2016 Lawn thread

[Evanivitch]

Gents, I have 2 small lawns. Front is moderate size but heavily punctuated by islands of planting meaning lots of curves. Rear is small and square and on a slight slope.

I currently have an Argos hover mower, it's a bit naff but bearable with the collection box off. I've been offered a Bosch 34 for 40 quid second hand, I'm keen to get something with an adjustable cutting height, but wonder if it'll be useless on the front lawn.

[Condi]

jagnet said:

I would give it a feed if you haven't recently. Lots of rain and a sandy soil can rapidly leach Nitrogen. There could be other issues such as compaction if the lawn has been used a lot in the wet weather, or deep thatch which will further highlight nutrient deficiency as so much of the root won't be in good soil. Chances are though that it just needs a feed.

You're maybe right, I have some feed in the shed so will splash some about. Compaction I dont think is an issue as it was aerated a few months ago, and thatch isnt an issue either as was scarified at the same time.

[Tony Angelino]

Any ideas on what my problem here could be please Gents? Over seeded 4 weeks ago, 2 minimal cuts in the last week only taking the very top off it. Was like a lush carpet a week ago and now I have these patches. Have I walked on it too soon? Taken too much off despite it being a very high setting on the mower? Not enough watering despite it hammering it down almost every day since doing it?

Thanks in advance.

[AC43]

8-P said:

And my next project, potted grass, ready for patching at weed replacement

What a great idea

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Tony Angelino said:

Any ideas on what my problem here could be please Gents? Over seeded 4 weeks ago, 2 minimal cuts in the last week only taking the very top off it. Was like a lush carpet a week ago and now I have these patches. Have I walked on it too soon? Taken too much off despite it being a very high setting on the mower? Not enough watering despite it hammering it down almost every day since doing it?

Thanks in advance.

Just a guess, but I wonder if you've got a touch of red thread? Conditions are right for it now - warmish and moist.

[8-P]

AC43 said:

What a great idea

Next time Ill do a shallower tray, that way I can just cut out the sized bits I need. I also should have made the soil higher but Im being picky.

[bazza white]

Well the builders finally comeback to redo my parents grass after the first lot was crap. New stuff has been down 9 days and looking great, getting greener and looking more lush now to. Really happy with the quality of this new grass.

[Tony Angelino]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Tony Angelino said:

Any ideas on what my problem here could be please Gents? Over seeded 4 weeks ago, 2 minimal cuts in the last week only taking the very top off it. Was like a lush carpet a week ago and now I have these patches. Have I walked on it too soon? Taken too much off despite it being a very high setting on the mower? Not enough watering despite it hammering it down almost every day since doing it?

Thanks in advance.

Just a guess, but I wonder if you've got a touch of red thread? Conditions are right for it now - warmish and moist.

A quick google of the potential causes and images and I think your rights. Thanks, will find a way to tackle it but more nitrogen so prevention rather than cure seems to be the best method from what I can tell..

O/t - your handle is now the name of our office buyer, replacing Mick oxlong as the guy who looks after recruitment/company vehicles/stationary etc.

[BRISTOL86]

Gents

After putting a fair bit of time and effort into sorting the back lawn (moderately successful) the front is now looking a bit sad.

Stayed nice and green all over the nasty winter and came out the other side of it looking better than I'd expected.

However lately it's looking very yellow/brown in patches (looks almost straw like) and a bit sorry for itself....also have a huge unsightly ant nest (?) in the middle of it which made a right mess when I mowed over it on the weekend!

Any tips for getting it looking a bit better quickly? I put down some Lawnsmith fertiliser a few weeks ago but can't see that it's really helped. It's also very weedy but think that needs tackling as a seperate issue....

I mowed it shorter than usual, I'm going to keep it a little higher which might take the edge of it....

[Nick_MSM]

BRISTOL86 said:

Gents

After putting a fair bit of time and effort into sorting the back lawn (moderately successful) the front is now looking a bit sad.

Stayed nice and green all over the nasty winter and came out the other side of it looking better than I'd expected.

However lately it's looking very yellow/brown in patches (looks almost straw like) and a bit sorry for itself....also have a huge unsightly ant nest (?) in the middle of it which made a right mess when I mowed over it on the weekend!

Any tips for getting it looking a bit better quickly? I put down some Lawnsmith fertiliser a few weeks ago but can't see that it's really helped. It's also very weedy but think that needs tackling as a seperate issue....

I mowed it shorter than usual, I'm going to keep it a little higher which might take the edge of it....

''mowed it short that usual'' - looks like you've scalped it in places. I never cut my lawns too short - yes it means cutting more regularly but it keeps it healthier.

[PostHeads123]

Nick_MSM said:

''mowed it short that usual'' - looks like you've scalped it in places. I never cut my lawns too short - yes it means cutting more regularly but it keeps it healthier.

On the Ants nests I found if you get it earlier enough the grass is still there and alive just under the soil they have pushed up, what I do is get my hose and hose off the soil of the next till I see the grass, done it on 4-5 nests this year and its worked grass recovers in day or so.

[princeperch]

I'm getting 15 sq m of turf delivered on Friday.

the whole garden was previously paved. I've gone back to soil for half of it now where the turf will go (I've removed nearly 2 tonnes of hardcore and paving), and put down a weed proof fabric and a ton of topsoil on top of that which ive compacted down.

is it just the case I lay it down and make sure its well watered for the next two weeks? should I actively avoid walking on it unless strictly required?

[8-P]

Ive always been lazy with ants nests and done nothing which Im glad to report seems to work out, theyve all seemed to died away and the lawn been ok.

[Joe M]

princeperch said:

I'm getting 15 sq m of turf delivered on Friday.

the whole garden was previously paved. I've gone back to soil for half of it now where the turf will go (I've removed nearly 2 tonnes of hardcore and paving), and put down a weed proof fabric and a ton of topsoil on top of that which ive compacted down.

is it just the case I lay it down and make sure its well watered for the next two weeks? should I actively avoid walking on it unless strictly required?

Weed proof fabric could be a mistake, how deep is the soil?

[Condi]

Joe M said:

Weed proof fabric could be a mistake, how deep is the soil?

Agree, normally. Unless water can move freely from top to bottom, and ideally roots grow through (which probably wont happen), then all you'll get is a layer at the top which will get dry or wet. Either, or, and your grass will die!

[tperry]

So my lawn has grown much quicker than expected. It will be 4weeks on Sunday since seeding. I have 2 questions.
1. When should I do the first cut? I know to only cut the top off just not sure when's best todo it.
2. Do I leave the cuttings on the lawn after mowing or not?

Cheers chaps

Edited by tperry on Wednesday 6th July 21:35

[BRISTOL86]

Thanks guys will definitely cut higher from now on!

[princeperch]

Weedproof fabric and about 3 inches of topsoil on top ..

[moles]

Get rid of the fabric will cause too many problems and it isn't needed.

[jagnet]

BRISTOL86 said:

Any tips for getting it looking a bit better quickly? I put down some Lawnsmith fertiliser a few weeks ago but can't see that it's really helped. It's also very weedy but think that needs tackling as a seperate issue....

I mowed it shorter than usual, I'm going to keep it a little higher which might take the edge of it....

I'm seeing this on quite a few lawns at the moment. It does make it look as if the grass is browning off due to lack of rain despite it having been so wet recently.

I can't really tell whether it's the case on your lawn, but for many the brown colouration is coming in part from the basal leaf sheaths around the base of the grass plants. I think it's becoming very apparant due to the excellent growing conditions over the last fortnight (with the mix of sun and showers) so the grass is outpacing the usual weekly/ten day/fortnightly cut that most lawns get.

With the fast growth, by the time the lawn does get cut then the grass plant is trimmed down to the basal leaf and the resultant severe browning of the sheath is a reaction to this. Upright grasses such as ryegrass suffer particularly from being cropped short.

Areas of affected lawns that get less sun and thus slower growth, or lawns that get cut more frequently aren't showing the same browning. The amount of browning is also affected by the constituant types and proportions of grasses within the lawn.

The grass plants should recover fairly quickly as growing conditions are still very good and they should have plenty of carbohydrates stored in their roots to aid recovery. It can take a while before those browned off leaf sheaths break down, so by giving it a shorter cut now and then raising the cutting height as you're planning on doing you'll help to hide them in the meantime and that is about all you can do for now to get the lawn looking lush again.

As I say, this may not be the cause of the problem on your lawn, but it does correlate with my observations elsewhere so there's a good chance that it could be.

tperry said:

So my lawn has grown much quicker than expected. It will be 4weeks on Sunday since seeding. I have 2 questions.
1. When should I do the first cut? I know to only cut the top off just not sure when's best todo it.
2. Do I leave the cuttings on the lawn after mowing or not?

Cheers chaps

That's been growing very well. I'd get that cut asap before it becomes too long. I wouldn't leave the clippings from the first few cuts on the grass as they'll be long so will be unsightly and risk smothering the grass. Once you get down to your normal cutting height then there isn't really a need to box off the clippings on normal lawns and it can be an advantage leaving them to break down and return Nitrogen to the soil. The clippings alone can provide up to a third of the lawn's N requirements over a year.

I would however be inclined to collect the clippings if there's a risk of spreading seeds from weeds and weed grasses. I would also collect them if worm castings are becoming an issue.

princeperch said:

Weedproof fabric and about 3 inches of topsoil on top ..

The lawn really requires a minimum of 6 inches of rootzone; 9 inches is even better. With just 3 inches available it'll be very prone to stress in droughty conditions and will tend to be thinner as competition between grass plants increases. You'll likely need to irrigate much more in dry conditions and provide nutrients on a little and often basis far more frequently. Even then the lawn won't be as happy as it could be.

I really would get rid of that fabric barrier.