2018 Lawn thread
Discussion
Patrick Bateman said:
Blackpuddin said:
I've just watered my lawns with iron sulphate. Not sure it's going to work as my natural stinginess made me water it down beyond the recommended mix, but anyhoo, how long is it best to leave that before attacking the moss with the trusty rake? No sign of any blackness yet after a day.
The lawnsmith website will keep you right on this stuff.The total amount of iron sulphate that's down per square metre will be what matters.
covmutley said:
Is anyone getting grass seed germinating?
I over seeded at the weekend and am a bit concerned I am a couple of weeks ahead of myself?
I did on Sunday, warm weather and plenty wet enough. Hopefully start to see some results in a few days - just got to keep the birds (and dog!) off.I over seeded at the weekend and am a bit concerned I am a couple of weeks ahead of myself?
georgefreeman918 said:
covmutley said:
Is anyone getting grass seed germinating?
I over seeded at the weekend and am a bit concerned I am a couple of weeks ahead of myself?
I did on Sunday, warm weather and plenty wet enough. Hopefully start to see some results in a few days - just got to keep the birds (and dog!) off.I over seeded at the weekend and am a bit concerned I am a couple of weeks ahead of myself?
Spuds in too!
My lawn is only just recovering from the winter, moss looks bad, but last winter was worse. Not sure I'll have time to scarify this year, so might just leave it and try to pretend it isn't there.
Did the first cut over the weekend and added fertiliser, so hopefully it'll green up soon enough. I need to treat patches of red-thread again, and probably should look at the causes a bit more this year, but again time isn't on my side.
Lawnmower was running like a bag of spanners, kept stalling every few seconds until it finally choked on whatever was stuck in the carb and it stopped stalling. The carb needs a clean, been meaning to sort it for a few years as it's always hunted badly, so once the grass was cut I swapped my little engine for a 5hp one from my Dad's old mower. Took 10 mins, started first time and runs perfectly.
Did the first cut over the weekend and added fertiliser, so hopefully it'll green up soon enough. I need to treat patches of red-thread again, and probably should look at the causes a bit more this year, but again time isn't on my side.
Lawnmower was running like a bag of spanners, kept stalling every few seconds until it finally choked on whatever was stuck in the carb and it stopped stalling. The carb needs a clean, been meaning to sort it for a few years as it's always hunted badly, so once the grass was cut I swapped my little engine for a 5hp one from my Dad's old mower. Took 10 mins, started first time and runs perfectly.
Blackpuddin said:
Bit of blackness now, when it finally stops raining I think I will be setting to with the rake. Can't bring myself to buy a moss-remover, even a cheap 80 quid one. So I'l pay the price in back pain instead ha ha.
Seriously - hire one! I thought that my parent's lawn was small enough that I didn't need a scarifier and really regretted that decision!PositronicRay said:
Me too, enough rain to water it in, and it'll be getting warmer now.
Spuds in too!
Great, cheers both. Just hot a bit worried I had wasted £30 of seed. Spuds in too!
After starting with something akin to a meadow and trying for a couple of years to sort it, I have a good feeling the front lawn will look good this year!
cobain said:
What does everyone recommend for top dressing? I’m on clay soil here.
Your top dressing needs to be similar to the underlying rootzone soil. If you switched to a sandy soil then you'll end up (over time with repeated applications) forming a soil horizon that roots are disinclined to cross, and that's not good.Secondly, incorporating inadequate amounts of sand into clay soil can sometimes end up creating a concrete like substance leaving you far worse off than before. When amending clay soil with sand to create a rootzone, the safe amount of sand to add is normally 50%, ie 3" of sand mixed into 6" of existing clay soil to create a 9" rootzone. That's a hell of a lot of sand.
The one thing that benefits sandy and clay soils alike is compost, aiding water retention in the former and drainage in the latter as well as introducing beneficial fungi and bacteria. I would stick to a mix of topsoil and compost for topdressing a clay soil and aerate well with either hollow tines or the garden fork method to allow the top dressing layer to key into the soil underneath. Over time this will improve the soil structure in the rootzone.
Craikeybaby said:
Blackpuddin said:
Bit of blackness now, when it finally stops raining I think I will be setting to with the rake. Can't bring myself to buy a moss-remover, even a cheap 80 quid one. So I'l pay the price in back pain instead ha ha.
Seriously - hire one! I thought that my parent's lawn was small enough that I didn't need a scarifier and really regretted that decision!iron sulphate went down yesterday and its slightly black today, the moss is bad but not as bad as last year. weeds are bad so going to resolva the lot next to kill the dandelions and other weeds. hopefully scarifying then will also lift the weeds. we may do a light scarafying and then iron sulphate again as the moss is deep in some places and quite a bit of live left last year.
our plan is let it cool down after next week then reseed. the ground should be nice and warm and not as bad to water week after next.
Nuking the lot is also on the options list
our plan is let it cool down after next week then reseed. the ground should be nice and warm and not as bad to water week after next.
Nuking the lot is also on the options list
scott2c said:
How much iron sulphate did you put down? Do you go liquid or mix with sand?
I know you weren't asking me but I thought I'd chip in anyway, I used a 2.5kg tub of iron sulphate powder mixed with water at twice the dilution rate recommended on the tub as I am a skinflint and I was going to run out of powder otherwise. The moss seems to have gone black anyway and as the owner of a dog and a cat I was a bit worried about them mooching about outside with a full-strength mixture on the lawns. Blackpuddin said:
I know you weren't asking me but I thought I'd chip in anyway, I used a 2.5kg tub of iron sulphate powder mixed with water at twice the dilution rate recommended on the tub as I am a skinflint and I was going to run out of powder otherwise. The moss seems to have gone black anyway and as the owner of a dog and a cat I was a bit worried about them mooching about outside with a full-strength mixture on the lawns.
How big is your lawn. 2.5kg at twice silution rate is alot of solution. Patrick Bateman said:
f
king hell how big are your lawns?
400-500g per 100 square metres is the rate I've stuck with.
My watering can does almost exactly one pass over the entire lawn so it's 200-225g of iron sulphate and 20 litres of water.
How small is yours. king hell how big are your lawns? 400-500g per 100 square metres is the rate I've stuck with.
My watering can does almost exactly one pass over the entire lawn so it's 200-225g of iron sulphate and 20 litres of water.
Ours is about 250sqm at the rear and a small amount at the front so a kilo is about right. I tried a watering can but it managed a strip, it pissed out.
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