[Closed] When to sort the lawn out?

Relaying a lawn with new turf is normally a pointless task. Laying new turf rather than seeding a lawn is expensive and not as good but it gets results fast.

If you act now you can have an amazing lawn this year. First you need to scarify the lawn - you can do this manually but it’s a thankless task and isn’t nearly as good as using a machine. That gets out all the old dead grass. If you have any moss or weeds in there use a lawn treatment beforehand which kills them off before scarifying.

Aerating is a very good idea if you can do it, but you might not need to if it’s a new lawn.

You then might have some bald patches or generally thin grass. That’s when you get proper lawn soil (needs to be fine and good quality, not just standard topsoil) and top dress the patches or generally the whole lawn if needed. Then scatter the seed (which you have bought to match the current grass as much as possible) properly and water regularly if it’s dry.

It’s very satisfying to get a really good lawn as spring turns into summer. Don’t cut it short - ever - middle of the settings on your mower at the lowest and it’ll crowd out the weeds and stay green during dry periods when your neighbours lawns are going yellow. You’ll have lovely lush lawn which is nice to walk barefoot in that stays looking nice with less effort.

I bought a cheap scarifier off eBay for £20 a couple of years ago and it’s been ace.

@b230ftw thanks!
So around now then? Next couple of weeks?

A friend mentioned scarifying, so I guess I should look into that. The lawn is only 4m square, and I don't have much storage, so everything I do is pretty much with hand tools (only takes 10 mins to cut with shears!). I'll look in to how to do that manually.

Better get me some moss treatment, lawn soil, and grass seed (the turf that was laid was pretty diverse - I'm not after a perfect lawn, but a nice mix for the insects)

Ooh, a lawn thread!

Laying new turf rather than seeding a lawn is expensive and not as good

A lot of the internet says that whilst that used to be the case, it's not so much any more.

I have a new lawn to lay and I am going to turf it. I've tried seeding before and it was such a hassle, I could never figure out how you're meant to not cut it for weeks whilst the early germinators are getting really tall.

I get Mr Greenthumb to come and cast his magic (ok a bucket full of pellets) over my lawn. Seems to make a positive difference.

So around now then? Next couple of weeks?

I think it’s when there is not really any chance of frost so it’s probably a bit early at the moment.

You have to think of grass as plants. Most people don’t but if you do then what you need to do makes sense. Keep weeds and moss away that compete with the grass plants. Make sure there’s adequate drainage (removing thatch and aerating - think how hard the soil is when it’s being compacted by walking on it all the time compared to your normal planting areas), feeding and watering.

The issue with grass is that when we cut it we punish it - imagine cutting any other plant back every other week - it would die! So to get very short but amazing looking grass is very hard - hence why sports venues have teams of people working full time just on the grass.
Leaving it longer is one of the best things you can do - with regular mowing it can still look pretty amazing, you’ve just got to keep it neat.

As you don’t have a big lawn then maybe you can find someone to lend you a scarifier? Keeping the edges neat always makes it look better - I only have a hand shear for this even for 2 decent sized lawns as I get it neater than a strimmer.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t spend loads of time on my lawn, I can’t be bothered, but the right actions at the right times and some simple rules make all the difference.

The lawn is only 4m square

Rake!

Before doing any reseeding but after weeding and scarifying mine it was too short and very patchy.

After filling in the patches with lawn soil and reseeding all over.

After a few weeks of watering and a couple of gentle mows at higher cutting heights:

https://i.imgur.com/R5ovcg6.jpg

Sorry the first pic was taken a couple of years later than the rest after that hot summer we had where I had to do it all again as I’d cut it too short but it’s just to show the difference you can make.

Lawnsmith and their diary is a good resource

https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-diary

It’s way too early to do much yet, just a light application of moss killer. I’ve just sprayed all my lawns at work

Only suitable for non-vegetarian/vegan types.

Blood Protein. The type the fire brigade used to use to make foam. It is apparently amazing for the greenest of green lawns

I'm well into my lawns. I could type a long response but bt230ftw has got it pretty much covered (boom boom).

Long cut to start and use moss killer (end of Feb would be OK). Use a rake to scarify something that small. Then gradually reduce cut height until a middle cut (couple of inches but still looks neat). Topsoil/Seed/Water any bare patches. Let seeds grow. Feed at the start of spring and mid summer. Regular mowing only taking a little bit off throughout the year.

Jobs a good un.

Greenthumb does work well, however the treatment makes our dog ill, even after a couple of weeks (she walks on the grass then licks her paws clean) so we've stopped.

Probably don't put anything down that you can't buy in a garden centre, but use a better quality spreader. I've always found the lawn feed spreaders don't do any better than hand spreading.

I found if I left mine too long it would flatten when walked on, and then the grass grew sideways as long as it wanted despite being mowed. Looked shit.

So yeah not too short but also not too long...

Currently I have a bare patch of soil over which I will place a tarp for a few weeks after I finish digging it. It's topsoil mostly but the subsoil is clay and consequently even the topsoil goes rock hard in the dry weather. I am planning to add compost to it but not sure if I also want to add sand or not.

Grass grows from the roots so protecting them is more important than the condition of the leaf. If it's new then don't scalp it so it has time and enough leaf to establish.

Am curious also.

We bought a new build and presumed that the soil they left in the back garden (no lawn) would be decent as it was previously greenfield site (probably a farmers field).

We paid a decent amount to get a very lush lawn put down and spent the summer marvelling at how green and luxuriant it was (and mowing as per the instructions given to us by the guys that laid it).

However by the end of the season patches had started browning. The supplier said it might have been bits that had dried out too much during the summer and that they would grow back, but I now know they had a red fungus of sorts growing on them which suggested nitrogen deficient soil?

I get an aerial view of the lawn from my office window and now can see white rings of sort developing, almost like frost patches.

Anyway, am anxiously awaiting the 'right' time to start treating and/or feeding, thought spring?

Any recommendations for a dog compatible lawn?

thanks gain everyone - loads of good info. I'd echo the 'too long, when stepped on' comment - exactly the problem I had - I never once stepped on my lawn last year for leisure purposes - only to get the shears on it!

will give it a few weeks before I tackle the moss. Appreciated!

I always wait until the sausages thaw out then crack on.

For dog compatibilty we fill the dog bowl with water that been held in a Jug with "dog rocks" for a while which then does something to the levels of stuff in his wee and mean the lawn now looks a bit ropey, instead of a total nightmare like it did before