Do I have seed heads in my lawn?
Seed heads are not particularly common, so when these strange little things start popping up in the lawn many people think at first that they are weeds. But seed heads actually grow from the grass itself.
Most common lawn types in Australia, including Sir Walter Buffalo, Eureka Kikuyu Premium, and TifTuf Bermuda, produce a sterile seed head, which means they can’t be spread by seed, only through vegetative sprigs or runners. Although it isn’t a huge concern if your lawn goes to seed, it often doesn’t look great or feel soft underfoot and can be a sign of an underlying problem.
Normally when turf goes to seed, it’s because it’s under some kind of stress – usually lack of water or nutrients. Seed heads are therefore pretty easy to avoid simply by sticking to a consistent lawn care program, including regular watering, mowing, and fertilising throughout the year.
If your lawn goes to seed due to a dramatic change in weather, the problem will usually resolve on its own within a couple of weeks or so and return to business as usual. The lawn will stop seeding once conditions have gone back to normal or the grass has adjusted. But if weather conditions have been fairly consistent, you need to look at what may have caused the lawn to become stressed in the first place, such as insufficient water or nutrients or poor soil composition.
If you haven’t had a lot of water or haven’t fertilised within the past 2–3 months, a really good deep soaking and application of a good-quality slow-release fertiliser should resolve any nutrient or water deficiency so that shortly after the grass will go back to normal.
We recommend Lawn Solutions Australia slow-release fertiliser or Oxafert pre-emergent fertiliser. Application of a liquid wetting agent during warmer weather can also be helpful.