Kikuyu Grass Care
It grows very fast in full-sun areas and is tolerant of drought and heavy use. Because it is aggressively spreading, it requires frequent mowing and control; it is especially suitable for the frost-free coastal strip of the Mediterranean and Aegean.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- General care: Kikuyu is dormant in winter and turns yellow with frost; this is normal. Do not subject the yellowed area to heavy traffic.
- Frost risk: In frost events, leaves turn brown; it regrows from the roots in spring. Do not scrape away the yellowed area.
- General care: Gather withered leaves and debris with a rake without scraping the surface.
- Frost risk: In late frosts, newly emerged shoots can burn; do not fertilize early.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water deeply every 10-15 days (15 L/m²).
- General care: As the lawn wakes up, cut the lawn edges and pull out rhizomes that are creeping into the beds; kikuyu invades beds quickly.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water deeply once a week (15-20 L/m²).
- Fertilizing: Once the lawn is fully green, apply a nitrogen-heavy lawn fertilizer (about 3-4 g pure nitrogen/m²).
- Pruning: Once growth begins, mow weekly at 2.5-4 cm height. Do not remove more than one-third of the leaf length in a single mowing.
- General care: If the thatch exceeds 1.5 cm, do aeration and dethatching (vertical cutting) in late April or early May.
- Watering: Give a total of 20-25 L/m² of water per week, including rainfall; water infrequently and deeply rather than little and often.
- Pruning: Mow 1-2 times a week at a height of 2.5-4 cm; infrequent mowing speeds up thatch buildup.
- General care: Trim the overgrowth at bed and path edges every month.
- Watering: Give a total of 25 L/m² of water per week, including rainfall; water in the early morning.
- Fertilizing: Make the second growing-season fertilization (approximately 3 g pure nitrogen/m²).
- Pruning: Mow 1-2 times a week; do not neglect mowing during the fast growth period.
- Watering: Give a total of 25-30 L/m² of water per week, including rainfall; curling at the leaf tips is a sign of water stress.
- Pruning: Mow 1-2 times a week; in extreme heat raise the mowing height to 4 cm.
- Pests & diseases: During dry, hot periods, check the lawn for circular dry patches and the soil for white grubs (larvae).
- Watering: Give a total of 25-30 L/m² of water per week, including rainfall.
- Fertilizing: Apply the last nitrogen fertilization of the season (about 2-3 g pure nitrogen/m²).
- Pruning: Mow 1-2 times a week.
- Watering: If there is no rainfall, water deeply once a week (15-20 L/m²).
- Pruning: Mow once a week.
- General care: If a green lawn is wanted in winter, overseed with ryegrass at the end of September.
- Watering: Reduce watering when the rains begin.
- Pruning: As growth slows, extend the cutting interval to 10-15 days.
- Pests & diseases: In humid, cool weather leaf spots and mold may appear; remove mowing debris from the area.
- General care: Regularly collect fallen leaves from the lawn surface; grass underneath rots.
- Frost risk: With the first frosts, yellowing begins.
- General care: Dormancy period; no fertilizing or watering needed. Do not walk on wet or frozen surfaces.
- Frost risk: Prolonged frost and snow cover can weaken kikuyu grass; in spring, bare patches close up as it spreads.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.
Browse all plant guides