2016 Lawn thread

[jagnet]

miroku said:

No pictures at present but if it helps I will upload.

If you could take some photos that would help - a couple of close up ones of a patch as well as ones of the lawn overall.

[jagnet]

panholio said:

My soil is quite clay in composition, and my lawn seems to hold a bit of water.

If you have clay soil then I would avoid trying to mix the sharp sand in unless you're going to add a lot, ie equal to the volume of soil that you're mixing it into. Depending on the clay, too little sand and it can end up setting like concrete.

I would get some of the Aftercut down first so that it can start working on the weeds and moss. It's better to feed, weed and moss kill with separate products as required, but as you have an issue with all them and you have the Aftercut already then you may as well use it.

In a couple of weeks you can then use the lawn rake to clear the dead moss out. Alternatively you can hire a proper scarifier which will do that plus cut into the soil surface to remove thatch etc. I really would recommend hiring in a proper machine on this occasion at least.

I suspect that your lawn would also benefit a great deal from aerating. You can either go cheap and cheerful with a garden fork (stick it in every six inches and give it a wiggle back and forth) or hire a hollow tine aerator for the purpose. Most hire shops will have one. That'll help get air into the rootzone and if you do have compaction in places (most likely) it'll help water drain through the lawn as well.

You can then topdress with some topsoil and compost if you want to. It is beneficial but it's a lot of work and more expense so it's a case of great if you do, but no worries if you don't.

You can then overseed the lawn. As there should still be residual nutrients from the Aftercut I wouldn't add any more fertiliser at that point. When choosing which seed to get, think about what kind of use the lawn gets (family lawns need to be more wear resistant) and whether the lawn or parts of it are shaded and would benefit from a more shade tolerant seed mix.

Once all that's done, maintain the health of the lawn by not removing more than a third of the grass length in one go and don't cut too short especially in shaded areas. A longer height of cut helps the lawn photosynthesise better, develop deeper roots, and leaves less opportunity for moss and weeds to grow. As an added bonus there's less need to cut so often whilst staying within the one third rule.

[panholio]

Jagnet, thanks so much for such a comprehensive reply.

I will get going with the aftercut and report back.

Thanks again.

[miroku]

Many thanks Jagnet. I will attempt some pictures this weekend.

[Pheo]

When he says a lot he's not lying. I recon I've worked in 2 tonnes of compost and 1 tonne of sand in the last month to a 3.5mx4m space! Has worked but anything bigger than that and I would have needed machinery.

Re the lawn under apple trees mentioned earlier, if you are intending to crop the apple trees they will much prefer it if you remove the grass in a ring under the canopy and mulch it properly - so water and nutrients can more easily get to the roots. This has the added advantage of meaning you don't have to worry about the lawn under neath

[Craikeybaby]

I'm going to be optimistic and assume it will be sunny for the next few weeks! So now that my lawn has been overseeded, I will need to water it - talk to me about sprinklers.

I have a rectangular shaped lawn, about 6m x 3.5m, with lowish fences to neighbours on either side, what type of sprinkler would be best? How long should I leave it running (no water meter)? Or should I continue to water manually with the hose?

[V8A*ndy]

Can this be saved and what would I cut it with?

Very heavily matted with layers that lift like carpet. The previous owner (older gentleman) gave up and just retained a path or two. I have no idea how long it has been left like this but it's certainly at the very least 8 years.

There is about 3 acres of lawn I'm tempted to leave it but I do love a lawn.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Craikeybaby said:

I have a rectangular shaped lawn, about 6m x 3.5m, with lowish fences to neighbours on either side, what type of sprinkler would be best? How long should I leave it running (no water meter)? Or should I continue to water manually with the hose?

Any oscillating sprinkler should cover that rectangular area quite nicely I'd have thought. If you get one where you can restrict the coverage (usually using little plastic tabs that you slide) then it'll prevent overspray. You needn't spend a fortune IMHO; £15 should be plenty. I bought a couple of sprinklers from Tesco and I think they were only a tenner, and they are perfectly reasonable.

To estimate how long to leave it on for, try running the sprinkler and place shallow containers at various places in the range of the sprinkler. Run it for an hour, then measure the depth of water in the containers and that'll give you an idea.

When watering the lawn in summer, it's better to water less frequently but do it thoroughly - I'd run the sprinkler to give at least an inch of 'rain', which means at least an hour and possibly a lot more. However, when you're watering seed the rule is different - it's crucial to keep the seed continuously moist; it must not dry out otherwise the emerging embryo plant will die. So you want to run the sprinkler frequently, perhaps every day if it's warm and dry, for a shorter period to keep the surface moist.

[Evanivitch]

V8A*ndy said:

Can this be saved and what would I cut it with?

Very heavily matted with layers that lift like carpet. The previous owner (older gentleman) gave up and just retained a path or two. I have no idea how long it has been left like this but it's certainly at the very least 8 years.

There is about 3 acres of lawn I'm tempted to leave it but I do love a lawn.

would it be possible to roughly break it all up, and get some meadow seed down in there? I don't know the practicalities but it would be a great habitat.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Today I am laboriously grubbing out patches of weed grass (possibly crabgrass, but I don't really know) and re-seeding.

You may recall that last autumn I killed my whole lawn with glyphosate and reseeded with a fine grass mix. I am fairly disappointed with the result this year: there's still a lot of coarse grass and weed grasses. I reckon I'm battling against decades of neglect that this lawn probably suffered before I took it over in about 2009, with the result that the soil has a huge 'seed bank' of weed grasses. Hence, when I reseeded it I actually got a mixture of my intended seed with a whole load of very poor quality grass as well. There is fine grass there, but it's liberally sprinkled with horrible coarse grasses.

I did apply a pre-emergent herbicide at the end of February, which should have prevented germination of annual weed grasses. But it has either not worked, or I was too late with it. Also, the worms have helpfully transported weed grass seeds to the surface with their worm-cast activity, and I am noticing that there's often a rosette of crabgrass on or next to a bare patch which I suspect was caused by a worm-cast. The pesky worms bring part of the 'seed bank' to the surface and create a little clearing of bare soil, where the crabgrass can germinate without competition.

I re-applied the pre-emergent a week or so ago, but I'm hoping that by scraping away the surface of the soil on the bare patches where I've pulled up some crabgrass and applying a handful of new topsoil I might be cancelling the effect of the pre-emergent in that localised region, and hence I can re-seed the patches successfully. I'm also sprinkling a little bit more topsoil on top of the seed.

Fingers crossed!

[8-P]

V8A*ndy said:

Can this be saved and what would I cut it with?

Very heavily matted with layers that lift like carpet. The previous owner (older gentleman) gave up and just retained a path or two. I have no idea how long it has been left like this but it's certainly at the very least 8 years.

There is about 3 acres of lawn I'm tempted to leave it but I do love a lawn.

Wow what a plot!

[V8A*ndy]

8-P said:

V8A*ndy said:

Can this be saved and what would I cut it with?

Very heavily matted with layers that lift like carpet. The previous owner (older gentleman) gave up and just retained a path or two. I have no idea how long it has been left like this but it's certainly at the very least 8 years.

There is about 3 acres of lawn I'm tempted to leave it but I do love a lawn.

Wow what a plot!

Perhaps you would like to see the entire site then? The Homes, Gardens and DIY section are going to be bombarded with questions once the plans come through.

[spikeyhead]

V8A*ndy said:

Perhaps you would like to see the entire site then? The Homes, Gardens and DIY section are going to be bombarded with questions once the plans come through.

That's a lovely looking place.

[8-P]

V8A*ndy said:

Perhaps you would like to see the entire site then? The Homes, Gardens and DIY section are going to be bombarded with questions once the plans come through.

Good god! More information needed! Where is it, size of plot etc. Looks stunning

[8-P]

To rub salt in my grass germination wounds of it taking 2 weeks to show any signs of life, I planted some lavender seeds I spotted on a plant at work on Monday. Most guides say 3 weeks + and mine have germinated already! If only the grass had taken so well, but being indoors and watered with some sun they have the ideal conditions I guess.

[miroku]

Hi Jagnet. Excuse the amateur pictures but hope this gives you some idea of the problem. As I said, some areas are lush and a deep green. Others are as you can see.
Any help greatly appreciated!
OOPs, pictures not uploaded. Bear with me.

[jagnet]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

The pesky worms bring part of the 'seed bank' to the surface and create a little clearing of bare soil, where the crabgrass can germinate without competition.

Same problem here with the Poa annua seedbank and worm activity. Pain in the proverbial.

V8A*ndy said:

Perhaps you would like to see the entire site then? The Homes, Gardens and DIY section are going to be bombarded with questions once the plans come through.

That's stunning. As for 3 acres of lawn, that's a lot of lawn. That's going to need some major investment in machinery and time if it's going to look any good. You could instead turn some of it over to flowering meadows (the "flowery mead" was often the medieval equivalent of the lawn, so not without precedence). Even that's going to be a lot of work initially, although somewhat easier than a formal lawn and with less future upkeep. Or buy goats, lots of goats.

[V8A*ndy]

jagnet said:

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

The pesky worms bring part of the 'seed bank' to the surface and create a little clearing of bare soil, where the crabgrass can germinate without competition.

Same problem here with the Poa annua seedbank and worm activity. Pain in the proverbial.

V8A*ndy said:

Perhaps you would like to see the entire site then? The Homes, Gardens and DIY section are going to be bombarded with questions once the plans come through.

That's stunning. As for 3 acres of lawn, that's a lot of lawn. That's going to need some major investment in machinery and time if it's going to look any good. You could instead turn some of it over to flowering meadows (the "flowery mead" was often the medieval equivalent of the lawn, so not without precedence). Even that's going to be a lot of work initially, although somewhat easier than a formal lawn and with less future upkeep. Or buy goats, lots of goats.

Goat has been suggested......

Around 3/4 acre of it is OK-ish plenty of moss but fixable, the rest is just a matted mess. I've a disability so no digging and limited machinery from me. I think the meadow as already suggested is the way to go however it is currently covered in Daffodils of many different species I don't want to disturb those. Goodness knows what's planted in there.

The rest is woodland and large areas of brambles (I hate bramble). Not too fussed about the grass on the shore line as it might be partially underwater in the winter as the lake rises and falls.

But I wish I could just have it all lawn. It must have been some sight in the past.

[miroku]

Hopefully pictures this time.
By the way the seed used was Limagrain MM29 if that helps.

Thanks

[miroku]

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