Hello!

I’m currently renting and the front garden is terrible!

I have weeds, not grass, and I want to be able to let bubs out to play but can’t due to it being prikely! What can I do to get rid of this and how should I go about starting to grow new grass?

Any tips on renewing my garden?


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  • Remove the weeds first. Pull or dig them out. Then add some nice top soil, plant some grass seed and water. If you want instant, roll out some turf, fake or real, whichever


  • I would pull all the weeds out by hand – I know its a tough job, but it’s worth the effort. Once the weeds are gone the existing grass will grow and cover the bare patches.


  • Dig all the prickly stuff out for starters. Then you could buy some lawn seed or maybe turf, depending on how much you have to spend. Can’t the kids play out the back? It would be safer for them


  • I would check with your agent first before you do anything. It may be that if you should interest in improving the garden by your own labour, your landlord may be willing to contribute financially to the cost.

    I would try laying out newspaper and/ or tarps over the weeds to solarise and kill them and their seeds. I’m not sure how long it would take (maybe a couple of weeks) but once they’re dead, dig them up & throw them away.

    Go to your local nursery or check online what type of grass seed is best suited for your area, for the amount of sun your garden gets (which direction does it face) and what you want to use it for. Good luck!


  • My dad is a gardener and he would probably eradicate the weeds with a good dose of round up, then mix the soil with a good mushroom compost from the nursery, rake it through, plant the new grass, add fertilizer and water generously. Soon, the grass will be suitable for the young ones. The other option is turf or fake grass but it is more complicated to install.


  • When renting our landlord was fantastic, so long as we looked after the garden and it looked good he didn’t care what we did (within reason). I put in a veggie patch fixed the grass cut out old dead plants and replaced them with new ones. He was happy as it looked better when we left than when we first moved in.

    Work out what seed you need and go from there. Nursery staff will be able to direct you with what grass would suit best.


  • You’d have to ask the landlord first, but the easiest way would be to start all over by digging it all up and laying turf. If not, you can actually dig out the weeds and put grass seed in.


  • We had a similar problem at a rental and we fixed it at our own cost. The landlord went mental even though we were just re growing grass and added a few plants. Be careful and make sure you run everything through the landlord.
    The problem is it’s the wrong grass and to get rid of the prickles you would have to remove the current grass and replace it with a different one.
    Good luck!!!


  • Rip it all out and have turf laid is the best way to get a nice lawn.


  • Slowly dig out the prickles and in the space left sprinkle couch seeds and water in. Check out what grows around you and people will share if you ask. Putting in quick growing plants that look good but don’t require much work are good.


  • if your renting I would ask the agent.


  • I’m unsure about what you are able to do to the lawn/garden area when renting. It would be something that you’d have to find out from your agent. I have friends who are limited to planting in pots etc as they are unable to dig up any ‘lawn’ dispite how mangy it looks :/ I have seen reasonably priced ‘lawn’ mats at Bunnings that maybe you could roll out when wanting to give Bub some play space, roll up put away from any cats etc that might pass by in night? That way the expenditure is not too bad as you’re able to take it to future homes should you need to move.


  • I’ve spent many hundreds of dollars on my garden and have nothing to show for it. My question to you if you are renting is how long is your lease and how much money are you willing to put into the garden knowing that you can’t take it with you? If it doesn’t bother you or you have a long lease then I’d suggest get some lawn people in to discuss turf. Or talk to the real estate/landlord and see if they are willing to do anything (most are not in my experience). Depending on the size of your yard – synthetic grass could be an option. Otherwise – dig the weeds out by hand and bin them. Get some good quality top soil and air rate the lawn (use a pick fork and stab holes in it), sprinkle your top soil and get some lawn seed with built in fertiliser. Keeping in mind it is now winter and not lawn growing season. Your local plant shop or Bunnings garden section will have staff that can give you some tips.


  • First you’ll need to get the weeds under control… poison, pull or boiling water; depending on your preference and size of the area.
    Then you’ll have to research and weigh up the differences between sowing seed or roll out…. Youtube has lots of helpful info.


  • check with the real estate first. the landlord needs to give the ok but he probably won’t want to pay for it himself. If he does that is a bonus for you


  • Mow or whipper snip first to access what sort of grass you do have.
    If you keep it about 3-5cm long you have a chance to pull out weeds.
    If you want to start again kill it all off with roundup then scrap off the dead grass.
    Put in the bin. Buy some topsoil and some rolls of good grass from your local nursery.
    You have to water it in and you will love your lawn.


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