The 2024 Lawn Thread

[Huntsman]

I'm not clear about the sequence of jobs I need to go through.

Front lawn is a mess covered in dandelions.

Today I've scrafied it with a machine, I had the wire rake cassette in, then went over it with the mower on a low setting to hoover up.

I've ordered a rotary spreader.

Lawn is about 150sq mtrs.

I guess I need a sack of weed and feed stuff.

Do I need to go over it with the other cassette slitting blade thing?

Feels like another go like today wouldnt harm.

Or hit it with chemicals?

[westberks]

ukwill said:

Looks like this weekend is going to be the perfect time to get all those delayed lawn jobs done.

Finally!

so glad my lawnmower broke down and there is a backlog for repairs!

just the weedol it is then

[Simpo Two]

Huntsman said:

I'm not clear about the sequence of jobs I need to go through.

Front lawn is a mess covered in dandelions.

Today I've scrafied it with a machine, I had the wire rake cassette in, then went over it with the mower on a low setting to hoover up.

I've ordered a rotary spreader.

Lawn is about 150sq mtrs.

I guess I need a sack of weed and feed stuff.

Do I need to go over it with the other cassette slitting blade thing?

Feels like another go like today wouldnt harm.

Or hit it with chemicals?

I would have dealt with the dandelions first - weedkillers are absorbed through the leaves so if you cut the leaves off it can't work very well.

Scarifying is for removing moss and thatch (mat of dead grass)

[christhreadgill]

First time lawn - owner. Move into our new place this coming week.

Back garden is a bit wrecked, previous occupier kept large dogs out back “full time” with an outdoor kennel etc.

Hoping to simply chuck some grass seed down & water it. Do I need to do any “spikey” bits first at all, or just spread seed and water it?

[mrpbailey]

Huntsman said:

I'm not clear about the sequence of jobs I need to go through.

Front lawn is a mess covered in dandelions.

Today I've scrafied it with a machine, I had the wire rake cassette in, then went over it with the mower on a low setting to hoover up.

I've ordered a rotary spreader.

Lawn is about 150sq mtrs.

I guess I need a sack of weed and feed stuff.

Do I need to go over it with the other cassette slitting blade thing?

Feels like another go like today wouldnt harm.

Or hit it with chemicals?

Should have removed/killed off dandelions first. If using chemicals you’d need to wait around 4-6 weeks before any overseeding.
If you have moss/thatch you could then have sprayed with iron sulphate, waited for it to turn black then scarified.
Then after scarifying you could overseed and apply a light covering of compost.
After germination of the new seed apply a pre-seed fertiliser to help the new grass establish

[Huntsman]

Simpo Two said:

I would have dealt with the dandelions first - weedkillers are absorbed through the leaves so if you cut the leaves off it can't work very well.

Scarifying is for removing moss and thatch (mat of dead grass)

Oh.

Bawbags.

Too late now.

Rotary spreader and weedkiller coming.

[Challo]

Need to get some seed to repair some patches. Two sections of grass, 1 is shady under a large oak tree, the other tends to get sun all day

Can the shady seed be ok in the area with lots more sun?

Don't fancy having to buy different seed if I can help it.

Edited by Challo on Monday 6th May 08:09

[I_Am_Machine]

Finally had the weather to do some lawn care yesterday! Got the rake on it, aerated, overseeded and fertilised. Didn't pull out as much material as last year and barely any moss so I must be doing something right. Lawn still looks rough but progress is progress right
Any recommendations on a handheld spreader though? The current one has a flat bottom to the hopper which makes it a pain to get material to flow out nicely. Lawn isn't big enough to warrant anything more advanced

[SSG1000]

Have also just scarified, aerated, reseeded and top dressed the lawn….. first time since moving here and I’ve filled up the green bin with moss!

Any recommendations on which fertiliser to use?

[AC43]

brums evil twin said:

I have a couple of patches of ugly grass - there will be a proper name for it I am sure

Wanted to ideas of what to do with it - its not the end of the world and I don't fancy ripping it up

Coarse grass like that always seeds itself into a lawn. I try to pull it out by hand now and again and re-seed the bald patches.

[oyster]

A question on cylinder mowers for stripes.

I recently bought an electric cylinder mower (small-ish lawns so petrol seems overkill) but instead of cutting the grass it merely seems to be rolling the grass flat. Yes it has stripes, but not cut stripes. The mower has a front roller which seems odd as that flattens the grass before it gets a chance to be cut.

Is it normal for a cylinder mower to have a front roller as well as rear roller?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

oyster said:

A question on cylinder mowers for stripes.

I recently bought an electric cylinder mower (small-ish lawns so petrol seems overkill) but instead of cutting the grass it merely seems to be rolling the grass flat. Yes it has stripes, but not cut stripes. The mower has a front roller which seems odd as that flattens the grass before it gets a chance to be cut.

Is it normal for a cylinder mower to have a front roller as well as rear roller?

Yes it is normal to have a front roller.
Some cylinder mowers have a "rake" fitted to the front roller to lift the grass . Also some allow you to remove the front roller and install "outrigger" wheels.
However , with a properly set up mower , the front roller is usually left fitted.
How long is your grass ? Is it a "cheapy" electric cable mower ? Is the cylinder set correctly on the bottom blade ? How low is the height of cut set ?
Long grass will probably lie down . Maybe try cutting higher , but more often and gradually reduce the height of cut . I mow 2 or 3 times a week now.

[Ambleton]

We've been in our house for 7 years.

Our lawn has always some issues. It's not massively even but thats the least of the issues.

It's east facing and there's a patch that generally stays shady and moss infested. it also has two or three ant mounds.

A few weeks back my wife drenched the lawn in "feed and weed" and all the moss died and left it looking even worse.

I was basically resigned to two options.
1- deal with a crappy lawn forever more
2- rip it all up, rotivate, level and start from scratch

Before throwing In the towel I thought I'd try one more go at rescuing it properly rather than throw down a token handful of lawn patch like I normally do.




I cut the lawn as short as I can with a few passes.



I got one of those 5 prong manual aerators... This was really hard work doing it to this level all over the lawn. It felt like an eternity.



Screwfix had a well reviewed scarifier on offer. Never one to pass up on a bargain new power tool I took the plunge.

The basket on the back is a token effort really as it gets filled almost instantly, so that got removed, but I'm amazed at how much thatch and moss if kicked up!







Really i want to give it another go over with the scarifier perpendicular to the first pass but I've run out of room in the garden bin. I compacted it down as much as I can and it's still overflowing (and I have another pop up garden bin full of the stuff too). I'm really impressed with the scarifier though and was absolutely flabbergasted at the amount of stuff it pulled up!

The garden bin is due to be emptied this week so I might give the lawn a week to recover before another going over next weekend. Then leveling off the the worst divits, seeding, and top dressing.

Anyone got any sage words of wisdom or advice/things to avoid?

Edited by Ambleton on Saturday 18th May 22:42

[dhutch]

Looking good.

Topdressing is good, but expensive unless you have a cheap supply of topsoil.

Don't let the seed dry out. Water lightly twice daily with a timer, and or cover with plastic/fleece. (Once established you then want to water deeply once a week or even less frequently and only when really needed).

Yeah. Enjoy.