2020 Lawn thread

[RichB]

Spend 4 1/2 hours in the garden today raking & clearing leaves and cutting grass. About 8 barrow loads of leaves wheeled back into the woods and the mower dealt with the rest that are now on the compost. Back breaking stuff! Hope to get the winter feed down tomorrow.

[renmure]

ChocolateFrog said:

Leftfootwonder said:

Anyone still mowing? I think i'll be 'topping off' this weekend to keep it neat as still getting reasonable growth (SE).

I've done a couple of mows, might get one more in. Mainly to hoover up the leaves TBH.

I've been out today on the mower but had the mulching blades on and set quite high to get rid of the leaves and just take the top off the grass.

[Evanivitch]

Sometimes, even the Pros get it terribly wrong.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55360456

The original pitch went down in 2005 and had a great reputation. One of the first hybrid pitched, mixing artificial fibres with the turf (sounds like a recycling nightmare) which made it robust enough to host rugby and football during an intensive season schedule.

It was then replaced in the summer of 2019, and has been in a state of decline since the start of 2020. Local rumours are that the pitch has some some form of root rot, and Swansea management deny any cut in funding for pitch maintenance, even ordering extra lighting rigs for the winter (which have always created an even glow as the lighting rigs moved along the playing surface at night).

[dhutch]

Evanivitch said:

... mixing artificial fibres with the turf (sounds like a recycling nightmare).....

You can say that again! Like ruddy RoLawn all over again....

[8-P]

RichB said:

Spend 4 1/2 hours in the garden today raking & clearing leaves and cutting grass. About 8 barrow loads of leaves wheeled back into the woods and the mower dealt with the rest that are now on the compost. Back breaking stuff! Hope to get the winter feed down tomorrow.

Will you stop posting pictures of my dream garden please, looks amazing.

[RichB]

8-P said:

Will you stop posting pictures of my dream garden please, looks amazing.

Looks cold and wet out there at the moment but the good news for us gardeners is that the evenings start to get lighter as of tomorrow!

[rlw]

RichB said:

Looks cold and wet out there at the moment but the good news for us gardeners is that the evenings start to get lighter as of tomorrow!

We are half way to mid-summer....

[dhutch]

What's the earliest you can scarify?

Got a lawn company and they say they are scarifing now, till march, and then reseeding afterwards.

Understand they can't do all their customers at once, but nithois going to germinate for months, it's just about still got snow on it from the weekend, we have two dogs so it's going to get mud in the house for 19 weeks.

Thoughts?

Daniel

[oyster]

RichB said:

8-P said:

Will you stop posting pictures of my dream garden please, looks amazing.

Looks cold and wet out there at the moment but the good news for us gardeners is that the evenings start to get lighter as of tomorrow!

Evenings start getting lighter from around the 12th December.

[RichB]

oyster said:

RichB said:

8-P said:

Will you stop posting pictures of my dream garden please, looks amazing.

Looks cold and wet out there at the moment but the good news for us gardeners is that the evenings start to get lighter as of tomorrow!

Evenings start getting lighter from around the 12th December.

Que? I wrote that on 21st December, the winter solstice i.e. the shortest day of the year, therefore the next day it gets lighter...

[Harry Flashman]

My lawn is absolutely shagged. Whilst I spent so much time on it this year to get it good in the summer, winter has cruelly exposed the shallow roots and weakness of the grass, due to being laid on sand by idiots. Doing some fencing work and putting in a garden rom pad has trashed it and turned it into a mudpit. I could see next door's lawn properly whilst we had the old fence down, and was chatting to him - his grass is so much healthier and tougher, and requires little to no maintenance - just s feed every now and then along with cutting. Mine requires constant seeding, aeration, feeding etc.

When digging out the foundations for this concrete pad, we took out about eight inches of sand under the pathetic grass. Never again will I leave this task in the hands of others whilst I am away - thousands of pounds wasted three years ago.

I'll do some overseeding in spring to make it useable for summer, build the garden room, and then this September have it all out, the ground properly prepared with drainage and irrigation system, then thousands of crocus bulbs thrown down, and turfed over.

So big lawn project due next autumn!

IMG_20210115_100910 by baconrashers, on Flickr


New fence looks good, at least! Old one was rotten and collapsing.

IMG_20210118_122700 by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 27th January 08:56

[Cl4rkyPH]

Is there a new thread?

[dhutch]

Cl4rkyPH said:

Is there a new thread?

Good question. Maybe not yet?

[dhutch]

What time of year is hollow tining sensible?

Having scarifed to topdress and reseed last spring and then missed it due to the super dry April we had, I'm planning to try again this spring.

Lawn is flat, ok, but a lot of course grasses, moss, thatch from years of abuse and doesn't match a new extended section. Lots of mature trees around too. Sandstone bedrock about 6inch below.

Can I hollow time at the same time?


Daniel

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

dhutch said:

Cl4rkyPH said:

Is there a new thread?

Good question. Maybe not yet?

Yes there is:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[DonkeyApple]

Harry Flashman said:

My lawn is absolutely shagged. Whilst I spent so much time on it this year to get it good in the summer, winter has cruelly exposed the shallow roots and weakness of the grass, due to being laid on sand by idiots. Doing some fencing work and putting in a garden rom pad has trashed it and turned it into a mudpit. I could see next door's lawn properly whilst we had the old fence down, and was chatting to him - his grass is so much healthier and tougher, and requires little to no maintenance - just s feed every now and then along with cutting. Mine requires constant seeding, aeration, feeding etc.

When digging out the foundations for this concrete pad, we took out about eight inches of sand under the pathetic grass. Never again will I leave this task in the hands of others whilst I am away - thousands of pounds wasted three years ago.

I'll do some overseeding in spring to make it useable for summer, build the garden room, and then this September have it all out, the ground properly prepared with drainage and irrigation system, then thousands of crocus bulbs thrown down, and turfed over.

So big lawn project due next autumn!

IMG_20210115_100910 by baconrashers, on Flickr


New fence looks good, at least! Old one was rotten and collapsing.

IMG_20210118_122700 by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 27th January 08:56

It's that London tax problem. Too many customers who will over pay, too many who will just pay again instead of complain and an army of transient workers who know they won't be around by the time someone might complain.

It's certainly one of the few things I don't miss. The army of dishonest and stupid people who work on the premis that you can't possibly comprehend how something as complicated as changing a light bulb works as opposed to realising that it's because easier and more convenient for you to not do it yourself.

However, why chose crocus? I'd agree that they look fantastic, especially the smaller, less ornamental varieties but to my mind they generally follow snowdrops and that lag overlaps on the other side with the need to start mowing before it's ideal to be cutting the leaves?

[Harry Flashman]

DonkeyApple said:

Harry Flashman said:

My lawn is absolutely shagged. Whilst I spent so much time on it this year to get it good in the summer, winter has cruelly exposed the shallow roots and weakness of the grass, due to being laid on sand by idiots. Doing some fencing work and putting in a garden rom pad has trashed it and turned it into a mudpit. I could see next door's lawn properly whilst we had the old fence down, and was chatting to him - his grass is so much healthier and tougher, and requires little to no maintenance - just s feed every now and then along with cutting. Mine requires constant seeding, aeration, feeding etc.

When digging out the foundations for this concrete pad, we took out about eight inches of sand under the pathetic grass. Never again will I leave this task in the hands of others whilst I am away - thousands of pounds wasted three years ago.

I'll do some overseeding in spring to make it useable for summer, build the garden room, and then this September have it all out, the ground properly prepared with drainage and irrigation system, then thousands of crocus bulbs thrown down, and turfed over.

So big lawn project due next autumn!

IMG_20210115_100910 by baconrashers, on Flickr


New fence looks good, at least! Old one was rotten and collapsing.

IMG_20210118_122700 by baconrashers, on Flickr

Edited by Harry Flashman on Wednesday 27th January 08:56

It's that London tax problem. Too many customers who will over pay, too many who will just pay again instead of complain and an army of transient workers who know they won't be around by the time someone might complain.

It's certainly one of the few things I don't miss. The army of dishonest and stupid people who work on the premis that you can't possibly comprehend how something as complicated as changing a light bulb works as opposed to realising that it's because easier and more convenient for you to not do it yourself.

However, why chose crocus? I'd agree that they look fantastic, especially the smaller, less ornamental varieties but to my mind they generally follow snowdrops and that lag overlaps on the other side with the need to start mowing before it's ideal to be cutting the leaves?

Too true, DA. I was inexperienced and got shafted by these fools, which is about to cost me thousands extra. You live and learn. Predictably, they are nowhere to be found, three years later.

Crocus because I like them and the yellow/purple colours are cheerful. Wide has a thing against daffodils too, for some reason. My current lawn does not get going until May die to its weak roots. Bit you are right, something earlier probably a good idea. I wanted colour, so snowdrops alone would not suffice. And ideas for the South East, folks?

I do have some crocus in the current lawn, planted in September, that are sprouting now. Interesting to see when they flower and when they die away...I have months to make decisions,so all advice gratefully received.

[DonkeyApple]

I noticed them coming up with the snowdrops this year. I wonder if the twisting seasons has actually changed the timings for crocus but out here everyone has that little pale blue one and I think they come out earlier than the ornamental ones?

[dhutch]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

dhutch said:

Cl4rkyPH said:

Is there a new thread?

Good question. Maybe not yet?

Yes there is:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Excellent! Over we go.....

[Kattedjiron]

I have a tractor for the lawn, and it does not work can anyone know what the problem is?