil and root conditioners like Lawn Pride’s Kelp-er.

Weed Control

Thanks to its dense canopy of above ground runners and its dense leaf canopy, Kenda Kikuyu is less susceptible to broadleaf weeds than some other warm season grasses but invasive weeds can still threaten your otherwise perfect home lawn.

If you see seasonal weeds like clover, bindi or other broadleaf weeds it’s easy to eradicate them using a selective herbicide like Bow and Arrow or Broadforce, however the simplest way to keep pesky weeds out of your pride and joy is through the use of a pre-emergent herbicide.

Pre-emergent herbicides stop weeds before they even have the chance to germinate, and most products will provide up to six months residual protection. It’s recommended that you apply your pre-emergents in Spring to cover you through Spring and Summer, and again in Autumn to cover you through Autumn and Winter providing year-round protection.

Barricade and Spartan are both popular liquid pre-emergents, otherwise products like Oxafert, Onset GR or Echelon Duo all provide fertiliser and pre-emergent weed protection in a convenient, granular application.

Pests & Diseases

Armyworm and African Black Beetle populations exist beneath just about every home lawn around the country, however when these populations explode the common lawn grubs can destroy your home lawn within days!

The easiest way to manage these populations is through the use of a preventative insecticide which will provide residual protection from common lawn bugs for up to six months. The market’s most common insecticide is Acelepryn, which Lawn Pride provides in a convenient granular form meaning no need for a backpack sprayer.

Alternatively, Echelon Duo combines an insecticide with a pre-emergent herbicide and granular fertiliser in one convenient application, tackling the three keys to an exceptional home lawn in one product.

However you choose to apply it, lay your insecticide down at the same time as your pre-emergent herbicide for year-round protection.

All Kikuyu varieties including Kenda lawns are also susceptible to some fungal issues, which can present in a number of ways. Fungal stress can manifest in the form of coloured spots on the leaf (typically black or brown), in circular sections of the lawn of varying sizes that have lost condition or colour, or through sections that have become flat and covered in clear, sticky pythium.

Fungal issues are addressed using anti-fungal products as they arise. Because fungal issues are usually very isolated and more often due to environmental stress (like prolonged periods of humid, summer rain or poor drainage in the lawn), there is no residual anti-fungal product available.  

Kenda Kikuyu is a leading choice for those seeking a premium aesthetic from their grass, without the hard work associated with maintaining it. With it’s outstanding colour, dense lateral canopy, soft leaf and naturally-low allergen profile, Kenda is turf species designed with the Aussie backyard in mind.

Try our Find A Turf Supplier tool and enter your postcode to be connected to growers in your area who can assist with pricing.

Price-wise – Kenda Kikuyu is also one of the most reasonably priced grasses between $9 and $16 per square metre. To get more Kenda Kikuyu pricing info, visit our Kenda Kikuyu info page and get 3 quotes from your local growers today.