2022 Lawn Thread
Discussion
Thank you very much for that reply, really helpful.
I will carry out the work next month when it gets a bit warmer, not that it's been below freezing yet this winter down here.
I have put enough nematodes down to kill off a football pitch sized garden so the leather jackets should be gone. I will do it again in spring for peace of mind. They're resilient little buggers.
I will carry out the work next month when it gets a bit warmer, not that it's been below freezing yet this winter down here.
I have put enough nematodes down to kill off a football pitch sized garden so the leather jackets should be gone. I will do it again in spring for peace of mind. They're resilient little buggers.
BigGingerBob said:
Thank you very much for that reply, really helpful.
I will carry out the work next month when it gets a bit warmer, not that it's been below freezing yet this winter down here.
Sounds good. I think you need 10deg soil temp for germination, something like that, so might be two months off that. But if aerating by hand likely not harm is starting a bit earlier and spreading over half an hour once or twice a week for your sanity. I will carry out the work next month when it gets a bit warmer, not that it's been below freezing yet this winter down here.
But yeah, we're in the north west, if coastal (Wirral) and basically no frost here yet, it's got close a few times but literally one morning so far with a touch of it.
This time last year we had 2" snow, now the grass is growing. If not warm enough to germinate.
Couldn't resist and got the mower on the front lawn over the weekend, only really took the very top off so wasn't very noticeable but it's uniform again now.
I've left the rear garden as I've got quite a bit of work to do there including back and forth with a barrow, shifting materials etc so leaving that longer until i'm done.
I've left the rear garden as I've got quite a bit of work to do there including back and forth with a barrow, shifting materials etc so leaving that longer until i'm done.
Looking for a bit of advice as to when to roller. The ground is fairly bumpy as the last owner used a tractor/skinny tyre/topper to mow. I've bought a 5ft, approx 650kg, roller to go behind the quad. I'm wondering whether to go for it now while the ground is very wet or to wait until it has dried out in the summer and then go for it after a decent downpour so at least the top is a bit soft.
I did give it a quick cut this weekend, so it's a fairly uniform length at the moment. What would be the best way forward? Any tips appreciated
I did give it a quick cut this weekend, so it's a fairly uniform length at the moment. What would be the best way forward? Any tips appreciated
Slackline said:
Looking for a bit of advice as to when to roller. The ground is fairly bumpy as the last owner used a tractor/skinny tyre/topper to mow. I've bought a 5ft, approx 650kg, roller to go behind the quad. I'm wondering whether to go for it now while the ground is very wet or to wait until it has dried out in the summer and then go for it after a decent downpour so at least the top is a bit soft.
I did give it a quick cut this weekend, so it's a fairly uniform length at the moment. What would be the best way forward? Any tips appreciated
Not an expert here, having only used a roller to firm down top-dressing after over seeding. However I believe the main enemy of rolling and or most lawns in general is over compaction.I did give it a quick cut this weekend, so it's a fairly uniform length at the moment. What would be the best way forward? Any tips appreciated
Lawnsmith, links below, suggest maybe give it a month, certainly avoid if soft, and likely follow up with hollow tine aeration to decompact again. Especially as it's likely firm to start with.
You might also do well to top and drag an old gate (or some 3x2 in a frame) around to fill in the low points. Hollow tining will also produced some core you can drag around.
Sounds like a larger lawn, so might want quite a bit, like a full waggon of topsoil. This top-dressing could be combined with over-seeding to improve the seed mix and generally kick start your ownership. Late spring is a good time (damp but warm enough to germinate) and the start of autumn even better. You could do it twice if keen!
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-diary Monthly advice diary
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/lawn-... Rolling
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/soil-... Top Dressing
Daniel
Edited by dhutch on Thursday 3rd March 21:55
Last year we had the lawn re-turfed as part of a complete makeover. It has taken ok-ish so this year the plan is to scarify, aerate, top dress as a first improvement.
I look on it as a 2-3 year cycle of improvement .
Grass has started to show growth so not far from starting.
I can borrow a scarifier and make a levelling rake to spread the top dressing. I might get a hollow tine aerator rather than the basic fork method. It will do a better job.
I look on it as a 2-3 year cycle of improvement .
Grass has started to show growth so not far from starting.
I can borrow a scarifier and make a levelling rake to spread the top dressing. I might get a hollow tine aerator rather than the basic fork method. It will do a better job.
sospan said:
Last year we had the lawn re-turfed as part of a complete makeover. It has taken ok-ish so this year the plan is to scarify, aerate, top dress as a first improvement.
I look on it as a 2-3 year cycle of improvement .
Grass has started to show growth so not far from starting.
I can borrow a scarifier and make a levelling rake to spread the top dressing. I might get a hollow tine aerator rather than the basic fork method. It will do a better job.
Top dress and overseed is lightly a good call, but my understand is it shouldnt really need scarification if its only year old turf, have you checked for thatch presence? I look on it as a 2-3 year cycle of improvement .
Grass has started to show growth so not far from starting.
I can borrow a scarifier and make a levelling rake to spread the top dressing. I might get a hollow tine aerator rather than the basic fork method. It will do a better job.
Likewise, while aeration is basically always good, assuming suitable prep there shouldnt be to much compaction. Hollow tine machines work really well, and there is no other way to cover a large lawn, but only go 3" deep, so general advice is to still also use a manual fork technique for high traffic areas by entrance/exit points. etc.
dhutch said:
Bit an expert here, having only used a roller to firm down top-dressing after over seeding. However I believe the main enemy of rolling and or most lawns in general is over compaction.
Lawnsmith, links below, suggest maybe give it a month, certainly avoid is soft, and likely follow up with hollow tine aeration to decompact again. Especially as it's likely firm to start with.
You might also do well to top and drag an old gate (or some 3x2 in a frame) around to fill in the low points. Hollow tining will also produced some core you can drag around.
Sounds like a larger lawn, so might want quite a bit, like a waggon full of topsoil. This could be combined with top-dressing to improve the seed mix and generally kick start your ownership. Late spring is a good time (damp but warm enough to germinate) and the start of autumn even better. You could do it twice if keen!
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-diary Monthly advice diary
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/lawn-... Rolling
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/soil-... Top Dressing
Daniel
Thank you Daniel for taking the time to provide such a detailed reply. I hadn't really thought of it like that, I was kinda hoping that as the ground is so soft (think leaving footprints at the minute) it might just roller out. There's 2 areas ideally that would need doing, but as they are around an acre each top dressing might work out quite time consuming. I guess this could be a long term project!Lawnsmith, links below, suggest maybe give it a month, certainly avoid is soft, and likely follow up with hollow tine aeration to decompact again. Especially as it's likely firm to start with.
You might also do well to top and drag an old gate (or some 3x2 in a frame) around to fill in the low points. Hollow tining will also produced some core you can drag around.
Sounds like a larger lawn, so might want quite a bit, like a waggon full of topsoil. This could be combined with top-dressing to improve the seed mix and generally kick start your ownership. Late spring is a good time (damp but warm enough to germinate) and the start of autumn even better. You could do it twice if keen!
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-diary Monthly advice diary
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/lawn-... Rolling
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-advice/soil-... Top Dressing
Daniel
No worries. As said, not and expert, but that's my understanding.
Obviously different techniques are required for different types and sizes or lawn, but for your size you're not going to be working it in with 3ft ground rake, hand lute, or dragging some 2x4 around on your knees like I did leveling the new bit of our lawn.
Most of the yanks are using sand, I because it's right for their grass types, but they all have these home made drag frames, which is what I was invisaging for your application maybe.
https://youtu.be/Gsf7bOYdSlg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xhJXn7fz76c
Obviously different techniques are required for different types and sizes or lawn, but for your size you're not going to be working it in with 3ft ground rake, hand lute, or dragging some 2x4 around on your knees like I did leveling the new bit of our lawn.
Most of the yanks are using sand, I because it's right for their grass types, but they all have these home made drag frames, which is what I was invisaging for your application maybe.
https://youtu.be/Gsf7bOYdSlg
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xhJXn7fz76c
So how are people’s lawns looking after the winter?
I’m still mowing at maximum height, but will start reducing soon. My regular feeds of low-nitrogen fertiliser throughout the winter seem to have paid off, as have regular sprays of ferrous sulphate (mainly to reduce worm casting), seaweed, humic extract and phosphite (the latter for disease resistance). I’ve also put down a dose of pre-emergent herbicide sourced from the US to hopefully reduce weed grasses, although I will be overseeding some areas.
I’m still mowing at maximum height, but will start reducing soon. My regular feeds of low-nitrogen fertiliser throughout the winter seem to have paid off, as have regular sprays of ferrous sulphate (mainly to reduce worm casting), seaweed, humic extract and phosphite (the latter for disease resistance). I’ve also put down a dose of pre-emergent herbicide sourced from the US to hopefully reduce weed grasses, although I will be overseeding some areas.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Saturday 5th March 12:09
The moss has gone crazy here in my back garden. Moss killed/blackened off on both lawns a week or so ago. Am now waiting for a chap to come round and hollow tine aerate which should help the clay soil quite a bit, looking forward to seeing how it fairs after the HTA actually.
Have asked the chap to scarify whilst he's here and chuck down some lawn sand.
Will upload before and afters
Have asked the chap to scarify whilst he's here and chuck down some lawn sand.
Will upload before and afters
dhutch said:
This is our lawn, slightly neglected, but still fine bar where I left too many leaves in too long. While it can green up fairly even now I have overseeded the main lawn two years on the trott, you can still clearly see the section which is new lawn again, seeded over what was likely once nice gardening soil and clearly has a lot more depth and green matter than the 5inchs of low grade topsoil on sandstone bed rock elsewhere.
Bit late, but I've just bought a bag of Lawnsmith "Winter Green High Iron" which is 5-0-8 + 9% iron so I think I'll put that in at minimum dose, in the hope it helps while also not creating too much dog urine burn!
Give it a couple of months with that, will it's warm enough for some Natur Spring 18-3-8 I guess.
Don't really know what the best plan is for building up the soil. Maybe some mulching when the weather is right? I don't have a plug or mulch blade but can do a few close twice weekly cuts without the collection box?
Is it worth getting in a ton or two of well rotted manure or equivalent?
The high-iron winter green has certainly helped already I think which is cool.
However still definitely growing well in places (even at this time of year) but basically not at all in others, where there is a lot of yellow blades in the grass. Thoughts welcome.
dhutch said:
However still definitely growing well in places (even at this time of year) but basically not at all in others, where there is a lot of yellow blades in the grass. Thoughts welcome.
Have you been feeding it?This year I decided I’d keep feeding regularly every six weeks throughout the winter, using low nitrogen fertiliser. And I’ve got no yellowing at all. It hasn’t really stopped growing, so a little bit of nitrogen has been useful - but probably the most important stuff has been happening underground with root development, for which phosphorus is important. And the potassium will aid in general frost hardiness.
So if you haven’t fed it since autumn then your lawn will be very hungry! The fertiliser you’ve chosen has no phosphorus, which is a shame. But it may not be a problem since most soils have reasonable phosphorus levels anyway. But get it down!
And to be honest I wouldn’t wait too long before starting on the high nitrogen feed. I plan to switch to summer feed in a couple of weeks’ time, unless a cold snap is forecast. That’s quite early, admittedly, but in your position I’d do a dose of your LawnSmith winter green right now, and then consider going high nitrogen in early to mid April.
Actually I’ve just noticed you’re somewhat more northerly than me, so you should probably add a week or two to my suggestions. But get that winter green stuff down straight away.
Yeah, I've put a full dose of the 5-0-8 + 9% iron 'winter green' as I said.
Only bought enough to to do one dose, which was maybe an error? I've got some 15-5-20 'autumn feed' or the 18-3-8 'natur spring summer', as well as some soluble iron if not really the time/equipment to apply it.
It's often a bit yellow even over summer, but as said, we also have two dogs so get a reasonable amount of urine straining so I only ever apply the summer/autumn feeds at half dose.
Still supprised it is as yellow as it is, lots of other lawns seem fine with no feeding?
Hence my question about how and if you can out down some manure etc to enrich the soil and reduce the need for fertiliser.
Or sew some of the fine leaf clover?
Thanks for the reply.
Only bought enough to to do one dose, which was maybe an error? I've got some 15-5-20 'autumn feed' or the 18-3-8 'natur spring summer', as well as some soluble iron if not really the time/equipment to apply it.
It's often a bit yellow even over summer, but as said, we also have two dogs so get a reasonable amount of urine straining so I only ever apply the summer/autumn feeds at half dose.
Still supprised it is as yellow as it is, lots of other lawns seem fine with no feeding?
Hence my question about how and if you can out down some manure etc to enrich the soil and reduce the need for fertiliser.
Or sew some of the fine leaf clover?
Thanks for the reply.
Harry Flashman said:
I am currently using my lawn as a flowerbed. Lots more left to come though, mostly early crocus and dwarf iris. Show should be over by mid April, mowing in May which works for me as my badly laid lawn doesn't get up steam until late May or so.
Lovely stuff!I run three small lawns. One is as good as I can get it, the other is mown loosely and only dandelions are pulled, and the third (front) will be wildflower (with mown perimeter).
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