2021 Lawn thread

[epsilonvaz]

It's gone from no rain and not being able to fertilise, to loads of rain and no opportunity to cut as it's growing like mad!

[Harry Flashman]

My lawn laid badly on sand, never really gets going until late May so has looked really ratty until now. Still full of holes, but lush growth is happening after I fed it just before all of this rain. It took a beating early this year from builders trudging around on it when wet to lay the slab for our garden room. Going to see how it recovers and then perhaps turf the bigger holes.

Also, I have given up on my Robomow. As my lawn seems to attract the local wildlife (in London!) to dig holes, the robot mower just gets stuck constantly. And it never returns to its home, always to be found wedged into a corner of the garden somewhere come morning, or sitting flat next to its dock, rather than charged and in it. Waste of money.

I've been using an old petrol mower, but my old McAllister is cheap, nasty and now broken after being fixed my me too many times. I bought this in a Hyundai sale directly from them, and it arrived within 24 hours. A little 41cm petrol mower with roller and electric start. I love the electric start. Love it. no more broken pull strings and messing about.

IMG_20210520_121341 by baconrashers, on Flickr

And the roller? Well, is there anything more middle-England than some stripes? I have brought a bit of my suburban upbringing into London...

IMG_20210520_121317 by baconrashers, on Flickr

[James_P]

Early April



This week



Heavily scarified & aerated in early April, then 2 tonne bags of dressing and overseeded. With the cold and very dry April nothing happened till the last couple of weeks when the existing grass and new seed came to life. Now its looking the best it has in a few years just need to bring the cut height down..





Put a gardena pop up sprinkler system on the front 2 lawns. All the pipe work was put in last month but not got the gardena blutooth valves yet, these are on back order as sold out everywhere till 1st June.. calculated flow rates, let's hope my calculations are right, its run off mains pressure. Fortunately I have a 32mm main supply and this tap is the first into the property so I get about 30lt per min flow..

Waited till last weekend to top dress and reseed the front, already seeing good new growth here, just got to keep the fat pigeons off for a few more days!

Edited by James_P on Thursday 20th May 13:24

[Nick_MSM]

Some of my lawn below. Sprayed with iron and seaweed last weekend, will be giving a 10-10-10 granular feed soon. Cut at 25mm with an Allett. Been struggling a bit with poa but think most have with the colder than usual start to spring.

[Harry Flashman]

Love your garden Nick. So pretty!

[Nick_MSM]

Harry Flashman said:

Love your garden Nick. So pretty!

Thanks! I'll post more pictures soon, few projects in progress.

[I-A]

Great growth guys!

Is grass seed picky about what soil to germinate in?

Second season in a row, I've laid the same seed mix (rye free) and used the same compost (I had 240L) and it will not germinate. Conditions are perfect for germination. I've used this seed mix with Asda 3 for £10 with great success, so I'm trying to understand if the seed doesn't get on with the other compost I'm using.

Thanks

[Milkbuttons]

I-A said:

Great growth guys!

Is grass seed picky about what soil to germinate in?

Second season in a row, I've laid the same seed mix (rye free) and used the same compost (I had 240L) and it will not germinate. Conditions are perfect for germination. I've used this seed mix with Asda 3 for £10 with great success, so I'm trying to understand if the seed doesn't get on with the other compost I'm using.

Thanks

be a good idea to do a soil test, kits and probes available online, your be able to check the acidity and how alkaline your soil is, il be checking mine this week to see whether or not I need to treat my lawn to a lime feed.

[Alex L]

Some lovely lush and stripey lawns above, about the only thing good that's come of this weather.

[zygalski]

Ours is a right mess. The goldfinches are enjoying our dandelions. Every time I go to mow the front or back lawn it chucks it down. It's been about 3 weeks since we had several consecutive dry days.

[I-A]

Milkbuttons said:

be a good idea to do a soil test, kits and probes available online, your be able to check the acidity and how alkaline your soil is, il be checking mine this week to see whether or not I need to treat my lawn to a lime feed.

Aha excellent thanks! I think I'll get a test. Will I then be able to adjust the pH of the compost?

Picked up 150L of the Asda compost (which worked brilliantly last time) so will be spreading more seed and top dressing with that.

[Milkbuttons]

I-A said:

Milkbuttons said:

be a good idea to do a soil test, kits and probes available online, your be able to check the acidity and how alkaline your soil is, il be checking mine this week to see whether or not I need to treat my lawn to a lime feed.

Aha excellent thanks! I think I'll get a test. Will I then be able to adjust the pH of the compost?

Picked up 150L of the Asda compost (which worked brilliantly last time) so will be spreading more seed and top dressing with that.

I'm no expert by a long way but I don't see why adding lime if needed to your lawn after you have top dressed wouldn't lower the Ph value of the compost.

[Alex L]

Managed to cut half of mine last weekend but struggled with the damp grass and kept clogging as I mulch rather than collect. A week on, the rain has even made my weedy lawn look alright. Just been around the garden picking up the fallen branches as it's pretty windy here.

Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr

Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr

This is the area I didn't get to cut

Untitled by Alex L, on Flickr

[Ntv]

I'm part way through a levelling project, section by section using a mixture of compost and topsoil. Trying just to do the worst of it this year, rather than expecting/paying for perfection.

I'm using nets due to the number of birds here

Although I'm getting the grass (from seed) through very well in some areas, and ok in others, what I'm experiencing is a huge number of pebbles being pushed up by worms (who are obviously protected from birds by the nets - though I suspect they don't know this!). Makes you realise just how many thousands of worms there must be down there.

It's a good thing in a way - sign of healthy soil, some organic aeration etc., though the number of stones is somewhat reducing the amount of grass coming through.

Any ideas from anyone who has experienced this? I've no desire to go on a futile holy war against worms. They do a lot of good down there!

[joestifff]

This weather is getting stupid. I’ve never known rain like it. Constant for nearly 3 weeks. I’m amazed nay grass is growing. But it seems to be fighting it’s way through.

I think drainage needs to be considered long term!!! It was soil three weeks ago. And has rained everyday, heavily since I seeded it.




Visitors have now moved in

[Evanivitch]

At this rate I think you need a pond with a soakaway overflow

[Autopilot]

wjwren said:

Autopilot said:

I put grass seed down on Bank Holiday Monday and I have grass shoots appearing!! I'm genuinely fascinated by how fast its popped up but I guess the conditions have been pretty good (South East UK), warmish days / soil, rain at night and repeat! I'm looking forwards to the end of the next week as obviously it's VERY patchy so worrying that it will be grassy in places and nothing in others but trying not to be impatient and let it do its thing as it will grow!!

The thing that surprised me was how suddenly it appeared! I've had a new fence put in on one side so was out there yesterday morning providing the guys with Tea, but wasn't until the afternoon that the chap who cleared the area for me commented how he could see the grass coming up....and then I looked and there were green patches....how the hell did I miss that when I was out there earlier the same day!

I always over seed after about 4 weeks. No matter what you do it always seems to be patchy.

Advice I shall be following, thank you!!

I'm really pleased how well its done out there but I guess conditions have been pretty perfect. Grass has established everywhere but is thin in places so will grab an extra 20kg bag and target the patchy areas. Thanks again for the advice. I'll post a few pics when I get a mo.

[How u doing]

Gazing out of the window, watching the rain,admiring the grass. No may May rocks.

[CaptainHindsight]

This arrived during the week, the Swardman hollow tine aerator.



Had previously been using the Draper aerator, which I got from Lawnsmith, but was finding it frustrating as the tines were clogging up on each go. This is in another league, including the price, but boy is it a pleasure to use. Aerating is so simple, just flashes through.

This was 15 mins worth:

[Matt Cup]

After living in a house with a quite frankly terrible garden (moss, weeds uneven surfaces etc etc oh and it pointing in the wrong direction) I can finally contribute to a lawn thread.

Here is what we will be moving into next week when we finally get the keys

3 weeks ago



Today, coming along nicely thanks to all of the miserable weather we have had this month.



Not a huge garden or as impressive as some of the others on here but I’m looking forward to making it our own and am glad we paid for real grass and didn’t opt for Astroturf.