2016 Lawn thread
Discussion
jagnet said:
With those types I find that using an angle grinder to cut the ends at a steeper angle helps a lot, as well as occasionally sharpening them after being used for a while is also useful. If you don't then it's much harder to push them through the turf and the tines block up more easily.
Maybe that's where I went wrong with mine last year then! 
Looking forward to getting back in the garden and attacking the moss / general thatch that's built up over the winter. Enjoyed this thread last year, thanks for all the tips! 
Thanks jagnet. The lawn area is about 15m x 15m, what size mower would people recommend? The garden is flat although there are a few steps up to it.
I remember last time I had to mow the lawn the mower had an infuriatingly small collector and I don't want to make the same mistake!
I remember last time I had to mow the lawn the mower had an infuriatingly small collector and I don't want to make the same mistake!
Edited by essayer on Monday 15th February 22:54
For a lawn that size, I'd give serious consideration to the Fiskars Staysharp manual cylinder mower.
There's not really any need to collect the clippings on most lawns, so that saves £30 on the grass collector and much time every weekend.
If you want defined stripes on the lawn then you'll need a different mower, likewise if you want a height of cut less than 1". But for the convenience, ease of use, minimal storage space, etc it's a very good choice. And the easier it is to cut the lawn, the more likely you are to do it, which in turn makes it even easier to cut. The modern manual mowers really are very very easy to push, the Fiskars being just about the easiest of all.
There's not really any need to collect the clippings on most lawns, so that saves £30 on the grass collector and much time every weekend.
If you want defined stripes on the lawn then you'll need a different mower, likewise if you want a height of cut less than 1". But for the convenience, ease of use, minimal storage space, etc it's a very good choice. And the easier it is to cut the lawn, the more likely you are to do it, which in turn makes it even easier to cut. The modern manual mowers really are very very easy to push, the Fiskars being just about the easiest of all.
jagnet said:
Tbh I wouldn't bother with one that collects the cores like that. The hopper is so small it's not going to save time. If you want one similar, but simpler and cheaper I'd just get the one from Lawnsmith here.
With those types I find that using an angle grinder to cut the ends at a steeper angle helps a lot, as well as occasionally sharpening them after being used for a while is also useful. If you don't then it's much harder to push them through the turf and the tines block up more easily.
There is a similar one on eBay (in red) for £10.99 posted if you are a cheapskate like me.With those types I find that using an angle grinder to cut the ends at a steeper angle helps a lot, as well as occasionally sharpening them after being used for a while is also useful. If you don't then it's much harder to push them through the turf and the tines block up more easily.
I probably wouldn't mow if there's a hard frost forecast that night - it just seems wrong to injure the grass if it's going to need its resilience to cope with a hard freeze, but I have no scientific evidence to back that up and would easily be persuaded that it does no harm if someone else has evidence. But otherwise I see nothing wrong with mowing now, provided the grass itself is dry and the ground isn't too soft and squidgy.
I will shortly be putting my first dose of pre-emergent herbicide down, to prevent annual grasses from germinating. I reckon the soil temperature will start to rise over the next few weeks, which could trigger weed grasses into germination.
I will shortly be putting my first dose of pre-emergent herbicide down, to prevent annual grasses from germinating. I reckon the soil temperature will start to rise over the next few weeks, which could trigger weed grasses into germination.
I only found one pre-emergent, and it's not available in the UK unfortunately. It is, however, it was easy to order it via Amazon. The price seems to have gone mental - I paid about £38 for two bags, with about £35 shipping from the US, so it wasn't cheap - but £145!!! 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DU7Z62W?psc=...
So it looks like I won't be ordering that again!
However, I've just seen this product for a more sensible £28 a bag with free UK delivery, still coming from the US though...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DU7Z62W?psc=...
Edited to add: It looks like the way to do it is through Amazon.com, where the Scotts product costs $16.42. International shipping comes out to nearly £20, but that's a much more sensible way of doing it...
http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Crabgrass-Grassy-Prev...
Please note: I can't actively recommend this product yet; I bought my two bags last year in preparation for this spring, so I've never actually used it yet!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DU7Z62W?psc=...
So it looks like I won't be ordering that again!
However, I've just seen this product for a more sensible £28 a bag with free UK delivery, still coming from the US though...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DU7Z62W?psc=...
Edited to add: It looks like the way to do it is through Amazon.com, where the Scotts product costs $16.42. International shipping comes out to nearly £20, but that's a much more sensible way of doing it...
http://www.amazon.com/Scotts-Crabgrass-Grassy-Prev...
Please note: I can't actively recommend this product yet; I bought my two bags last year in preparation for this spring, so I've never actually used it yet!
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Friday 26th February 16:01
Scalped the lawn today (was in a terrible state, not level, heavy clay, mix of grasses, etc etc etc).
8*70l bags of compost and 3x50l bags of manure and 4x25kg bags of 10mm grit have gone onto the surface (roughly levelled). Going to get some more manure tomorrow and then time to work into the soil. Will probably double dig the beds but not the rest (although not sure yet, its bloody hard work!)
I've also added a bit of gypsum (not a lot) as apparently it helps with the clay, binds with the clay particles and over time will open it up a bit (We'll see!)
8*70l bags of compost and 3x50l bags of manure and 4x25kg bags of 10mm grit have gone onto the surface (roughly levelled). Going to get some more manure tomorrow and then time to work into the soil. Will probably double dig the beds but not the rest (although not sure yet, its bloody hard work!)
I've also added a bit of gypsum (not a lot) as apparently it helps with the clay, binds with the clay particles and over time will open it up a bit (We'll see!)
Craikeybaby said:
That sounds like hard work!
After sharpening my mower blade I gave the lawn a quick trim, even on the highest setting on the lawnmower I took more than 1/3 of the length off. Will wait until April for the spring scarify/over seed/feed.
It was, I'm hurting this morning. And I still need more soil and to get the spoil to the dump.After sharpening my mower blade I gave the lawn a quick trim, even on the highest setting on the lawnmower I took more than 1/3 of the length off. Will wait until April for the spring scarify/over seed/feed.
Might buy a cheap wheel barrow, I think, less carrying!
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
I probably wouldn't mow if there's a hard frost forecast that night - it just seems wrong to injure the grass if it's going to need its resilience to cope with a hard freeze, but I have no scientific evidence to back that up and would easily be persuaded that it does no harm if someone else has evidence. But otherwise I see nothing wrong with mowing now, provided the grass itself is dry and the ground isn't too soft and squidgy.
Maybe that's the difference - moisture level. I suspect a cold dry lawn suffers very little while a cold damp lawn would. Slight thread hijack...
But can anyone recommend a replacement for a 16" hayter petrol rotary with a roller cylinder on the back? It's a great mower, but anno Domini is starting to be apparent. Looking for something similar, the only ones I have seen seem to either not have the roller, or are much larger?
Thanks
Have a cylinder for summer mowing and scarifying!
But can anyone recommend a replacement for a 16" hayter petrol rotary with a roller cylinder on the back? It's a great mower, but anno Domini is starting to be apparent. Looking for something similar, the only ones I have seen seem to either not have the roller, or are much larger?
Thanks
Have a cylinder for summer mowing and scarifying!
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