2017 Lawn thread

[dickymint]

dickymint said:

8-P said:

dickymint said:

Hope not, seeded mine last Friday.

It is, but it doesnt really matter unless all your seed gets washed away in the rain. Actually that happened to me last year. When it warms up next week it should be ok. 2 weeks I reckon to see the first shoots in current weather.

I'm more concerned of the predicted frost in the next few days - but then only if the seed has germinated. But I've got a carrier bag full left just in case

woke up to GREEEENNN stuff this morning

[maccas99]

Piersman2 said:

From Lawnsmiths, I signed up for an account this time and noticed on my old orders that I've ordered the same 10kg tub of Ferrous Sulphate in March for the last 3 years!

Bloody moss is such a pain.

But I've finished 1 half of the lawn, 8 black sacks full, and it looks pretty bare as it always does when I do it. I'll get another light application of ferrous Sulphate over it to hopefully kill off any moss still clinging on in there, along with some fertiliser as I've not applied any of that for 5 years or so now.

I'm based in Berkshire, and the grass on the bit I've not yet attacked with the scarifier is shooting up over the last week since I mowed it. I might have to mow it again before I scarify.

I'll be back to Lawnsmith's soon for some more big bags of seed, one general and one shady, so I can massively over seed again. Keeps the local pigeons well happy that does.

Thanks for this, very helpful

[mattman]

Lawn newbie here!

Did the first cut last weekend - cut long as it was all over the place and used the mulch option on the mower as i was told this is a good thing to do for the first cut.

Whats the general thoughts on mulch cutting vs removing the cuttings? is either preferred?

Trying to keep the rear lawn longer this year and avoid the temptation to cut short - my mower as 20,30,40,50 length cut options. First cut was at 50, thinking 30 is a the target for the rest of the year.

Any guidance on the best length to aim for?

Thanks! (still trying to catch up with the rest of the thread)

[8-P]

mattman said:

Lawn newbie here!

Did the first cut last weekend - cut long as it was all over the place and used the mulch option on the mower as i was told this is a good thing to do for the first cut.

Whats the general thoughts on mulch cutting vs removing the cuttings? is either preferred?

Trying to keep the rear lawn longer this year and avoid the temptation to cut short - my mower as 20,30,40,50 length cut options. First cut was at 50, thinking 30 is a the target for the rest of the year.

Any guidance on the best length to aim for?

Thanks! (still trying to catch up with the rest of the thread)

Personally I dont like mulch, it looks worse and gets everywhere, its always finds its way into the house too! Not sure there is a massive benefit to it either. I never scalp mine, its about finding what works for you and also depends on how much of your lawn is grass, and how much is weeds and moss. Id experiment down from 50 to 40 and down, youll know when its wrong! If your lawn is bumpy youll see when youve gone too far too.

[mattman]

thanks - mulch was a lot quicker without having to keep emptying the grass box.

Mostly grass, but one side gets mossy due to shade and the other side is dry due to tree roots

[TheInternet]

Anyone know how often moss killer / iron sulphate can be applied?

I administered a moderately strong dose around three weeks ago to kill off some moss, this was then scarified at a high level to remove a lot but I'd now like to apply a 4-in-1 lawn treatment before lowering the scarifier and removing the last of the moss. Is a second load of iron sulphate (in the 4-in-1) likely to cause a problem so soon after the first application?

[Klippie]

I've had very good results over the years using Carrs Billington weed, feed and moss killer.
They also sell lawn fertilizer...its sensational my grass has never looked better but it needs cut twice a week when being fed on this stuff.

On Friday I went to buy my usual 20kg bag and got talking to the guy about lawn treatments, he told me they do two dedicated moss killers one stronger than the other and the combination bag I got, if the stuff I use is anything to go by the other two will be very effective.

Their products seem to be much more effective than store bought although more expensive they do the job very well.

[markbigears]

Amazing what comes out even on a maintained lawn! Finally finished the lawns over the weekend. Wife was not happy about the amount of time I spent "pishing around" with the grass (well I think that's what she said!)

[8-P]

markbigears said:

Amazing what comes out even on a maintained lawn! Finally finished the lawns over the weekend. Wife was not happy about the amount of time I spent "pishing around" with the grass (well I think that's what she said!)

Doing mine tonight, still jealous of your scarifier, got a watch set up on ebay, always room in the garage for more petrol powered machines with wheels.

[bazza white]

Can't wait to do ours. I reckon we will see a 3-4 inch drop in lawn height with all the moss.

Our plan is

Iron sulphate
Scarify/electric rake
Iron sulphate 2nd dose to kill moss floaters
glyphosate to kill everything else.

Topsoil to level off lawn. Plus a dose of blood and fishbone.
Reseed.


I'm not sure how long between glyphosate and seeding.

[joestifff]

My turf has grown well over winter.

I have cut it twice, and is currently desperate for a cut (hoping tonight it will have dried out enough)

This photo was after the second cut, keeping the cuts relatively long at the moment:



This is the photo yesterday evening (with the addition of the swing being built). But to wet to cut then. Fingers crossed for tonight:



I have some fertiliser from lawnsmith to put on (extra long spring fertiliser or something)

Wish my front lawn looked as well!!!

[anonymous-user]

That lawn looks very healthy, enjoy it while it lasts though, with kids swarming over it!

[8-P]

coyft said:

Enjoyed my first stripe up of the season.

Good looking lawn(and house!)

[8-P]

Scarified last night and as usual the lower end of my garden that only just about gets sun in the summer left me with quite a few bare patches. They seem to be impossible to avoid.

Im always a bit concerned how much healthy looking grass blades seem to come out with my scarifier. Is this normal? Its only a pretty old and cheap Qualcast - seems to do the job, but wondered if others get this too?

[Hard-Drive]

Help!

I posted a few pages ago about my new lawn which was seeded for the first time last autumn...some bits of it have taken really well where other bits are still quite bare. I put some fertiliser down on Saturday (Scott's/ICL ?Sportsmaster Spring/Summer) thinking it would get broken down by the promised showers, and we've had no rain since. I gather this can be A Bad Thing and it really needs rain. Do I get the hose on it (it's a big area though) or just leave it and hope the morning dew does a similar thing?

[dickymint]

Six days ago this was a brown patch

[Humpy D]

In my experience most fertilisers state that if it doesn't rain within 2 or 3 days of application then it should be watered in. I wouldn't think dew would do the trick. Get your hose out!!

I notice on this thread that the website Lawnsmith is mentioned a lot. I've no doubt they do decent stuff but is it so much better than the likes of Evergreen, etc you can get at B&Q? Or is this like comparing car cleaning stuff you can get at Halfords to that from sites such as Clean My Car i.e. the widely available stuff is ok but to get the better stuff you need to go to a specialist.

[PostHeads123]

I had my lawns scarified, over seed last weekend approx. 0.4 acre of it, I am currently at the stage of 'ohhh my god what have done, it looked good before did I really need to do this...Damn it I've wrecked my lawn and sh*t weather says there is no rain for next 10 days', I'm praying it recovers well.

[joestifff]

Humpy D said:

In my experience most fertilisers state that if it doesn't rain within 2 or 3 days of application then it should be watered in. I wouldn't think dew would do the trick. Get your hose out!!

I notice on this thread that the website Lawnsmith is mentioned a lot. I've no doubt they do decent stuff but is it so much better than the likes of Evergreen, etc you can get at B&Q? Or is this like comparing car cleaning stuff you can get at Halfords to that from sites such as Clean My Car i.e. the widely available stuff is ok but to get the better stuff you need to go to a specialist.

I am a fan of Lawnsmiths over the others as their product does not stain and therefore ruin hard surfaces. I once used the "Evergreen" stuff and it left yellow stains all over the concrete slabs near it.

Lawnsmiths you can chuck anywhere and doesn't seem to stain.

[Accelebrate]

PostHeads123 said:

I had my lawns scarified, over seed last weekend approx. 0.4 acre of it, I am currently at the stage of 'ohhh my god what have done, it looked good before did I really need to do this...Damn it I've wrecked my lawn and sh*t weather says there is no rain for next 10 days', I'm praying it recovers well.

I'm at the same stage. We had a lot of thick moss which is now bare soil. Looks a right mess and I suspect it'll be a while before the seed does anything.