2021 Lawn thread

[dhutch]

Lawnsmiths ftw.....

[Dave_ST220]

After scarifying I need to over seed. Could someone post an eBay link to some half decent (bulk) seed?

I'd like a nice thick lawn, not a bowling green (which I understand needs Bent lawn seed?).

Cheers

[dhutch]

Lawnsmiths? The have a few, depending on if your sandy/clay base, shade etc, and typically competitive with the bulk bags on eBay as well as large BnQ family lawn seed bags.

[CO2000]

Dave_ST220 said:

After scarifying I need to over seed. Could someone post an eBay link to some half decent (bulk) seed?

I'd like a nice thick lawn, not a bowling green (which I understand needs Bent lawn seed?).

Cheers

Have a look at A1 seed, very happy with mine (A1LAWN Platinum Pro Grass Seed (without Rye)) although I went through their website rather than ebay

https://www.a1lawn.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_MjSns...

[dhutch]

CO2000 said:

Have a look at A1 seed, very happy with mine (A1LAWN Platinum Pro Grass Seed (without Rye)) although I went through their website rather than ebay

https://www.a1lawn.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_MjSns...

I would be really interested to know of anyone who's done a back to back, I guess a professional who's used both. I'm almost tempted to buy a bit an grow some, but while it's the only seed I've used other than BnQ family lawn, the Staygreen seems to be perfect for us.

• £66 for 2x5kg of the A1 Platinum
• £50 for 10kg of Lawnsmiths Easygreen (clay base)
• £59 for 10kg of Lawnsmiths Staygreen (sandy base)
• £59 for 10kg BnQ Verve Family or Universal Lawn

[dhutch]

dhutch said:

Not an expert but I'm going to hold off atleast till we're forecast some rain.

So what did I do in our two day mini heat wave!



Cut it one notch lower.




And hit it with the scarifier.



Came up really well actually.

Before I've had issues with huge clumps of turf coming up, as the roots where only in the huge thatch layer.

But a couple of cycles in, and having topdressed and re/over seeded it all this spring, it really behaved much more like the online videos of people scarifying!

Two medium passes at 45 deg, with a rake up and re-mow in between passes. Not too harsh, but also getting down to the soil, because there actually is now soil not just 2inches of thatch.

Then overnight last night, like magic as well as forecast, it hammered it down. About and inch of rain or more given the two inches in the bucket that was out. Nice.



You can really see, from right to left, the brand new lawn that's now 18months old and lovely, the first two strips that I over seeded and took really well, and then the third strip that got a bit hot under the polythene as it was later in spring and while we where away for a week. Then the bit under the trees I haven't over seeded yet but also didn't cut back or scarify.


Winning

[dhutch]

I am now not quite sure what to do.

Nominally I would like to overseed it again, but I think without a light dressing of soil, I think it will mainly just dry out in the surface and been a waste of seed? Especially in the thinker areas where it is needed most.

But also even if not doing a heavy top dressing like before, spreading a thin layer of soil over the whole area takes ages and ages with a barrow and seive.

It's not a huge lawn by some standard, but around 20x20m so 400sqm.

Thoughts welcome.



New area, looking basically very nice over most it it, just a touch thin in parts.


Old but recently reseeded bit is less uniform, some coarser grasses, but also growing ok.

Third overseeded section has much less of the newer seed, is coarser, and a lot more susceptible to dry conditions.


Length is now around 1inch or 25mm.


Daniel

[dhutch]

Can you hollow tine a lake?


Daniel

[LaserTam]

Looks like you were 2 hours too late. Would have drained nicely if you got up earlier

[dhutch]

LaserTam said:

Looks like you were 2 hours too late. Would have drained nicely if you got up earlier

Sadly all down to when the hire co could deliver the machine!

Likewise why I ended up with a Bannerman rotary type rather a Camon with crank driven tines. Definitely makes more mess, and on the really hard/dry/compacted area under the pine tree where the grass isn't growing so well it tends to climb out a bit and not penetrate properly where it is needed most.

However even in the rather damp conditions, with seriously blunt peened over tines, it's made some holes, even ejected the cores some of the time, scuffed the surface up a bit for overseeding, and life will continue I guess! In earlier parts the rains almost washed the cores away!

On the left hand side where the grass is less good I almost used the fact it churns the surface up to my advantage and ended up doing four passes at 45deg to each other almost rotovating the turf, hopefully that will favour the new seed over the old lawn.


Daniel

Edited by dhutch on Friday 10th September 15:47

[Mr Roper]

We've had some pretty significant groundworks going on lately so a great opportunity to sort our lumpy, busy front lawn and post on here as it develops...










Currently being prepped for top soil which will be here Monday, weather permitting.

[joestifff]

Well my lawn is starting to look loads better. It is now 5 months old, was a new build, is 450m2.

Have just put down some Lawnsmiths Autumn feed on it. Should strengthen it up over winter.

Some questions though:

It has a great amount of clover in it, seems to be slowly taking over, do I leave it over winter, and attack next year? If so what with?

Has a few areas that are just soil. Rabbits keep digging it up, is it to late to seed (and cover)?

I am on very heavy clay, is it worth hollow tine this year?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

joestifff said:

It is now 5 months old, was a new build, is 450m2.

A new build with 450m² of garden? Wow!!!

joestifff said:

is it to late to seed (and cover)?

It somewhat depends whereabouts you are, and your profile doesn’t say. In the southern half of the country it’s still fine for seeding; in Scotland you may have missed the boat. Northern England, probably okay, but get a move on!

joestifff said:

I am on very heavy clay, is it worth hollow tine this year?

It’s the right time to do it.

[joestifff]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

joestifff said:

It is now 5 months old, was a new build, is 450m2.

A new build with 450m² of garden? Wow!!!

joestifff said:

is it to late to seed (and cover)?

It somewhat depends whereabouts you are, and your profile doesn’t say. In the southern half of the country it’s still fine for seeding; in Scotland you may have missed the boat. Northern England, probably okay, but get a move on!

joestifff said:

I am on very heavy clay, is it worth hollow tine this year?

It’s the right time to do it.

Thanks Mike

Yes big for a new build. Local builder in a small village.

I’m in North Yorkshire. So May have missed the boat.

Will get a hollow tine ordered.

[Milkbuttons]

joestifff said:

Well my lawn is starting to look loads better. It is now 5 months old, was a new build, is 450m2.

Have just put down some Lawnsmiths Autumn feed on it. Should strengthen it up over winter.

Some questions though:

It has a great amount of clover in it, seems to be slowly taking over, do I leave it over winter, and attack next year? If so what with?

Has a few areas that are just soil. Rabbits keep digging it up, is it to late to seed (and cover)?

I am on very heavy clay, is it worth hollow tine this year?

I bought some Weedol Lawn weed killer concentrate and it worked a dream getting rid of all sorts of weeds including clover, it didn't scorch the lawn at all.
using it now is fine but after September you should hold off until next April.

[Rockape]

I posted a pic here of my lawn at the beginning of June. It was looking good. Fast forward to now it looks decidedly ropey. Its been watered twice a week, cut with a qualcast cylinder mower but it's looking like below. What's happening to it. I'm reluctant to scarify this year as it was only turfed in March.

[Patch1875]

Looks like red thread

[Mr Roper]

Mr Roper said:

We've had some pretty significant groundworks going on lately so a great opportunity to sort our lumpy, busy front lawn and post on here as it develops...










Currently being prepped for top soil which will be here Monday, weather permitting.

100 tons of top soil later and we now have our finished base. All seeded ready for a drop of rain later.

[randlemarcus]

[quote=Mr Roper]

100 tons of top soil later and we now have our finished base. All seeded ready for a drop of rain later. [\quote]
All in the prep...

Were you not tempted to put in a sprinkler system? Or a nice bit of steel mesh a foot under there to stop any possibility of mole incursion?

[Mr Roper]

It did cross my mind but ultimately we’ve never needed it before so I shelved it. The mesh however is a good shout and in hindsight I would’ve looked at. Been lucky so far so hopefully it continues that way.