Hi all, well it's now been a couple of years and the grass had never really taken. I have raked it over and seeded it, covered it with all manner of packet fertilizer and pre-seed (always following the instructions and whilst some areas do seem to have taken after the latest seeding the main bald patch just does not grow. I think it's time to admit defeat and re-terf it. I am guessing that there is an issue with the soil so am reluctant to just lay new turf without first either replacing a large amount of the soil or at least digging in some sort of compost. Is there anything else I could try first and if not am I thinking the right way when it comes to re turfing ? Will post a photo as soon as I have re-sized the file !
A couple more thoughts-- is the bare area walked on a lot? It looks as if it might be a route to/from the white door in the pictures. Frequent wear when it was newly laid (and particularly if the ground was wet) might have stopped the turf from taking properly, and if the soil is compacted it'll make it difficult for seed to grow.
The small urine patches that you said were there since the turf was laid - it's a bit of a long shot but I suppose a dog or fox bitch could have peed on it in the grower's field before it was lifted.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Thanks for you're thoughts Jenny. The door is only used on the odd occasion and then I am careful to avoid the dead patch, this area has no foot traffic on it other than when I am cutting what grass has grown either side of it. Looking back over the original photos it looks as though the area originally killed off by the pond water has mostly grown back as this was close to thee fence. The soil does feel compacted despite having thoroughly raked it last weekend before seeding. The small patches have all grown back, its just the massive patch. Some areas of this do have some growth, its only a week old and not really noticeable in the photo.
Raking doesn't relieve compaction - it doesn't go deep enough. Spiking with a garden fork is the way to go. Stick it in vertically as deep as it will go, wiggle it backwards and forwards a few times and you should see the soil surface lifting a bit. Repeat every few inches over the affected area. Gardening books say brush sharp sand into the holes but I don't bother with that. The soil is sandy enough here. It's hard work so I only do the strip under the washing line and the route to the compost bins that get walked on regularly.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Perhaps the ground underneath is just rubbish. Literally. Have you dug down to have a look at the underlying ground? There might be rubble and all sorts further down. I see from one of your earlier posts that you talked about a membrane over shingle. A combination of that and the compaction of the soil over it could certainly be a bit of a problem, especially if the soil, and your conditions, are on the dry side. As @JennyJ says - you need to use a fork pushed in quite far to relieve that.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks for the tips. The soil was not the best quality but the next grade the company sold, they recommended it for turf. It is roughly 6-8 inches deep then there is a weed control fabric over the original soil/shingle. I will try digging over part of the area to see if that makes a difference. I don't know what the soil consist of but it is very dry despite being watered daily for the past couple of weeks and some areas have large cracks in them although these can't be seen in the photos as they are covered with grass.
You don't need to actually dig over the soil - just stick the fork in vertically and wiggle. You're aiming to loosen the soil up a bit and let some air in, not turn it over.
I'm not sure what good weed membrane would do that far down. Any weed seeds landing on the surface would germinate and have plenty of rooting space. Cracks would tend to indicate a clay-based soil that shrinks when it dries out and sets like concrete. I've no experience with that so maybe someone who has will be able to give you some pointers.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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I propose you p*** off somewhere else Edgararse
reported
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I have raked it over and seeded it, covered it with all manner of packet fertilizer and pre-seed (always following the instructions and whilst some areas do seem to have taken after the latest seeding the main bald patch just does not grow.
I think it's time to admit defeat and re-terf it.
I am guessing that there is an issue with the soil so am reluctant to just lay new turf without first either replacing a large amount of the soil or at least digging in some sort of compost.
Is there anything else I could try first and if not am I thinking the right way when it comes to re turfing ?
Will post a photo as soon as I have re-sized the file !
The door is only used on the odd occasion and then I am careful to avoid the dead patch, this area has no foot traffic on it other than when I am cutting what grass has grown either side of it.
Looking back over the original photos it looks as though the area originally killed off by the pond water has mostly grown back as this was close to thee fence.
The soil does feel compacted despite having thoroughly raked it last weekend before seeding.
The small patches have all grown back, its just the massive patch. Some areas of this do have some growth, its only a week old and not really noticeable in the photo.
Literally.
Have you dug down to have a look at the underlying ground? There might be rubble and all sorts further down. I see from one of your earlier posts that you talked about a membrane over shingle. A combination of that and the compaction of the soil over it could certainly be a bit of a problem, especially if the soil, and your conditions, are on the dry side. As @JennyJ says - you need to use a fork pushed in quite far to relieve that.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The soil was not the best quality but the next grade the company sold, they recommended it for turf. It is roughly 6-8 inches deep then there is a weed control fabric over the original soil/shingle.
I will try digging over part of the area to see if that makes a difference. I don't know what the soil consist of but it is very dry despite being watered daily for the past couple of weeks and some areas have large cracks in them although these can't be seen in the photos as they are covered with grass.