2022 Lawn Thread
Discussion
Bees have long been the poster-boys/girls of the debate, but they're just a small part of it.
Wasps have wider benefits for pest control in the garden, hover-flies reportedly do more pollination than bees, and insects like Moths and Butterflies don't just need food sources but habitats for breeding.
Many ornamental flowers are either sterile or have inaccessible pollen and nectar which isn't suited for our insects. Their leaves are also potentially not suited for the larvae as they may be toxic or too tough.
And then there's the seeds that come from many flowers and whether they are beneficial for winder species like birds and small mammals.
And as a small aside, I have 3 small lawns. One is kept to the best of my ability, but is small enough that I can generally weed by hand or spot applications. The other is maintained at a high cut and has everything but dandelions in it (sorry, don't like them, not sorry), and the front is in the process of being turned over to wild flower with a mown edge to the hedges and borders.
Wasps have wider benefits for pest control in the garden, hover-flies reportedly do more pollination than bees, and insects like Moths and Butterflies don't just need food sources but habitats for breeding.
Many ornamental flowers are either sterile or have inaccessible pollen and nectar which isn't suited for our insects. Their leaves are also potentially not suited for the larvae as they may be toxic or too tough.
And then there's the seeds that come from many flowers and whether they are beneficial for winder species like birds and small mammals.
And as a small aside, I have 3 small lawns. One is kept to the best of my ability, but is small enough that I can generally weed by hand or spot applications. The other is maintained at a high cut and has everything but dandelions in it (sorry, don't like them, not sorry), and the front is in the process of being turned over to wild flower with a mown edge to the hedges and borders.
Edited by Evanivitch on Wednesday 1st June 11:38
It's almost as if a mix of environments is quite a good idea for providing different environments for lots of different species who all have their particular needs.
As usual though, the message gets over simplified and lost. The traditional lawn falls out of fashion and wildflower meadows suddenly become the be all and end all.
Want a wildflower meadow, that's great. Want a lawn, great. Want both, go for it. There'll be plenty of wildlife either way.
As usual though, the message gets over simplified and lost. The traditional lawn falls out of fashion and wildflower meadows suddenly become the be all and end all.
Want a wildflower meadow, that's great. Want a lawn, great. Want both, go for it. There'll be plenty of wildlife either way.
jagnet said:
mcelliott said:
Was making reference to the overuse of pesticides and chemicals not plants used in the garden, well done on missing my point though.
What pesticides and chemicals do you feel are being overused? Pesticides - well there's ant powder, but that's about all a non professional could apply.
Chemicals - nothing really to get worked up about other than weedkiller maybe, and every annual PH lawn thread since the start has emphasised not using combined weed and feed products to avoid unnecessary use of it.
Fungicides - certainly not going to be used routinely and even spot use is rare.
So what do you find so heartbreaking about a well maintained lawn? Where's the ecological disaster? You clearly have a bee in your bonnet about it to be describing these threads as "truly awful":
So it is about the bees?
Haven't a clue what you're on about with the bee thing, they only make up a tiny percentage of pollinators that are vital to the eco system.
Edited by mcelliott on Wednesday 1st June 17:35
Room for all, and I do think it's important to bare in mind.
However it is also true that the majority on here advocate not using weed and feed products, and only using wide spread herbicide application of the lawn is particularly bad, preferring spot treatment or mechanical methods as the go to.
However it is also true that the majority on here advocate not using weed and feed products, and only using wide spread herbicide application of the lawn is particularly bad, preferring spot treatment or mechanical methods as the go to.
fastbikes76 said:
Well it’s taken me some time to get a decent lawn. I was plagued by leather jackets that would seriously thin the lawn out over winter months making it struggle to bounce back in spring, and barely survive the summers. Add to that 2 female dogs who like to do 100mph laps around what little lawn I have, and it’s been a battle.
However, I think I’ve reached a point where I’m on top it it now. Cut 2-3 times a week with no collection, watered once a week and pay green thumb £25 every 3 months to sprinkle some magic dust down.
I’d call it a success
Good job although you could save the £8/month by buying your own feed and reduce the chance of those guys importing leather jackets to your lawn by accident...However, I think I’ve reached a point where I’m on top it it now. Cut 2-3 times a week with no collection, watered once a week and pay green thumb £25 every 3 months to sprinkle some magic dust down.
I’d call it a success
Yeah, I fed the whole lawn with Lawnsmiths 'Spring and Summer for Sandy Lawns' a fortnight ago towards max dose (often I half dose) but got it on good and uniform.
However that area of the lawn is seriously dry, being under the large pine which both sucks all the water out the ground, but is also remarkably good at keeping light rain of the ground as well.
So I wonder if it's lack of water after applying the fertiliser maybe. And or lack of water in general, effecting some plants/patches more then others?
The forecast was for rain, so as well as the fertiliser I also cut it a notch lower (circa 30mm, down from 40mm ish) and then the rain never came, till a few days ago.
However that area of the lawn is seriously dry, being under the large pine which both sucks all the water out the ground, but is also remarkably good at keeping light rain of the ground as well.
So I wonder if it's lack of water after applying the fertiliser maybe. And or lack of water in general, effecting some plants/patches more then others?
The forecast was for rain, so as well as the fertiliser I also cut it a notch lower (circa 30mm, down from 40mm ish) and then the rain never came, till a few days ago.
It does scream red thread to me. It will grow out. If it's dry patch it's potentially more serious but more nutritious soil will help.
If it is very dry and sandy then fork it over, levering wide holes, and topdress with fine compost, which will help retain moisture and improve fertility.
If it is very dry and sandy then fork it over, levering wide holes, and topdress with fine compost, which will help retain moisture and improve fertility.
It's good and dry, and fairly sandy. There is a top soil to the lawn, but it is then soft sandstone 6inches below the surface.
Seems fairly unanimous on the suggestion of red-thread, although I've noticed no redness or pink tinge. Just more brown stems/leaves in the patches. However I don't know what I'm looking for short of compairing with googled images of red-thread. Could it have got a bit of red thread a few weeks/months ago which I missed, then got dry, and then looked like this?
It has now rained, raining, so the lawn is wet. But I've taken a few more close ups.
Seems fairly unanimous on the suggestion of red-thread, although I've noticed no redness or pink tinge. Just more brown stems/leaves in the patches. However I don't know what I'm looking for short of compairing with googled images of red-thread. Could it have got a bit of red thread a few weeks/months ago which I missed, then got dry, and then looked like this?
It has now rained, raining, so the lawn is wet. But I've taken a few more close ups.
From those pictures it looks like it's well into recovery. Red thread most often attacks ryegrass, and although it's difficult to tell from the photos I would say what green you have in the patches is fescue.
A little odd that it's seemingly so confined to that area in the front of the original photo. Maybe the soil is thinner there and it suffers abnormally when baked. I still recommend the compost.
A little odd that it's seemingly so confined to that area in the front of the original photo. Maybe the soil is thinner there and it suffers abnormally when baked. I still recommend the compost.
Fair enough. I'll leave it be then, but bare in mind the area if I do get a couple of cubic metres of compost in at the end of the year, as a patch to top-dress and overseed more heavily.
Presumably having put on a dose of 3mnt NPK feed a fortnight ago, you wouldn't add further nitrogen at this point? Or would sticking an other half dose on now be a reasonable step?
But yes, really fairly small area, it's not even in the area of grass you can't see behind the arch and it's two camilia.
Presumably having put on a dose of 3mnt NPK feed a fortnight ago, you wouldn't add further nitrogen at this point? Or would sticking an other half dose on now be a reasonable step?
But yes, really fairly small area, it's not even in the area of grass you can't see behind the arch and it's two camilia.
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