The 2024 Lawn Thread

Author
Discussion

Scrump

22,177 posts

159 months

Wednesday 20th March
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The Three D Mucketeer said:
We appear to have TWO now smile
They have now been merged.

Stedman

7,229 posts

193 months

Wednesday 20th March
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This soil temperature website may be helpful.

https://soiltemperature.app/

joestifff

785 posts

107 months

Thursday 21st March
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A quick question for this thread, as I think it is grass related.

Woke up to 100s of these all on our patio. I swept majority up into a pile and poured boiling water on them. But can anyone confirm what they are. About 1 inch long. Grub like. Not like a worm.

We back onto open fields. Very much in the countryside.




The Three D Mucketeer

5,914 posts

228 months

Thursday 21st March
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Look like leatherjacks to me ... I wonder if the farmer has sprayed something and they've decided to leave the field on mass smile
We're having Starling murmurations at the moment, I guess they could have dropped a load.

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Thursday 21st March 08:39

triggerhappy21

279 posts

131 months

Thursday 21st March
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I had a patch (~1m^2) of weed grass in my otherwise health lawn. Scarifying takes care of the lawn well but this area seemed stubborn.

2nd week of February, I just dug that area out, and covered with topsoil. I'd usually hold off with grass seed till late March at the earliest, but thought I'd chuck some down to see if anything takes.

Surprisingly the seed is now well established, and not far off cutting height. We had quite low temps round here for the last month, and plenty of frosty mornings. Didn't seem to hamper it at all.

EViS

393 posts

164 months

Friday 22nd March
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Does anyone have any experience with Amvista products, specifically with these Progreen lawn care packages? Would I be wasting my time and money with this package vs a more tailored solution?

Edited by EViS on Friday 22 March 16:05

MDUBZ

865 posts

101 months

Friday 22nd March
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EViS said:
Does anyone have any experience with Amvista products, specifically with these Progreen lawn care packages? Would I be wasting my time and money with this package vs a more tailored solution?

Edited by EViS on Friday 22 March 16:05
Looks like a good mix of products, whether you need anything additional will depend on the size and current condition of your lawn. Price: not unreasonable.


Edited by MDUBZ on Friday 22 March 16:30

scz4

2,507 posts

242 months

Friday 22nd March
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First cut of the year complete. Really surprised how well the grass held up and even started to recover after the winter here in the North East of Scotland. Some years it can be yellow if under snow for weeks at a time. Global warming and all that I guess....

Need to get some spring fertilizer down in the next week and kill the moss in one of the more shaded corners. Also try and repair a few dog pee spots.





gangzoom

6,338 posts

216 months

Saturday 23rd March
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^Looking great.

Alex@POD

6,175 posts

216 months

Sunday 24th March
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I've just been out to take a proper look at the green area behind my house (I won't call it a lawn, I even hesitate to call it grass!).
It's very bumpy, we're talking about 5 inches between the bottom of the holes and the top of the bumps.
It's full of moss, and whatever isn't moss is mostly dock leaves and other non-grass plants.
It gets properly soaked in the winter, and even in the summer last year there were times when I had a good inch of water on the top of the grass.

I'm thinking it's beyond saving and I should just bite the bullet, remove the turf, dig a soakaway, mix something in the clay topsoil I have currently then re-turf or re-seed the new top soil.

Thoughts?

Stedman

7,229 posts

193 months

Sunday 24th March
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I've just found my first leather jacket - ARGH!

It would go some way to explaining the poor take up in one area after completely resseding last year.

Worried of Sussex.

James-gbg1e

290 posts

81 months

Sunday 24th March
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joestifff said:
A quick question for this thread, as I think it is grass related.

Woke up to 100s of these all on our patio. I swept majority up into a pile and poured boiling water on them. But can anyone confirm what they are. About 1 inch long. Grub like. Not like a worm.
These are Leather jackets and they will (try to) completely destroy your grass by eating every tasty grass root they can.

The only way to control them is literally a single product your have to cover your grass with and that will kill them, but depending on how big your lawn is that can be completely impractical.

May need to re-seed after their season is done, but they typically return year on year!

dhutch

14,399 posts

198 months

Monday 25th March
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I am not experienced, and might have some and or an issue myself, but I was of the mindset that some leather jackets are ok and or inevitable even with a healthy lawn.

dhutch

14,399 posts

198 months

Monday 25th March
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8-P said:
Time to kill some moss soon I think.
Yeah I stuck some lawn sand on on Friday evening along with a bag of Dans Equilibrium I had from last time he ran a special offer.


Broadly looks like a lawn...



8-P

2,758 posts

261 months

Monday 25th March
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Doesn’t seem warm enough for seeding yet. I always attack the moss too early and then wait months for it to recover and it looks rubbish during this time. I’m on the south coast but Michael Kettley is saying we will be at 13 degrees at best frown

Dr Murdoch

Original Poster:

3,461 posts

136 months

Monday 25th March
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I think soil temp needs to be 8 degrees for grass to grow or thereabouts, and Ive needed to cut mine since the end of Jan, I'm on the 6th or 7th cut (SW London). Ive always assumed if the grass is growing, then its fine to seed. Although, clearly a frost or two will scupper the seedlings.

joestifff

785 posts

107 months

Wednesday 27th March
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James-gbg1e said:
joestifff said:
A quick question for this thread, as I think it is grass related.

Woke up to 100s of these all on our patio. I swept majority up into a pile and poured boiling water on them. But can anyone confirm what they are. About 1 inch long. Grub like. Not like a worm.
These are Leather jackets and they will (try to) completely destroy your grass by eating every tasty grass root they can.

The only way to control them is literally a single product your have to cover your grass with and that will kill them, but depending on how big your lawn is that can be completely impractical.

May need to re-seed after their season is done, but they typically return year on year!
Swept them up a few mornings now.

Have just ordered enough Nematodes to do a double strength application, so enough for 1,000m2 (grass is about 500m2). Its soaking out there at the moment, so hopefully they come tomorrow.

The grass doesn't seem to bad at the moment, and I have seen them previous years, but never all over the patio like this!

Getting it top dressed this year too, so shall put them on this week, then again back end of the summer. Fingers crossed they don't completely destroy the grass, but I don't expect to get rid of them all on such a large area!

Stedman

7,229 posts

193 months

Wednesday 27th March
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Just ordered a verticutter attachment from Moto-Tek. Exciting!

dhutch

14,399 posts

198 months

Wednesday 27th March
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Stedman said:
Just ordered a verticutter attachment from Moto-Tek. Exciting!
Nice!

https://moto-tek.com/collections/moto-tek-lawn-car...

The Three D Mucketeer

5,914 posts

228 months

Wednesday 27th March
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Stedman said:
Just ordered a verticutter attachment from Moto-Tek. Exciting!
Am I correct in assuming it's driven from the driven wheels , in which case it can't be rotating very fast or with much torque ? Please explain
Just seems a little odd on a rotary mower rather than a cylinder.