2023 Lawn Thread

[RichB]

Evanivitch said:

Some Gump said:

Get it cut. Did mine on Sunday, looks much nicer.

I also gave it a dose of moss killer, looks less lovely now - part because it was mainly moss, and part because I just chucked it about by hand without a spreader. It’s not quite uniformly browning, more lines of mega death interspersed with missy defiance!

Next weekend is scarify, I’m hoping to borrow my mate’s electric job but if not it’s me power and the spring rake. Then copious cheap seed, and hope for the best…

Where in the country are you? Ground temperatures are way too low to be scarifying and putting seed down. You'll just be damaging the grass and feeding the pigeons.

Regardless of where SG is it's much too soon to be scarifying and overseeding. It was 2 degC this morning here in Hampshire and there was a hard frost. It seems people see a bit of sunshine and think summer is here. Soil temps need to be approx 10 degC for seed to germinate, else as you say, it's food for the crows.

[dhutch]

Yeah, it's definitely growing here on the Wirral (northwest, semi-coastal) but far too cold for seed to germinate.

Hence ok to moss kill, but not to scarify or overseed.

[Some Gump]

Oh really? I'm up north, thought it was the right time of year to get rid of the moss!

[thecopster]

So looking for some guidance/confirmation of my approach!

I moved house last year and have a very mature garden. I have now cleared back the front garden and am ready to start on laying a new lawn.

I am planning weed killer to kill the existing grass, hire a rotovator to turn everything over and break it up for levelling. Levelling will be with a rake and a scaffold board (unless anyone can suggest other options).

I’ll then look to seed late March depending on weather.

Picture for idea of the task!

[RichB]

thecopster said:

<clip> Levelling will be with a rake and a scaffold board (unless anyone can suggest other options)...

Seems like a good plan, or drag an aluminium ladder around on some bits of rope.

[Condi]

You can kill it off whenever, Roundup works in all weathers and temperatures. Probably better to do it early, rotavate, and then you can kill off anything which reappears before seeding, to help get as much of a stale seedbed as possible. At this time of year you're looking at about 2 weeks before you notice the grass dying off, so don't worry if you think nothing is happening.

[justin220]

I quite enjoyed the challenge of the grass last year and keen to get it looking good again this year. Won't be competing with much on here but it's a good way to spend a few days here and there.

Would anyone mind posting a very high level plan for the next few months.. Scarify, feed, top soil etc? Start late march early April?

Just so I can get off to a good start. Thanks

[westberks]

justin220 said:

I quite enjoyed the challenge of the grass last year and keen to get it looking good again this year. Won't be competing with much on here but it's a good way to spend a few days here and there.

Would anyone mind posting a very high level plan for the next few months.. Scarify, feed, top soil etc? Start late march early April?

Just so I can get off to a good start. Thanks

the Lawnsmith website is pretty helpful and includes a diary; obviously heavily linked to their products but very informative for a novice (like me).

[dhutch]

westberks said:

justin220 said:

I quite enjoyed the challenge of the grass last year and keen to get it looking good again this year. Won't be competing with much on here but it's a good way to spend a few days here and there.

Would anyone mind posting a very high level plan for the next few months.. Scarify, feed, top soil etc? Start late march early April?

Just so I can get off to a good start. Thanks

the Lawnsmith website is pretty helpful and includes a diary; obviously heavily linked to their products but very informative for a novice (like me).

Agree, they have good guides, videos, and the diary which will email its self to you if you ask for that.

There products are also good quality and priced fairly, imo.

[justin220]

Perfect thanks I'll have a look

[AyBee]

They say the camera never lies, but this one does

Killed it all off last year and started from scratch in about April/May last year. First cut of this year last weekend (mainly to get rid of the leaves) and just waiting for a bit more warmth (NW England) before scarifying and seeding (mainly back left where the seed didn't really take last year.

I need to give it the once over with a weedkiller too, given I'd like to seed in mid-late March, am I better off going for the weeds now or waiting until well after I've seeded?

[jimmyjimjim]

Lawn work starts off a little differently here in Colorado.

Here, I've broken down the snow+ice berm in the shaded area of the lawn; it was about a metre onto the grass and 30cm high. Spread it out so that it should melt - it should be gone by next week, then the grass gets hit with Mesotrione to hopefully kill the crabgrass before it emerges. After that, mowing, dethatching, feeding and patching.




It'll still look crap compared to the most neglected lawn in the UK - very little grows here naturally without a lot of help.

I disturbed a hibernating mouse who'd tunneled into the berm; he was very sluggish when he walked off after I'd destroyed his nest.

[the-norseman]

Gave mine its first cut yesterday, quite a few patches that need raking out and filling.

[McGee_22]

Took my wheelbarrow to borrow my neighbours scarifier over the weekend - not a huge lawn but two large recycling bins were filled with moss and thatch. Still not cutting yet here in Surrey.

[Harry Flashman]

Not much mowing in my future! Very cheerful about the "wild" lawn that will last until late April, with first cut in May.

Mauve Pickwick crocuses now joining the yellow ones, with whitecrocuses yet to really come through. One crop of daffs done, another in bloom, with the later white ones and dwarf varieties yet to flower.

[RichB]

Harry Flashman said:

<clip> Mauve Pickwick crocuses now joining the yellow ones...

Sadly the pigeons decimate the crocuses in our garden. I love them but we live next to a woods and have hundreds of pigeons as visitors.

[Bonefish Blues]

If we're talking naturalised bulbs...

[Terry Winks]

So new house and a big oak tree in the garden which is going to get thinned out a bit which will help. But the time I had cleared up most of the leaves its mostly mud and moss that’s left. Going to be a lot of work I fear

[dhutch]

jimmyjimjim said:

Lawn work starts off a little differently here in Colorado.

Here, I've broken down the snow+ice berm in the shaded area of the lawn; it was about a metre onto the grass and 30cm high. Spread it out so that it should melt - it should be gone by next week, then the grass gets hit with Mesotrione to hopefully kill the crabgrass before it emerges. After that, mowing, dethatching, feeding and patching.




It'll still look crap compared to the most neglected lawn in the UK - very little grows here naturally without a lot of help.

I disturbed a hibernating mouse who'd tunneled into the berm; he was very sluggish when he walked off after I'd destroyed his nest.

Very interesting, I don't know much about your weather, cold and dry much of they year? What involved in making it grow, other than removing the snow and early as possible?

[Evanivitch]

McGee_22 said:

Took my wheelbarrow to borrow my neighbours scarifier over the weekend - not a huge lawn but two large recycling bins were filled with moss and thatch. Still not cutting yet here in Surrey.

Oof bit early for that yet!