Looking after a lawn, how do you do it?

[harrycatcat1]

Firstly let me say I am not looking for a bowling green lawn but a lawn that is freeish of dandelion's, moss and other things that should not be in a lawn. I have a front lawn and a large lawn at the rear.

All I do is cut the grass nothing else but I would like some one with the appropriate knowledge to say :- ie

 

In March put some %^%$££"%&* on it

 

In April scarify it and do £$%^&*(

 

in July do so and so

 

In October do XY and Z

 

You get the drift.

 

Has anyone got that sort of knowledge? If they have please let me know.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Hcc

[6shot]

in march put round up

 

take the rest of the year off

Edited February 11, 2010 by 6shot

[Imperfection]

For a half decent lawn it needs to be:

 

a)Reasonably well drained.

b)Fed with nitrogen in summer.

c)Mowed regulary.Like every few days-not fortnightly then scalped cos the blades are too low.Little and often is the best method.

 

First thing would be in spring-see if theres thatch present (its the dead and decaying matter which sits on the soil surface).If there is scarify it using either a spring tyne rake if you need the excercise or hire/borrow an electric version.

Spike the lawn using a garden fork to a depth of atleast 6" every couple of feet or so for drainage in areas which moss is activley growing then fill the holes with sharp sand (dont use builders soft sand cos it contains lime which lawn grasses hate).

 

You could top dress the lawn also,but need to know what sort of soil you have.If yours is heavy clay mix 5 shovels of sharp sand to one top soil in a wheel barrow and put this on the lawn.If yours is free draining then reverse the soil/sand mixture.Using a stiff brush,level the sand/soil mix all over the lawn so the grass isnt swamped and still showing through.What this does eventually after a few years is raise the soil level making the first couple inches of soil well drained and fertiile-its what football grounds do to their also.

 

Feed it with a nitrogen rich feed & weed like Grasshopper etc in march/april.

 

Mow it regulary,but dont cut more than 2/3's at any one time.

[shot shot]

I cut it once a week, the horses break out every now and then and ruin it, and occasionally it gets "aerated" by a herd of cattle.

 

that, and with all the leaves, twigs, rotten apples and such, it doesn't always look to great.

 

 

but who gives a toss??

[harrycatcat1]

For a half decent lawn it needs to be:

 

a)Reasonably well drained.

b)Fed with nitrogen in summer.

c)Mowed regulary.Like every few days-not fortnightly then scalped cos the blades are too low.Little and often is the best method.

 

First thing would be in spring-see if theres thatch present (its the dead and decaying matter which sits on the soil surface).If there is scarify it using either a spring tyne rake if you need the excercise or hire/borrow an electric version.

Spike the lawn using a garden fork to a depth of atleast 6" every couple of feet or so for drainage in areas which moss is activley growing then fill the holes with sharp sand (dont use builders soft sand cos it contains lime which lawn grasses hate).

 

You could top dress the lawn also,but need to know what sort of soil you have.If yours is heavy clay mix 5 shovels of sharp sand to one top soil in a wheel barrow and put this on the lawn.If yours is free draining then reverse the soil/sand mixture.Using a stiff brush,level the sand/soil mix all over the lawn so the grass isnt swamped and still showing through.What this does eventually after a few years is raise the soil level making the first couple inches of soil well drained and fertiile-its what football grounds do to their also.

 

Feed it with a nitrogen rich feed & weed like Grasshopper etc in march/april.

 

Mow it regulary,but dont cut more than 2/3's at any one time.

 

Thanks for your swift response. Please accept my apologies for being thick but :-

 

Do I scarify it first then stick the fork in then put the "grasshopper" on then put the sand soil mixture in that order???

[Cookiemonsterandmerlin.]

I use on my customers lawns proctors lawn feed and weed killer .

 

But you need to rake the moss out as much as poss then fork it .

 

But dont apply the lawn feed too early as you may do more damage than good normally late march onwards.

 

Regards OTH

[starlight32]

Firstly let me say I am not looking for a bowling green lawn but a lawn that is freeish of dandelion's, moss and other things that should not be in a lawn. I have a front lawn and a large lawn at the rear.

All I do is cut the grass nothing else but I would like some one with the appropriate knowledge to say :- ie

 

In March put some %^%$££"%&* on it

 

In April scarify it and do £$%^&*(

 

in July do so and so

 

In October do XY and Z

 

You get the drift.

 

Has anyone got that sort of knowledge? If they have please let me know.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Hcc

 

 

Cement mixer a drop cement and ballast normally does the trick........

[V8landy]

I used to work for Scotts Miracle Gro company which makes most of the UK's branded and own brand lawn and garden products.

 

One of the best things you can put down is Ever Green complete, but the B&Q stuff is exactly the same! just look for an NPK ratio of 14:3:4 with some moss killer.

 

Or get this lot in

 

http://www.greenthumb.co.uk/

[Imperfection]

Thanks for your swift response. Please accept my apologies for being thick but :-

 

Do I scarify it first then stick the fork in then put the "grasshopper" on then put the sand soil mixture in that order???

 

You dont want to scarify the lawn if its not needed-its back breaking work,but if you do need to do both-arirate first then scarify then lastly topdress.Use the feed & weed fertiliser when the grass has grown through the topdressing and activley growing.

[6shot]

For a half decent lawn it needs to be:

 

a)Reasonably well drained.

b)Fed with nitrogen in summer.

c)Mowed regulary.Like every few days-not fortnightly then scalped cos the blades are too low.Little and often is the best method.

 

First thing would be in spring-see if theres thatch present (its the dead and decaying matter which sits on the soil surface).If there is scarify it using either a spring tyne rake if you need the excercise or hire/borrow an electric version.

Spike the lawn using a garden fork to a depth of atleast 6" every couple of feet or so for drainage in areas which moss is activley growing then fill the holes with sharp sand (dont use builders soft sand cos it contains lime which lawn grasses hate).

 

You could top dress the lawn also,but need to know what sort of soil you have.If yours is heavy clay mix 5 shovels of sharp sand to one top soil in a wheel barrow and put this on the lawn.If yours is free draining then reverse the soil/sand mixture.Using a stiff brush,level the sand/soil mix all over the lawn so the grass isnt swamped and still showing through.What this does eventually after a few years is raise the soil level making the first couple inches of soil well drained and fertiile-its what football grounds do to their also.

 

Feed it with a nitrogen rich feed & weed like Grasshopper etc in march/april.

 

seems like some good advice there, i think i might give it a try.

[agusta]

You need to cut it short and leave the grass cuttings. You can tell when your doing it right when you cant see the grass cuttings! (although you need to cut at least twice a week, preferably every other day!)

Also aerate lawn which also helps which drainage.

[pyr8]

it,s the work you do in the autumn that pays dividends the following year,spike with a garden fork,it,s hard work but will help a lot.do you have kids playing on it a lot,if so this will cause compaction and you could do with spiking every year if not every couple of years will suffice.scarifying i would leave till early autumn when the grass is growing vigerously,this will allow the lawn to recover quickly.if it,s a fair size i would hire a machine to scarify you lawn.this aids the lawn by removing some of the thatch build up and any dead rubbish on the surface.

i prefere to use selective weedkillers on there own rather than weed n feed,i would feed first and apply the weedkiller a couple of weeks later,this way the weeds are growing well and will take the weedkiller up and will die the quicker and the lawn will fill in the bald patches left by the weeds.

if you know what type of soil you have i can give you a better idea of what topdress to use.

there,s no great secret to having a good lawn just remember the three basic rules,

scarification

airation

topdress

many people believe good lawns come out of a fertilizer bag,they don,t.a little hard work is the answer.and make sure you box of you grass cuttings of when you mow

[Toombsy]

You need four things for a decent lawn...

 

A good lawmower, Wilkinson's Weed and Feed (the best there is), some soft sand and a rake.

 

Cut the grass when it needs it, apply the weed and feed when it needs it, scatter sand on any dips when you get some and rake up the moss when it needs it.

 

Don't bother with the drainage.... that's just rubbish... you only need to look at grassland that is swamped - it's the best grass you'll find for miles.

 

Simple

Edited February 11, 2010 by Toombsy

[gixer1]

A good lawmower

 

 

fully agree...makes all the difference....buy a john deere!

[Floating Chamber]

A goat...

[Chris Bb]

Scarify in spring. Re-seed bald areas where necessary.

 

"Focus" own brand weed/feed/mosskiller double dosed around May then slightly more than they recommend monthly. Re-rake any dead moss asa it appears.

 

Mow, not too short, frequently & collect all clippings.

[MPT1]

In March put some %^%$££"%&* on it

 

In April scarify it and do £$%^&*(

 

in July do so and so

 

In October do XY and Z

 

You get the drift.

 

Has anyone got that sort of knowledge? If they have please let me know.

 

Thanks in advance

 

Hcc

 

Sounds like you know what to do already

[Doc Holliday]

One big no-no is not to let a bitch wee on it. Their urine is very high in nitrogen and kills the grass (scorches) and you end up with brown patches all over the place. You could try watering it down when it goes but then you end up with dark green clumps all over the place.

 

I moan like billy-o at the OH as she's always letting our bitch use it as her own personal lav. Was thinking of re-turfing it this year.

[harrycatcat1]

Sounds like you know what to do already

 

I didnt want to show off

[harrycatcat1]

Here are some images of the offending grass front and back.

First two are the back

 

 

 

This is the front

[MPT1]

Looks good to me, just having it is great.

[Imperfection]

Your lawn dont look that bad for winter time so really it could just do with a good rake to get rid of any thatch/moss,feeding in spring and regular mowing when its activley growing.

 

Mower wise-nothing can come close to a cylinder mower.When the fixed and cylinder blades are sharp they cut cleanly like a pair of scissors.Rotary mowers tend to tear unevenly through grass.

[Guest Callum.]

Well

This seems abit topical

Your telling us you have a large lawn up your rear and another poster said he cuts his once a week

[terence]

Whats wrong with astra turf

no cuting

no rakeing

looks ok from about 15 ft

safe the time on maintainse and go shooting

[Guest stiv24]

Well

This seems abit topical

Your telling us you have a large lawn up your rear and another poster said he cuts his once a week

 

 

I can't see you lasting long