Three Ways To Stop Kikuyu Naturally with Honey Atkinson

Kikuyu is one of those grasses that rarely understands where the lawn ends and the garden begins.

Left to its own devices, it will happily creep through beds, weave itself around plants and reappear in places you were certain you had cleared. But for Honey Atkinson and her mother-in-law Leonie, managing Kikuyu has become less about fighting the garden and more about finding practical ways to work with it.

Together, they’ve learned a few simple methods that help keep this persistent grass under control, without relying on chemicals.

1. Solarise it

For larger patches of Kikuyu, Honey and Leonie use black plastic to solarise the area.

The idea is simple: cover the grass completely and leave it beneath the plastic, cutting off the conditions it needs to keep growing. It isn’t an overnight solution, but it can be a useful starting point when you’re dealing with an established patch and want to clear the ground before planting.

As with so many things in the garden, patience does much of the work.

2. Give it a proper edge

Kikuyu travels, which means a shallow border often isn’t enough to persuade it to stay on its side.

Honey and Leonie recommend creating and maintaining a deep edge around garden beds, with a trench of at least 20cm. Regular whippersnipping along the boundary also helps catch runners before they make their way into the garden.

It does require maintenance, but keeping a clear boundary can save plenty of digging later.

Rather than waiting until Kikuyu has disappeared beneath shrubs and perennials, a little regular attention keeps the job manageable.

3. Mulch, mulch, mulch

Their third approach is wonderfully straightforward: thick cardboard followed by a thick layer of mulch.

The cardboard helps create a barrier over the Kikuyu, while the mulch covers the ground generously and forms the foundation for the garden above.

It’s a method that suits Honey and Leonie’s broader approach to gardening, practical, resourceful and centred around making the most of what is available.

The important word here is thick. This isn’t the moment for a token scattering of mulch. A substantial layer gives you a much better chance of suppressing the grass beneath it.

Honey and her mother-in-law Leonie share ten acres on Djiringanj Country, near Bermagui, where they’ve spent many years shaping a garden around sustainability, homegrown food and a deep love of growing.

Along the way, they’ve tested plenty of ways to manage Kikuyu, some worth repeating, others not so much. In their guide, they share what worked, what didn’t, and the practical lessons they’ve learned from living with it firsthand.

Download the Kikuyu guide here to read their tried-and-tested approach.

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