Lawns

You need to dig it over to 9" deep (or rotavate if you can get a rotavator into the ground at this time of year - depends how heavy your soil is). Then break up and clods and firm it. The make it level (e.g. my towing something across it) Then rake a seedbed Then sow the seed evenly. ...

Ah, OK. That makes the job a bit harder I'm afraid, particularly with a large area :( Worth considering the "speed of cut" of the mower you have / and ones you could afford to buy. If the cutting time is more than you are comfortable with you will probably start to resent it and/or it...

What sort of soil do you have? If it's clay it's probably best to dig it over before planting and maybe add some sand to stop it 'clogging'. But I see no reason why you can't plant straight away as long as you loosen the soil particularly in and around the planting hole. Sandy soil would benefit...

I recently did exactly this, was trying to do as my mother said and get rid of the moss, She handed me the weed killer, and i sprayed in patches... abit to much , and the grass around the area i had sprayed started to turn brown, and die. But i dug up the patches, and sowed b&q grass seed into...

Thanks! I'm going to buy some weedkiller tomorrow and hire a rotovator in a couple of weeks. Thanks all for your help!

Possibly its just been cut "when long" a few times. If you cut it regularly that may improve it hugely (not to say that you can't help it along too though). Try not to cut more than 1/3rd off each time, otherwise you'll get the yellow patches that look like the ones in your photo Killing the...

Great thread... Just out of interest, what size of plot are we talking here?

If you must lay turf now you may have to commit to a fair bit of watering,depending of course on the weather. But remember,watering turf isn't a quick ten minute splash,you have to sprinkle for a good couple of hours each time.Bare in mind the water has to penetrate the turf before getting into...

I never use the combination feed/weed/moss killers,tend to be Jacks of all trades. Better to treat the various problems separately.

If you chuck down a couple of bags of sharp sand now, and then rake that it, it will rip the moss out by the handful. How much to use is a matter of judgement based on loads of factors. As long as you don't leave the grass actually buried, I don't think you can over do it. I once enlisted the...

I would have said its too late for Spring sown grass, and a bit early for Autumn sown. My recommendation would be that you wait a bit (September), by then the weed seeds will be shutting down for Winter and your grass will get started without the weed competition [that it would get if sown in...

I only wish my landlord was like you! I actually have no idea who my landlords are - everything goes through the management agency.

If the pavers were laid level i would remove half the sand and airiate the clay for drainage with a fork and lay my turf. make sure the ground is still firmed enough that you don't get foot print impressions when you walk on the new grass.

This is an extremely helpful and well laid out guide. I'm sure even lawn masters could learn a thing or two from its contents! Thanks for sharing.

I do lots of gardens like that .... I often get calls from people who's lawns are knee high this is what I do and suggest: mow the lawn for 3 weeks (once a week), then, scarify and aerate, and seed the bare patches, or if the client approves, overseed the whole lawn and cover with a thin 2mm...

Did not think lawn was compacted. Only compaction, is me cutting it for 30 years, plus kids growing up, playing on it. Re closely shorne - I have always cut it at 350 mm. Hungry - maybe yes - I only give it one dose of 7-6-17 per year, is this OK/sufficient. Sure, it is continuously damp in...

I just dont have weeds or moss in my lawn but i do love my lawn, i guess thats the reason why. Top Tip, Feed, weed, mosskillers need to be watered in, if rainfall does not occur within 48hours of application. Spring & summers NEED watering after application. if you get patches, its either to...

Also when the hosepipe ban is on for all you people in the south, just take your back box off your mower and let your clippings lay all over your lawn. Stop any scorch marks and saves money for people on water metres. Also for your beds and borders, chuck your clipping all around, not only does...

I compacted it a little with a cement trowel, with the plan to add a little top up when needed. Rain of course penetrates the grass, and drains in to the sand. Ideally slope your sand so water runs off if there's a heavy downpour.

If you do want more 'weeds' in the lawn, it's a good idea to reduce the fertility as much as possible over time i.e. no fertiliser and remove all the cuttings. Seeds will also germinate better in (small) bare patches rather than amongst dense grass. Personally, I much prefer grass with a...