All of Australia has an enormous problem with old style common Kikuyu invading and overtaking lawns of other varieties. The intrusion of the invasion of lawns is so severe that the entire lawn that has succumbed will no longer resemble or function as it should for its lawn variety. All lawn types are susceptible to this invasion, including Couch, Buffalo, Zoysia and every other lawn type. The problem affects lawns everywhere from the home lawn to the golf course.
And in going past just the invasion of Kikuyu into other lawn types, there is also the aspect of the same problem that can be seen in the wild areas of Australia too, in bushland, in parkland, in creeks, natural habitats, where Kikuyu once implanted is a disaster that is not easily solved.
Before continuing I need to make clear that the topic of discussion here is old style common Kikuyu grass, which is differentiated from the new varieties of Male Sterile Kikuyu. Old style Kikuyu is easily transmitted via its sticky seeds, whereas the new style Kikuyu has seeds which are sterile and therefore these seeds even if transmitted to another location could not generate a new Kikuyu plant due to their sterility.
Australia can still enjoy all of the benefits of Kikuyu lawns, and with none of the adverse affects, by planting a Male Sterile Kikuyu version of the lawn. The best known of these Male Sterile Kikuyu lawns is 'Village Green'.
The lead image is of common Kikuyu invading a Buffalo lawn from a neighbour's lawn.
The Buffalo grows lower and has very wide and dark green leaves, the Kikuyu grows much taller with thinner and light green leaves.
The Problem With Common Kikuyu
There really is not much more to add to this topic than has already been said. Lawns all across Australia are being infested with common Kikuyu grass, and those lawns are being overtaken and destroyed by these everyday invasions. The problem is extremely severe and can be seen everywhere we care to look and take notice of what we are seeing in the lawns we look at.
The spread of Kikuyu occurs via two methods, one is via Kikuyu seeds getting stuck to the fur of animals, or feathers of birds, or shoes and clothing of people, and then those seeds being carried and dropped in different locations by these different means of travel.
The other method is Kikuyu creeping into neighbouring clean lawns from infested lawns next door, with the Kikuyu advancing at rapid speed into new locations and becoming established often long before the owner of the lawn being infested even realises anything is amiss. This is particularly true when Kikuyu invades Buffalo lawns, where an untrained or non discerning eye might not even pick up that an invasion has taken place until much later after strong establishment has occurred. Whereas when Kikuyu infests a Couch lawn it can be easily and instantly recognised and steps taken to stop the damage by pulling out the Kikuyu runners from the Couch lawn.
this used to be a Couch lawn
Once again, Male Sterile Kikuyu cannot transmit new lawns via seed, and so the risk of invasion from a neighbouring lawn via its runners is therefore no lower or higher than for any other lawn variety such as Couch, Zoysia, Queensland Blue or Buffalo.
Fixing The Problem Of Common Kikuyu Invading Lawns
There is no easy fix for this problem, it is so severe and can be seen in infested lawns absolutely everywhere that the question of how to eradicate common Kikuyu from our yards and lawns and golf courses and other public places may seem like an impossible task with no real solution at all, and this humble lawn mowing man is not expert enough to find a solution that all relevant government agencies cannot or will not tackle themselves.
Therefore the only solution in going forward seems obvious to be one of following common sense in everything we do in relation to this matter, and such are my only words here of simple ideas that we should all be able to see clearly.
First we can ask ourselves if there is any need whatsoever for common Kikuyu to be grown or sold in Australia at all? Is there really any purpose in this grass being available for sale to anyone for any reason? I can’t see one. All I can see is that common Kikuyu is a cheap grass to grow and sell, and therefore it continues to have an industry to grow it and a clientele to buy it.
I don’t think that reason is good enough, and doesn’t it seem obvious to everyone that there is no need for this grass to be sold any longer in Australia, when so many other lawn varieties are available to us to choose from that make any benefits that common Kikuyu has to then become irrelevant.
Common Kikuyu is a low cost, full sun, lawn variety. Well so is Winter Green Couch, so let’s plant that instead. And there are no other benefits that common Kikuyu has that other lawns cannot equal or better, ranging from Male Sterile Kikuyu, to Soft Leaf Buffalo, to Couch, to Zoysia types.
Is there any reason for common Kikuyu to be sold in Australia anymore?
I can’t see one.
this is a Couch lawn in a council park - being invaded by common Kikuyu
Next, is an obvious solution too, though only baby steps once again, but at least it’s something to take steps in the right direction.
Each of us who owns lawns should be aware of what this problem is, and how to recognise and remove Kikuyu invasions from our lawns, and then do it. We each must be more responsible and have zero tolerance for this being a problem in our own lawns.
If we know the problem and can recognise it when we see it, and we see it as we visit a friend’s house, then we should say something if they don’t recognise the problem and if they don’t know how to cure it. We should help them.
I don’t attend golf courses, but a customer I have does, and he informs me that his once beautiful golf course Couch lawns are now all invaded by Kikuyu. I’m not sure how that is possible when the actual reason for existence for the golf course requires the keeping of massive areas of lawn in good health and maintenance by dedicated professionals. There are methods to selectively kill common Kikuyu amongst other lawn types, and I can’t see why golf course staff can’t do the same? And when we consider that a massive common Kikuyu invasion in large swathes of grass such as on a golf course can have impacts on the environments all around them by the spread of the seeds it generates, we can all see that all of us who owns lawns needs to chip in to help solve this massive nation wide problem.
Is there a reason for councils to plant common Kikuyu anywhere anymore?
I can’t criticise government agencies for their efforts in eradicating common Kikuyu from natural habitats, I wouldn’t begin to be able to understand anything that is required to deal with such a gargantuan task, therefore I don’t criticise them at all. I only wonder and enquire if those responsible for allotting resources for this purpose might put more emphasis into this effort, and I wonder if that is even a viable option while at the same time common Kikuyu still remains so commonly found all over Australia at this present time. Maybe first other steps need to be taken to begin to remove the commonality of common Kikuyu? I also understand that the management of Australia’s continental sized landscape is no easy task, with many aspects required for management in this care, therefore again I keep silent and I do not criticise, I only consider in my own thoughts.
Conclusion
There is no easy solution to curing the massive nation wide problem of common Kikuyu invasions and destructions of other lawns and natural habitats.
We can take steps towards this goal, and those steps seem to be logical and straightforward and simple ways to begin this enormous undertaking.
So let’s begin.
Let’s start today.
And if you still love and want a Kikuyu lawn, you still can have exactly what your heart desires, while being environmentally responsible, by choosing a Male Sterile Kikuyu such as Village Green Kikuyu.
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