The 2024 Lawn Thread
Discussion
left my new grass as long as possible, but it was getting a bit too long! didn’t want to butcher it with my old hover mower, got a new wheeled bosch mower at the weekend and decided it was time give its first cut on the highest setting……..
so 5 weeks after seeding, I now have this:
I’m really pleased with how well it’s turned out. The grass has really thickened up in the last week or so, and when I look closely there is still some really thin grass shoots coming through, so hopefully continues to thicken up a bit more. there’s some thin bits, but i’m not too worried about them, might deal with them later in the year, but we at least have some grass just in time for summer!
so 5 weeks after seeding, I now have this:
I’m really pleased with how well it’s turned out. The grass has really thickened up in the last week or so, and when I look closely there is still some really thin grass shoots coming through, so hopefully continues to thicken up a bit more. there’s some thin bits, but i’m not too worried about them, might deal with them later in the year, but we at least have some grass just in time for summer!
OK so yesterday I spent all afternoon mowing, raking and de-thatching, mowing again, seeding (with fertiliser included) and top-dressing my lawn. My entire body still aches, but anyway...
Prior to starting the above, apart from some annoying areas of meadowgrass which looked a bit naff, it was all relatively green and even.
Now that I have thoroughly raked and de-thatched it (I filled our entire garden waste bin!) it all looks rather depressing and beige. Is that normal? Will it perk up, alongside hopefully the seeds I planted actually doing something? I will make sure to keep them watered and moist if it doesn't rain.
Photo below (there's seed under those soiled patches and it's hard to see from the photo but I've overseeded the majority of the thin beige areas):
And this is how it looked after a previous mow back in May:
Prior to starting the above, apart from some annoying areas of meadowgrass which looked a bit naff, it was all relatively green and even.
Now that I have thoroughly raked and de-thatched it (I filled our entire garden waste bin!) it all looks rather depressing and beige. Is that normal? Will it perk up, alongside hopefully the seeds I planted actually doing something? I will make sure to keep them watered and moist if it doesn't rain.
Photo below (there's seed under those soiled patches and it's hard to see from the photo but I've overseeded the majority of the thin beige areas):
And this is how it looked after a previous mow back in May:
(well that's the theory)Guys I need assistance........
Lawn been looking a bit brown in patches and didn't think anything of it until this morning I noticed loads of small holes (perfectly round like a 10mm drill bit had been sunk in). Probably around 20 of them. They might have been here a while as I hadn't looked that closely, but when I saw one, I saw many!
So I decided to dig a square up.........hundreds of ants under the square, around 3-4 inches deep.
Have I got an ant infestation across my whole lawn? Will they eventually kill the grass off? What can I do?
Lawn been looking a bit brown in patches and didn't think anything of it until this morning I noticed loads of small holes (perfectly round like a 10mm drill bit had been sunk in). Probably around 20 of them. They might have been here a while as I hadn't looked that closely, but when I saw one, I saw many!
So I decided to dig a square up.........hundreds of ants under the square, around 3-4 inches deep.
Have I got an ant infestation across my whole lawn? Will they eventually kill the grass off? What can I do?
Ours has been ripped out and new turf goes down Monday. Time to buy a sprinkler I suspect!
Before:
Currently:
Shame to lose such a large chunk of lawn but we wanted the space for entertaining family (3 brothers + kids all local) and there is plenty of green space and parks nearby. I think the lawn we will be left with will be nice and easy to maintain to a better standard than previously achieve.
Previous lawn had only been down a year. Trampoline had killed it in patches which is what the circular area is for - will be permanently positioned there on a small patch of artifical.
So, what's best for freshly laid turf? Stay off it and water it loads? I've the whole of July where even the dog can be kept of it then little one has a birthday party and bouncey castle coming... help.
Before:
Currently:
Shame to lose such a large chunk of lawn but we wanted the space for entertaining family (3 brothers + kids all local) and there is plenty of green space and parks nearby. I think the lawn we will be left with will be nice and easy to maintain to a better standard than previously achieve.
Previous lawn had only been down a year. Trampoline had killed it in patches which is what the circular area is for - will be permanently positioned there on a small patch of artifical.
So, what's best for freshly laid turf? Stay off it and water it loads? I've the whole of July where even the dog can be kept of it then little one has a birthday party and bouncey castle coming... help.
Did this last May -
1. Cut short with mower
2. Went over twice with scarifier (different way each time)
3. Spread seed
4. Used snow shovel to spread topdressing mix (sand & soil)
5. Made homemade drag mat and walked over garden several times (different way each time) to mix topdressing/seed and push down for better contact
6. Watered quite heavily first 24hrs, then watered twice a day, sometimes 3 times for approx 45mins.
Took approx 6-8wks to get back into shape.
I used a mix of sun & shade seed from Lawnsmith.
Definitely don't be concerned about beating your old lawn up - in fact, if it's not looking great it would probably come back much better the harder you go at it.
After
The scarifier
The home made drag mat
1. Cut short with mower
2. Went over twice with scarifier (different way each time)
3. Spread seed
4. Used snow shovel to spread topdressing mix (sand & soil)
5. Made homemade drag mat and walked over garden several times (different way each time) to mix topdressing/seed and push down for better contact
6. Watered quite heavily first 24hrs, then watered twice a day, sometimes 3 times for approx 45mins.
Took approx 6-8wks to get back into shape.
I used a mix of sun & shade seed from Lawnsmith.
Definitely don't be concerned about beating your old lawn up - in fact, if it's not looking great it would probably come back much better the harder you go at it.
After
The scarifier
The home made drag mat
Edited by ukwill on Friday 28th June 12:49
Help! My lawn has gone pear shaped.
This is the reasonable bit
This is the bad bit
And this is more of the really ugly bit
My instincts are that a farmer would be burning the bad bits and starting again. It's like straw save for a few lumps of almost strimmer impervious clumps of heavy duty grassy knolls.
The ok bit is what I walk through every day-the other bits had 9 months of torrential rain and became a no go area that had triffid like foliage growing at time lapse like speed, until the last week when I attacked it, but now it looks like the Sahara but with straw in it.
That Hyundai isn't able to mow it and I keep thinking of the scene in Jaws with the blackboard, I maybe needs a bigger mower, or some napalm.
Also have looked at getting a goat, but not sure how it would gel with the dog
Any advice appreciated.
This is the reasonable bit
This is the bad bit
And this is more of the really ugly bit
My instincts are that a farmer would be burning the bad bits and starting again. It's like straw save for a few lumps of almost strimmer impervious clumps of heavy duty grassy knolls.
The ok bit is what I walk through every day-the other bits had 9 months of torrential rain and became a no go area that had triffid like foliage growing at time lapse like speed, until the last week when I attacked it, but now it looks like the Sahara but with straw in it.
That Hyundai isn't able to mow it and I keep thinking of the scene in Jaws with the blackboard, I maybe needs a bigger mower, or some napalm.
Also have looked at getting a goat, but not sure how it would gel with the dog
Any advice appreciated.
Howard- said:
Now that I have thoroughly raked and de-thatched it (I filled our entire garden waste bin!) it all looks rather depressing and beige. Is that normal?
Just for reference, this is what the lawn of an Oxford college looked like after scarification, and you can be fairly sure these guys know what they’re doing!glennjamin said:
Morning All My elderly neighbour has got a lot of self heal weed in his lawn any idea of which weed killer will finish it off. Doesn't want his lawn dug up and returfed ? Think I may have bitten off more than I can chew offering to sort his lawn out !!
Weedol concentrate worked for meA tale of new build back garden woe over 3 years...finally getting some decent lawn results after much effort.
Back in November 2020, we moved into a new (smaller) home in the village and as part of the overall deal, the garden areas were to be laid to turf. Bear in mind this was a farm field for carrots & potatoes for many years and the soil in this area is clay rich...
The move was delayed about 4 months due to Covid, after originally hoping to be in the home in mid summer 2020, but clearly a few plans got delayed for everyone in the world back then...
On the day of moving in, I could see even then we were going to have issues - the back garden area had been used as a route for machinery going from the compound area to the site so was heavily compacted, and all the footprints in the mud were full of water. The builders initial solution until turf was laid 2-3 months later was to simply cover with sand and spread out, wait till Spring 2021, rotovate the sand into the soil and then lay turf once winter passed
Seemed a reasonable idea, particularly with the amount of snow we ended up having in winter 2020!
March 2021 arrives - before the landscaper subcontractors rotovated and laid turf, I dumped a few bags of gypsum powder on top of the soil/sand to help the soil break down clay. Turf laid, which seemed OK quality at the time and away they went for me to maintain. Within a month or two, problems with flooding and drainage were readily apparent, particularly in the yellow highlighted area...dig just a few inches down and it was completely waterlogged.
As part of other snagging issues on the house itself, had to really battle with the builders to look again at the field drains that were supposedly installed - in November 2021, builders ended up excavating a trench across the garden in order to extend the field drains - worked to some extent, but garden looked a complete mess until Spring 2022 when I could then reseed the original turf.
Gave up on the original turf in 2023 after much churning up from our two labradors as well - relaid fresh turf across the whole area myself that year by myself and attempted to level out as much as possible - no pictures of this hard graft, but the biggest improvement has come from regular treatments of this "Liquid Gypsum" clay treatment from Eutrema https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/soil-conditioners/liqui... - seems to have helped breakdown the clay undersoil and aid drainage, which hasn't been anywhere near as bad as in previous years, even in the really wet spring we had this year.
Still keeping the two labradors off it as much as possible for now with "temporary" fencing, as their pee just seems to kill the grass immediately, but immensely happy with the results .
Back in November 2020, we moved into a new (smaller) home in the village and as part of the overall deal, the garden areas were to be laid to turf. Bear in mind this was a farm field for carrots & potatoes for many years and the soil in this area is clay rich...
The move was delayed about 4 months due to Covid, after originally hoping to be in the home in mid summer 2020, but clearly a few plans got delayed for everyone in the world back then...
On the day of moving in, I could see even then we were going to have issues - the back garden area had been used as a route for machinery going from the compound area to the site so was heavily compacted, and all the footprints in the mud were full of water. The builders initial solution until turf was laid 2-3 months later was to simply cover with sand and spread out, wait till Spring 2021, rotovate the sand into the soil and then lay turf once winter passed
Seemed a reasonable idea, particularly with the amount of snow we ended up having in winter 2020!
March 2021 arrives - before the landscaper subcontractors rotovated and laid turf, I dumped a few bags of gypsum powder on top of the soil/sand to help the soil break down clay. Turf laid, which seemed OK quality at the time and away they went for me to maintain. Within a month or two, problems with flooding and drainage were readily apparent, particularly in the yellow highlighted area...dig just a few inches down and it was completely waterlogged.
As part of other snagging issues on the house itself, had to really battle with the builders to look again at the field drains that were supposedly installed - in November 2021, builders ended up excavating a trench across the garden in order to extend the field drains - worked to some extent, but garden looked a complete mess until Spring 2022 when I could then reseed the original turf.
Gave up on the original turf in 2023 after much churning up from our two labradors as well - relaid fresh turf across the whole area myself that year by myself and attempted to level out as much as possible - no pictures of this hard graft, but the biggest improvement has come from regular treatments of this "Liquid Gypsum" clay treatment from Eutrema https://eutrema.co.uk/shop/soil-conditioners/liqui... - seems to have helped breakdown the clay undersoil and aid drainage, which hasn't been anywhere near as bad as in previous years, even in the really wet spring we had this year.
Still keeping the two labradors off it as much as possible for now with "temporary" fencing, as their pee just seems to kill the grass immediately, but immensely happy with the results .
glennjamin said:
Thanks for reply was it diluted as advised or neat application ? seems to be tough little weed !
It was diluted. I seem to recall it took two hits, I followed the once in a year (iirc?) application. First hit did a pretty good job, second finished it off. Maybe fertilising the grass etc helped a bit too.Good luck!
For some reason my rear lawn became stressed very soon after Nutrigrow Spring+Summer (applied at 45g/sqm), that was around 6 weeks ago. Over the 6 weeks I applied wetting agent, bio boosts and seaweed which didn't seem to help much.
Yesterday I bit the bullet and scarified, applied the fertiliser around 35gSQM (a test patch with the same rate applied two weeks ago seems to have done well) and a dose of the agents and boosts, followed by a big soak.
We shall see!
Yesterday I bit the bullet and scarified, applied the fertiliser around 35gSQM (a test patch with the same rate applied two weeks ago seems to have done well) and a dose of the agents and boosts, followed by a big soak.
We shall see!
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