2015 Lawn thread
Discussion
Pints said:
I admire your enthusiasm but life's too short. Shale out the front, artificial turf out the back.
I'd rather spend my time in the garden poking at the BBQ.
The more work in the garden I do, the more justification I have for stuffing myself at the BBQ later in the day I'd rather spend my time in the garden poking at the BBQ.
ETA: Just ordered my topsoil, weed control fabric, and some decorative aggregate. Photos to follow
Edited by Willeh85 on Tuesday 7th April 13:15
We're trying to repair the lawn I put down last year. Bloody dog pisses all over it and it dies.
Anyone got any tips? Apparently the rocks don't work, well I know they don't. Someone mentioned ketchup, not tried it long enough to see.
Also, best way to re-grow on the dead grass. We've laid the mixture stuff, "seed & mud" stuff.
Anyone got any tips? Apparently the rocks don't work, well I know they don't. Someone mentioned ketchup, not tried it long enough to see.
Also, best way to re-grow on the dead grass. We've laid the mixture stuff, "seed & mud" stuff.
captainzep said:
I like a lawn. I'm not too precious about the way it looks as long as it's tidy, but short tidy grass encorages the kids to run around instead of lounging about inside the house and leads to boozy cricket, rugby and football sessions!
I'll try to get a pic up.
That's actually one of the primary reasons why we opted for the artificial turf. We don't get afternoon sun in the back garden (east facing) so any rain was just turning it into a mud bath. Now the kids go out and enjoy the outdoors far more than they used to. Not having to whip out the lawnmower every other Saturday is an added bonus. I'll try to get a pic up.
We still have a strip of nature down the side of the garden for real flowers or plants.
I have a tiny lawn and ashamed to admit I struggle to look after it. The simple advice seemed to be cut little and often. I have a small hand push mower which hardly seems to take anything off. Most cuts miss the collection box so I don't even bother fitting it now as it's such a small area. I rake it afterwards and try and dig any weeds out as soon as they come up.
Other issue is drainage. The left hand side gets totally sodden. Thats also the side shaded by the fence so gets much less light. Yes it's a new build.
Any advice?
Other issue is drainage. The left hand side gets totally sodden. Thats also the side shaded by the fence so gets much less light. Yes it's a new build.
Any advice?
I have a path leading through the middle of my lawn which gets used almost daily. Towards the edge of the "stepping stones", the lawn has taken a real beating resulting in the appearance of compacted earth and only a few stems of grass in several places. What is the best way to go about a)restoring this, b)preventing it reoccuring?
What are people using for lawn feed? What's a typical feeding methodology/routine? Does the lawn need a thorough watering via a sprinkler after feed application?
What are people using for lawn feed? What's a typical feeding methodology/routine? Does the lawn need a thorough watering via a sprinkler after feed application?
Pints said:
captainzep said:
I like a lawn. I'm not too precious about the way it looks as long as it's tidy, but short tidy grass encorages the kids to run around instead of lounging about inside the house and leads to boozy cricket, rugby and football sessions!
I'll try to get a pic up.
That's actually one of the primary reasons why we opted for the artificial turf. We don't get afternoon sun in the back garden (east facing) so any rain was just turning it into a mud bath. Now the kids go out and enjoy the outdoors far more than they used to. Not having to whip out the lawnmower every other Saturday is an added bonus. I'll try to get a pic up.
We still have a strip of nature down the side of the garden for real flowers or plants.
-cost of carpeting quarter of an acre
-if I didn't have a lawn I wouldn't have a ride-on mower -and I love my ride-on. Very much.
fergus said:
I have a path leading through the middle of my lawn which gets used almost daily. Towards the edge of the "stepping stones", the lawn has taken a real beating resulting in the appearance of compacted earth and only a few stems of grass in several places. What is the best way to go about a)restoring this,
Re-turf is quickest.fergus said:
b)preventing it re-occurring?
Flag it or - and this is a stop-gap measure - if your dog/guests use that bit frequently buy some green plastic mesh, lay it over the top, and it will protect it. fergus said:
What are people using for lawn feed?
Most generic feeds are passable. Best get get a moss/weedkiller + fertiliser first. If you want a really green lawn put a second application of just fertiliser down.fergus said:
What's a typical feeding methodology/routine?
Wait 'til grass is growing.Mow.
Rake.
De-compact.
Feed. Water in if no rain after 2-3 days.
Wait 2 weeks then mow and scarify.
Wait 3-4 weeks and if you've done it properly you'll have a deep green lawn.
fergus said:
Does the lawn need a thorough watering via a sprinkler after feed application?
Only if it doesn't rain.Some companies sell 'No Need to Water in' fertiliser, but it all needs to be absorbed into the soil eventually so that's b
ks more or less.h0b0 said:
The height of Summer sees 100F temps at 2AM. Any water that hits the ground evaporates during the day. I have the sprinklers going for 30 minutes at 4 AM but with compacted soil after some home improvements the moisture just doesn't penetrate.
Rachio Iro (at homedepot) or other smart ET irrigation controller that does cycle and soak, best way of getting the water in there.We have a small (2.5m x 2.5m) lawn laid on a clay soil. Its invredibly bumpy and not level, so much so the table/chairs is pretty much useless!
I'd like to sort it out shortly - so I figure removal and returfing is required.
Can anyone advise the right way to go about this on a clay soil? Should I be lookng at drainage. Definitely suffers from being walked on when its raining, and can take a fair old while to recover as well. Or perhaps I need to scalp off enough topsoil and then lay to sharp sand? But I figure that won't hold enough water...
Thoughts welcome!
I'd like to sort it out shortly - so I figure removal and returfing is required.
Can anyone advise the right way to go about this on a clay soil? Should I be lookng at drainage. Definitely suffers from being walked on when its raining, and can take a fair old while to recover as well. Or perhaps I need to scalp off enough topsoil and then lay to sharp sand? But I figure that won't hold enough water...
Thoughts welcome!
As I said earlier I would take some photos so here they are,
The first picture is where the quagmire was all during winter and the second is obviously a fuller picture of the entire garden, that shows I do have something resembling grass just not sure what.
Any advice would be appreciated.
The first picture is where the quagmire was all during winter and the second is obviously a fuller picture of the entire garden, that shows I do have something resembling grass just not sure what.
Any advice would be appreciated.
RichB said:
Piglet said:
I'm sure the answer is obvious but how do you de-compact? With a fork?
Push it in, wiggle it around a bit and pull it out. Repeat every 6" all over. 
Make sure the tines go at least 6" into the soil. It's very time consuming but doesn't have to be done that often.civicduty said:
The first picture is where the quagmire was all during winter and the second is obviously a fuller picture of the entire garden, that shows I do have something resembling grass just not sure what.
You have a quagmire because your garden has little scope for water run-off. With foundations for your house and two walls penetrating deep on three sides and a carpark the other side of the fence rainwater has nowhere to go. This is something developers 'neglect' to warn people about when they're advertising their houses. If you are adamant you want some grass - and that the grass really is always sodden - I'd pave it to the shed so your nipper's got a play area and then re-turf a nice square to the right of the shed. I'd give up on the bird feeder as well IIWY - with no cover for safety nearby you're unlikely to get any but the bravest crows visiting!Edited by popeyewhite on Tuesday 7th April 22:19
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