Advice on Renovating a Large Fine Fescue/Ryegrass Lawn, Treating Fungus & Controlling Couch Grass

Hi everyone! Long time follower, first time posting!😝

I’ve got a fairly large lawn with a fine fescue/ryegrass mix in Canterbury. I’ve started working on my lawn these past few years and the more I learn, the more I feel I needed fixing…And would love some advice on mainly three things.

1. Lawn renovation

Last year, I managed to renovate three little sections of the lawn myself. I bought a dethacher but it was a huge amount of work, especially mowing everything down, dethatching and cleaning up afterwards. Unfortunately, my mower doesn’t have a catcher, which makes the whole process even more time-consuming!

For those with larger lawns, what’s the most efficient way to tackle a renovation? Are there any alternative methods or equipment you’d recommend to make the process easier? I’d love to renovate more sections without quite so much manual labour! Would you look at hiring someone to come do it?

2. Lawn fungus

I’ve noticed some fungal disease appearing this year, particularly after the prolonged wet weather in late winter. It seems to have improved as the weather has warmed up and after some fertiliser, but I’m still seeing some patches.

I’ve been looking into Azoxy and Fungus Pro, but before investing in both, I’d love to hear about other people’s experiences.

From what I’ve read, treatments may need to be repeated monthly. Is that generally necessary, or does it depend on the severity and weather conditions?

For those who’ve treated fungal problems, did the disease keep coming back, or were you able to get it under control with a few applications?

3. Couch grass ?
I’ve also been battling couch grass in a few areas of the lawn. I’ve tried spot spraying to kill it off, but it just keeps coming back!

Any advice would be much appreciated! 😊