2015 Lawn thread
Discussion
Personally, I used lawn sand which I distributed using a standard Scott's spreader. I could see it being distributed and it worked brilliantly. Best done in the dry and shortly before rain is forecast (same goes for any type of application, really).
Endorse what the others have said about "walking it around" - ensure that you don't walk on paved areas and inside - take your boots off first!
Endorse what the others have said about "walking it around" - ensure that you don't walk on paved areas and inside - take your boots off first!
This weekend saw a visit by our extended family, so the lawn got what might be it's final cut of the season. It's looking a lot more lawn-like and a lot less like a field, but the broad leaved weeds are still quite busy - particularly dandelions and mallow.
To give the best impression to the visitors, I offered our 10 year old son 5p for each dandelion head he picked. I now owe him £17.10.
To give the best impression to the visitors, I offered our 10 year old son 5p for each dandelion head he picked. I now owe him £17.10.
hacksaw said:
Strange you mention rainwater, last night I was looking at upgrading my rainwater collection for next year and one of my questions on here was to be, would rainwater be better for irrigating lawns than tap? If so, I'm going to look to rig up some kind of pump powerful enough to run my sprinkler next year.
Depending on where in Yorkshire you are, your tap water could be pretty hard. Watering the lawn with it will add buffering salts to the soil, which will tend to make it harder to lower the pH, even if your water itself is fairly neutral. Rainwater, by contrast, will have virtually zero hardness and will probably be slightly acid due to the CO2 dissolved in it - and inevitably some pollution.If you're trying to grow finer grasses, which prefer slightly acid conditions, then I can imagine that rainwater would be a marginal advantage - but whether it's worth the investment of buying a pump powerful enough to drive a sprinkler is doubtful. I have tried running a sprinkler from a 500W water-butt pump, and it doesn't work. You'll need something with some serious 'oomph'.
I use rainwater for topping up my pond, largely because it has zero nitrate - whereas tap water typically has between 20-50 mg/l or even more.
Tuna said:
This weekend saw a visit by our extended family, so the lawn got what might be it's final cut of the season. It's looking a lot more lawn-like and a lot less like a field, but the broad leaved weeds are still quite busy - particularly dandelions and mallow.
To give the best impression to the visitors, I offered our 10 year old son 5p for each dandelion head he picked. I now owe him £17.10.
Ahh Dandelions. What is the best approach? Will they eventually give up if you just keep de heading them or can you cut them off at the top of the root or do you need to extract complete with as much of the root as possible?To give the best impression to the visitors, I offered our 10 year old son 5p for each dandelion head he picked. I now owe him £17.10.
I play golf and it always amazes me how few dandelions you see on a golf course.
A selective herbicide is the most effective method of removing them. Dandelion tap roots can be really deep and it only needs a small piece left behind to regrow, so attempting to dig established dandelions out of the lawn tends to either make a mess of the lawn or prove ineffectual. Likewise, the dandelions can happily exist at even the lowest cutting heights, so you'll never be able to mow them out of the lawn.
Resolva and Weedol domestic lawn weed killers are available from most garden centres, DIY outlets etc and both are effective. Unless your lawn has a severe weed issue, spot spraying is preferable to treating the whole lawn. Apply in the morning on a dry day for best results, allowing the weed plenty of time to absorb the active ingredients. Likewise leave for a few days before cutting. Avoid using on newly established grass.
Resolva and Weedol domestic lawn weed killers are available from most garden centres, DIY outlets etc and both are effective. Unless your lawn has a severe weed issue, spot spraying is preferable to treating the whole lawn. Apply in the morning on a dry day for best results, allowing the weed plenty of time to absorb the active ingredients. Likewise leave for a few days before cutting. Avoid using on newly established grass.
For a long while I kept the tail-end of a bag of all-in-one weed-&-feed granules, and used those as a very effective spot treatment for broad-leaved weeds. You can sprinkle them directly onto the leaves or the centre of a rosette, avoiding the grass altogether, whereas with spray spot-treatments you always get a bit of collateral damage - the weed killer will still damage the grass a bit despite being selective.
Unfortunately the granules became so wet through absorbing moisture from the air that I've had to chuck them away, but I might get some more just for this purpose.
For dandelions, picking off the flowers is a very quick way of reducing their visual impact and it will also prevent them reproducing and seeding themselves around, but it won't weaken the existing plants at all. In fact, if anything it will strengthen the plant by preventing it expending energy on the flowers and seed formation.
Unfortunately the granules became so wet through absorbing moisture from the air that I've had to chuck them away, but I might get some more just for this purpose.
For dandelions, picking off the flowers is a very quick way of reducing their visual impact and it will also prevent them reproducing and seeding themselves around, but it won't weaken the existing plants at all. In fact, if anything it will strengthen the plant by preventing it expending energy on the flowers and seed formation.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Wednesday 14th October 06:24
We're just about to re-turf our lawn and will be hiring a rotavator to break up the existing soil which is quite compacted before levelling and laying turf. What would people recommend to mix in with the existing soil to improve it? I'm thinking of compost or soil improver but not too sure what the difference between them is. The existing soil isn't too bad just very compacted with some clay mixed in and a mix of builders rubble from when the house was built.
Green waste compost is ideal, and plenty of it. If you're rotovating down 6 inches then a couple of inches of additional compost mixed in would be great, but some is better than nothing if you can't add that much for whatever reason.
If your soil is quite clay like, then you could also add sand but you have to add a lot (ie 50%+ of what you're rotovating, which can get expensive) or none. Not adding enough can result in a concrete like substance which is even worse.
As for the difference between compost and soil conditioner, compost is a soil conditioner but not all soil conditioners are compost, if that makes sense. Manure for example is a soil conditioner, but not a compost. Quite what differentiates any particular supplier's conditioner from compost, you'd have to ask them.
The compost will improve the soil structure and drainage in both clay and sandy soils. It's also good for the bacteria, fungi etc that make up the soil food web.
If your soil is quite clay like, then you could also add sand but you have to add a lot (ie 50%+ of what you're rotovating, which can get expensive) or none. Not adding enough can result in a concrete like substance which is even worse.
As for the difference between compost and soil conditioner, compost is a soil conditioner but not all soil conditioners are compost, if that makes sense. Manure for example is a soil conditioner, but not a compost. Quite what differentiates any particular supplier's conditioner from compost, you'd have to ask them.
The compost will improve the soil structure and drainage in both clay and sandy soils. It's also good for the bacteria, fungi etc that make up the soil food web.
Yes, definitely best avoided. Ideally the soil wants to end up with a pH of between 6 and 7 for most lawns. You could add peat or ericaceous compost to the mix as well if you need to lower the pH but for some alkaline soils there's just not much that you can do to bring the pH down. It's worth getting some narrow range pH test strips at least to get an idea of what your soil pH is like.
MrChips said:
Moved into our new house about a week ago, and having come from a south and west facing dual garden we knew we wanted some decent sunlight to hit the lawn.
Now after a week I think I'm realising how little gets through the 2 trees (one is ours, other is not and I think has a TPO)
For a house that has been empty almost a year, the grass looks in good nick so I'm gonna wait till next year then decide what to do about the tree(s).
Just need to buy a new lawnmower now as I left my trusty Briggs engined one at our old place.
Quick update from me. Leaves all up and a quick medium cut now with my new Honda Izy (liking it a lot so far!) and it's become very clear that under the tree is just miss, and most of the left side of the garden isn't that much better. Now after a week I think I'm realising how little gets through the 2 trees (one is ours, other is not and I think has a TPO)
For a house that has been empty almost a year, the grass looks in good nick so I'm gonna wait till next year then decide what to do about the tree(s).
Just need to buy a new lawnmower now as I left my trusty Briggs engined one at our old place.
I finally checked through the house paperwork and contrary to what our solicitor has told us, the trees at the rear of the house are not protected so it means I could cut them down if needs be. I'm a little bit undecided yet but hopefully in the future the larger one could get thinned out although it's not on our land so that's a big "if"!
I suspect I may just start again next year and either re-seed or re turf. If I did do that, should I still put on an autumn feed before winter now or is that a bit of a waste of time? I'd like to do what I can to ensure the soil itself is good.
I'd have gone with a higher cut than that as some of the areas look quite badly scalped, but most of it will recover. The shadier it is the higher the cut needs to be.
An autumn feed won't really do anything for the soil, but it'd be worth helping the grass it in case you decide not to start from scratch but overseed instead.
It would be worth aerating the lawn with a garden fork to relieve any compaction - that will help the soil.
If you're going to turf you will need to do something to reduce the shade. The average lawn turf won't be happy with that much shade. Seeding the lawn will give you much greater choice of grass types better suited to shade and thus much more chance of keeping a decent lawn.
An autumn feed won't really do anything for the soil, but it'd be worth helping the grass it in case you decide not to start from scratch but overseed instead.
It would be worth aerating the lawn with a garden fork to relieve any compaction - that will help the soil.
If you're going to turf you will need to do something to reduce the shade. The average lawn turf won't be happy with that much shade. Seeding the lawn will give you much greater choice of grass types better suited to shade and thus much more chance of keeping a decent lawn.
Thanks for the quick reply. I'll see what we do with the tree before deciding but it does seem a better plan to re-seed rather than turf and I think you replied originally with some seed ideas so much appreciated!
It took me 3yrs to sort my old garden out but by bit but I'd like to get this one done over the course of one summer, so I'll have to refrain from doing too much too soon!
It took me 3yrs to sort my old garden out but by bit but I'd like to get this one done over the course of one summer, so I'll have to refrain from doing too much too soon!
I'm trying to decide if/when to give my new lawn a treatment of ferrous sulphate to toughen it up for the winter.
The first sowing was about 7 weeks ago now, but I have sowed further seed a couple of times since - the last of which was about 3 weeks ago.
My instinct is that I should leave it at least another week or two, and then give a fairly moderate treatment, then perhaps another treatment in the second half of November.
The first sowing was about 7 weeks ago now, but I have sowed further seed a couple of times since - the last of which was about 3 weeks ago.
My instinct is that I should leave it at least another week or two, and then give a fairly moderate treatment, then perhaps another treatment in the second half of November.
I cut and winter fed my lawns last week (Tuesday) thinking that would be them for the winter as its now frosty mornings in Glasgow. Both lawns have grown and look like they need another cut............Am I better leaving them be or keep cutting them until they stop growing? Will the frost damage freshly cut blades? TIA 
richierich37 said:
I cut and winter fed my lawns last week (Tuesday) thinking that would be them for the winter as its now frosty mornings in Glasgow. Both lawns have grown and look like they need another cut............Am I better leaving them be or keep cutting them until they stop growing? Will the frost damage freshly cut blades? TIA
I would say keep cutting on a nice high setting, but only if the frost has thawed and dried off by the afternoon, and make sure your mower blade is nice and sharp.And it's worth running the mower around anyway to suck up the dead leaves.
I sharpened my blade before giving my new lawn its first cut last weekend, and it really does make a difference: each blade looks like it's been cut with a scalpel and set-square.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
I would say keep cutting on a nice high setting, but only if the frost has thawed and dried off by the afternoon, and make sure your mower blade is nice and sharp.
And it's worth running the mower around anyway to suck up the dead leaves.
I sharpened my blade before giving my new lawn its first cut last weekend, and it really does make a difference: each blade looks like it's been cut with a scalpel and set-square.
Perfect, thanks Dr! And it's worth running the mower around anyway to suck up the dead leaves.
I sharpened my blade before giving my new lawn its first cut last weekend, and it really does make a difference: each blade looks like it's been cut with a scalpel and set-square.
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
My instinct is that I should leave it at least another week or two, and then give a fairly moderate treatment, then perhaps another treatment in the second half of November.
Sounds like a plan. I gave mine a cautious 1/3rd dose of seaweed plus sequestered iron yesterday and it all seems fine still. I'll repeat that in a week or so.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff