Total novice needs advice

Hi guys,

I was on a good while back asking about a plant related question and received some very helpful advice. Now I'm looking for help with the grass (or lack of it) in my gardens.




Basically what I see I lots and lots of bare patches and weeds. The grass that is there is brown. Really have no idea where to go from here, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

Which area do you live in please Andrew?

 

Hi Sheal,

I live in the Glasgow area of the UK.

 

You got a closer up pic? How long has the lawn been there and what maintenance do you do on it?

 

I thought you may be in southern England, looking at the brown lawn. How long has it been like that? If you haven't had any rain recently it could be that it needs regular watering to recover. If that's not the case then it's probably dead, even though grass is quite resilient having suffered drought.

 

Thanks for replies guys. It's been like that for over a year. Would feed and weed or something like that help? If it's dead, can I plant some grass seed or is it to do with the actual soil?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks, wiseowl. Very helpful indeed!

 

Saw a programme last night called The Autistic Gardener or something like that. There was a lawn similar to yours and it turned out to be couch grass which had taken over. Any chance of a close up shot right down at gtound level?

 

If it's been like that for a year then I would say it's dead, weed and feed would be useless. Unfortunately it's not as simple as just over seeding either.

The soil will need some work before sowing new seed. I suggest you slice off the surface and then dig or fork over the soil down to at least six inches, this will aerate the soil. At this point it would be best to dig in some compost or well rotted horse manure to get some nutrients into the soil. If you have heavy clay soil then digging in some sand or gravel will help drain it. Rake the soil to take out any lumps or dips and to make it level, then firm it down by walking over it, don't stamp it down. Loosen off the surface and check it's level, then you can sow the grass seed. You can either rake the seed in or cover with a fine layer of compost or topsoil. Walk over it again gently to firm it down. Water it every evening unless it rains. It won't be necessary to feed the lawn until next year.

Having said this, the process would be better in autumn or spring when it's cooler and needs watering less.

 

Thank you for the very helpful replies. Now to work!

 

Guys, I planted some grass seed but nothing after a few weeks. Almost a month on and I'm now seeing new blades of grass! Pretty chuffed with this. Only thing now is I've got weeds beside this new grass. Will weed killer kill the new grass? I have a three year old who plays on this grass, so was wondering how safe this would be?

Once again, any advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

Hi Andrew. I'm surprised it's taken so long for the grass to germinate, have you kept it watered?

It was inevitable weeds would grow, unfortunately seeds can lay dormant in soil for years. The young grass isn't strong enough yet to cope with weed killer so it's best left until next spring to treat it. Meanwhile if you don't mind getting down on your hands and knees you can dig the worst ones out. It's not wise to let youngsters have bodily contact with the lawn for six weeks after killer has been laid.