2021 Lawn thread
Discussion
I used artificial lawn in my last place and has pros and cons. I have two large dogs, so mainly pros!
They both like to dig, so the main driver for artificial grass was them digging and racing around when the ground is wet so had no grass left at all, just mud. I found dog pee to be the least damaging of the things dogs do.
The cons are that it can get quite hot in the summer so wouldn’t want to walk on it bare foot.....but you have a dog so probably haven’t done this is years anyway!
I’ve just this week cleared the back garden at my current place. It’s half an acre and been left to rot for some time. My neighbour said the garden here was impassable when she moved here 21 years ago, so quite a long time. After a man with a digger and me burning tree roots and filling 3 x 12 Cubic Yard skips (the big ones that stand about 5’8 tall) for 6 days, I have a clear, level garden and put the seed down and rolling it now ready for the downpour we are expecting later. As the garden is large, the patio area will be gated off so I can keep the dogs off the lawn so during the winter and wet months, the grass doesn’t get destroyed.
They both like to dig, so the main driver for artificial grass was them digging and racing around when the ground is wet so had no grass left at all, just mud. I found dog pee to be the least damaging of the things dogs do.
The cons are that it can get quite hot in the summer so wouldn’t want to walk on it bare foot.....but you have a dog so probably haven’t done this is years anyway!
I’ve just this week cleared the back garden at my current place. It’s half an acre and been left to rot for some time. My neighbour said the garden here was impassable when she moved here 21 years ago, so quite a long time. After a man with a digger and me burning tree roots and filling 3 x 12 Cubic Yard skips (the big ones that stand about 5’8 tall) for 6 days, I have a clear, level garden and put the seed down and rolling it now ready for the downpour we are expecting later. As the garden is large, the patio area will be gated off so I can keep the dogs off the lawn so during the winter and wet months, the grass doesn’t get destroyed.
RichB said:
ii) when we moved in it was the first time in my life I had ever seen a tick! We would get two or three on our legs each year but slowly they have disappeared. This year we have seen, or been bitten by, none. Maybe it's the garden birds eating the ticks, maybe it's because the garden is now cared for they have disappeared, but either way I prefer that to a dose of lyme disease.
It's almost certainly down to the garden being better cared for. Ticks need constant moisture to survive so do well in long unkempt areas but can't deal with neatly mown grass.We live surrounded by forest and unmanaged heather moorland with a large deer population and lots of ticks. I can lie around on the nicely mown grass and sunbathe all day without ever getting a tick. 20ft away, beyond where I mow, they're everywhere.
dhutch said:
ChocolateFrog said:
... parents plastic paradise....
Sounds awful! Why not accept imperfection?I'll continue to admire a good lawn on here and certainly appreciate the amount of work it takes to maintain.
ChocolateFrog said:
It's not though, it's great. That's the point, it sounds terrible and is no doubt terrible for the environment but it just works so well. Dogs, kids, no rain for a month etc etc, just hose it down every now and then and it comes up perfect, patio stays clean, house stays cleans, kids and dogs stay clean.
I'll continue to admire a good lawn on here and certainly appreciate the amount of work it takes to maintain.
Artificial lawns also extremely hot when exposed to full summer sun.I'll continue to admire a good lawn on here and certainly appreciate the amount of work it takes to maintain.
That rain was welcome (SW London here)
Green shoots appearing in sections I've seeded
I used to have artificial in a small 6m x 5m terrace garden. Now lawn in a 27mx10m garden. The thing I've learned is most important for lawns is to cut them very frequently. Amazing how that thickens and strengthens the lawn over time.
Green shoots appearing in sections I've seeded
I used to have artificial in a small 6m x 5m terrace garden. Now lawn in a 27mx10m garden. The thing I've learned is most important for lawns is to cut them very frequently. Amazing how that thickens and strengthens the lawn over time.
I am interested in the chitting idea but not tried it (seen a few youtube vids) and read the following
https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/overseeding-c...
Has anyone tried it and if so what was your method, did you do it mixed amongst soil or just wet the seed and let it germinate?
I've put down 15KG of All American Dark Green seed and topped with some compost but thus far it's just been an all you can eat buffet for pigeons and starlings. Hopefully this warm spell with rain will do the trick.
https://www.pitchcare.com/news-media/overseeding-c...
Has anyone tried it and if so what was your method, did you do it mixed amongst soil or just wet the seed and let it germinate?
I've put down 15KG of All American Dark Green seed and topped with some compost but thus far it's just been an all you can eat buffet for pigeons and starlings. Hopefully this warm spell with rain will do the trick.
Chitting works well, I've done it before and will do it again. Takes days off the process of wetting the seed in the ground, especially if the temperature is less than favourable.
Keeping it in damp soil works but putting the seed in a sack and submerging in water will also work fine. Keep it in a warm place and keep and eye on it and when it starts to germinate (tiny white sprout) put it in the ground asap. That could be 24-72 hours depending on the seed. Mix with a dry carrier of soil or sand to aid spreading without clumping. Covering with even a light spread of soil and rolling or tramping it in will aid soil contact and help keep the birds from finding it all. Keep it damp! Time it with the weather.
Keeping it in damp soil works but putting the seed in a sack and submerging in water will also work fine. Keep it in a warm place and keep and eye on it and when it starts to germinate (tiny white sprout) put it in the ground asap. That could be 24-72 hours depending on the seed. Mix with a dry carrier of soil or sand to aid spreading without clumping. Covering with even a light spread of soil and rolling or tramping it in will aid soil contact and help keep the birds from finding it all. Keep it damp! Time it with the weather.
t state, patchy and bear with weeds everywhere. I’m usually quite strict but the weather this year confused me.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff