Dark green lawn patch

Discussion in 'NEW Gardeners !' started by Jmg, Apr 4, 2020.

  1. Jmg

    Jmg Apprentice Gardener

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    Good morning, I am new in the forum with my first garden. Thanks for allowing me to be part of this community!

    I have tried to search for a solution on Internet and in the forums without a clear answer about this particular problem. Two months ago, and after heavy rains, I realized a darker spot in the lawn behind a tree. I waiting few weeks thinking that this could be a overflow of water. However the mark is still there.

    The patch is darker than the rest of the lawn, with parts without any grass at all. In addition the patch is aprox 1.5 cm bellow the rest of the lawn (it is like the whole patch has sunk). Could you please provide any possible solution for this? Thank you
     

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  2. Jiffy

    Jiffy The Match is on Fire

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    Could there have been an pond there and it was not taken out but broken up slighty and some soil put on top and grassed over
     
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    • Kristen

      Kristen Under gardener

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      Fairy ring maybe?

      Was there a tree there before?
       
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      • ARMANDII

        ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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        Well, a dark green usually indicates an excess of Nitrogen, Jmg, although I'm not sure of the reason why that should be for this particular patch of grass.:scratch:
        Well, if the area has sunk then you will have, anyway, to (a) cut around the patch, lift it and put more soil into to the hole to level it and then replace the patch. (b) dig up the patch and put it on the Compost Heap if you have one, or put it upside down somewhere where it will rot down and provide more compost, and then put more soil to level the area into the hole and reseed it. If the area is in shade it may pay to reseed, if that is what you choose to do, with a grass seed for shady areas.:cat-kittyandsmiley::coffee:
         
      • Kristen

        Kristen Under gardener

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        You didn't buy any turf did you? I've only made that mistake once, the stuff came drenched in Nitrogen :heehee:

        [​IMG]
        Before ...

        [​IMG]
        During ...

        [​IMG]

        After :frown:
         
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        • Jmg

          Jmg Apprentice Gardener

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          Hello, thank you for your answer. No, there was not tree or plan there before. It appear 2 months ago after raining quite a lot. No, I also didnt buy any turf, it is the original grass that was with the house 6 months ago when we moved.

          Armandii, you mentioned in option A) to "replace the path", how? buying a Turf or seeds? Also for seeds, which one do you recommended? In the forum people mentioned GBW, but I am not able to find around (not available). Any recommendation for the soil? Thanks!
           
        • Kristen

          Kristen Under gardener

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          Longshot : Dogs choosing to pee there? (but I suspect there would be some yellow patches, rather than evenly dark green ...)

          I'm scratching my head as to what could have increased the fertility/Nitrogen of just-that-bit.

          Perhaps Fairy Ring doesn't have to have an old tree as a starting source. Mycelium growing underground will typically spread out in a circle, so starts out as a growing circle, and then the centre runs out or "extra symbiotic nourishment" and it then expands as a ring.

          Duno why that would coincide with the ground sinking ... but might be coincidence.
           
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          • Fat Controller

            Fat Controller 'Cuddly' Scottish Admin! Staff Member

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            :peeks head around the corner:

            I am going to use admin privilege here and go off topic for a moment, just to say a huge welcome back to @Kristen :) So nice to see you back, and sincerely hope that life is treating you well?
             
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            • ARMANDII

              ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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              That car or yours took a hammering, Kristen:hate-shocked::dunno::heehee:

              [​IMG]
               
            • ARMANDII

              ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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              I take it, jmg, that "path" was a mis-finger:dunno:,

              Well, you've not mentioned the size of the affected patch but Turfing is quicker but you will need to water it for a good while. @Kristen is better informed to give you advice on that. Seeding is cheaper, and slower, but will need netting over it to keep off the Birds. If the patch is in shade then I've been using the below with reasonable success, but there are quite a few grasses for shady areas out there and it also depends on the size of the patch and how much you want to spend.

              [​IMG]

              Regarding the type of soil to use to level up the sunken area then ordinary garden soil will be fine.......but do not add any fertiliser/feed.:cat-kittyandsmiley::coffee:
               
            • pete

              pete Growing a bit of this and a bit of that....

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              I'm thinking probably organic material buried under the grass which as Kristen says is being decomposed by fungi, would be interested to see if you get lots of toadstools next autumn.

              The sinking could be due to the organic material breaking down.
               
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              • Kristen

                Kristen Under gardener

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                I've changed my view on Turf (in my defence the photo above was more than a decade ago). Environmentally absolutely dreadful. Scrape an inch off best topsoil off the Fens every other year and transport it right across the country.

                And it has its own issues. You will probably only have one type of grass variety turf available, so Hobson's choice. Mine, as you saw, was hugely overloaded with Nitrogen. No doubting it looked amazing, and was "instant", but getting it under control that season was horrendous. "Don't mow it until the turf roots have bonded with the ground", and "water it every day" meant that the grass was the height of the house and a nightmare by the time I could cut it. "Only cut off a little bit each time" .. so basically it was growing faster than I was actually able to cut it.

                I drove to the Fens to fill up my car straight off the field as they cut it, so some turf that has been lying around on a pallet for a week at the local garden centre might have yellowed enough to blend in :lolpt: ... but ...

                For any "low bits" I would definitely favour stripping the existing turf off, top up with soil underneath, and replace the turf. It will be the same colour, same variety of grass, already known to be happy in its location. If the dip is not too severe then just top up with soil and let the existing grass grow through (or add "a little bit" of soil several times, allowing the grass to grow through and recover each time). Overseed at the same time if you like (no bad idea, but not essential)

                For a small area of "dip" no need to actually remove the turf. Use a spade (or Half Moon) to cut slits in the shape of an H, peel back the top and bottom U parts of the H, top up soil underneath, then roll the "peels" back and tread it all down.

                Grass, bought as seed, comes in all sorts of varieties - from Bowling green, to Kids Football Pitch, to Grow-in-the-Dark (well, I think they call that "Shady mix" but that makes me want to cover the label when I am carrying it home!!). So if that patch is North of the Tree then maybe Shady Mix would help (but it doesn't look like it is thinning at all from the photo)

                When I have seeded areas I have planned in advance (i.e. including "living with it" until most suitable sowing season) and done the Prep to be able to sow in the Autumn. When seeding a new lawn the Weeds will be up faster than the Grass :mad: but in Autumn the weeds aren't trying very hard, and the grass will have all winter to establish before the weeds then get into gear. New grass needs 6 months before using selective weedkiller, so Autumn sowing also means that (for those that want to) chemical weedkiller can be used in the Spring, and then the grass has it all to itself :) Also much less watering needed that "first summer" compared to Spring sown

                yeah, I didn't realise how low down on its Spring it was, until it was bouncing along the road on the way home. I definitely do NOT recommend that

                When I left the Fen Field one of the workers said "That's disappointing"

                "Why?"

                "When we saw you arrive we had a sweepstake for how many trips you would have to make. No one picked ONE" :)

                From memory it was 104 rolls. They were even on the front passenger seat up to the roof ... everywhere!
                 
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                • Liz the pot

                  Liz the pot Total Gardener

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                  That’s not a fairy ring, do you know if your sewage drains run under the area by any chance ?
                   
                • ARMANDII

                  ARMANDII Low Flying Administrator Staff Member

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                  [​IMG]
                   
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