Lawn looking poor

Posts

• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2018 edited June 2018

  Have you had Green Thumb aerate and scarify?  Is this a developers grass laying? 
  
  

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• josusa47 Posts: 3,530

  June 2018

  Your lawn looks better than a lot are looking after two months of drought.  Do you do anything to it in between Green Thumb's visits?  Does your contract include remedial work, like digging out the coarse clumps and re-seeding in the bare patches?  Or do they just cut it and scatter a feed-and-weed preparation?

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• dannyson Posts: 60

  June 2018

  I moved on from similar due to poor admin and franchise changing....
  
  I now do it again myself - but as we know looking after the lawn takes more time than any other part of the garden!
  
  Hollow tining is a nightmare job by hand - only to be done when the soil is soaked (which can lead to compaction by your feet) - but slitting and maybe scarfing a couple of times of the year help big time (with a machine) and then 'mulching' (top dressing with sieved compost - or not.... it doesn't make much difference) helps a lot and then broadcast the seed of your choice.  For me its a 'coastal' mix (i'm near Newquay Cornwall) - but I can barely recognise which bits are which.... any grass apart from those that horizontally (and I suspect rye grass does this?) that grow are good.  And then cut to the maximum height of your mower - all year until you are ready to 'scarify' again - and cut short before hand - but take note of the weather - if its forecast to be dry don't bother.
  
  An early spring sprinkling of blood/fish and bonemeal helps a bit - but a 'green up' type fertiliser makes a big difference (short term)......
  
  I am going to try a recommended nitrogen based fertiliser soon - something called a 10.13.13 or some such (this formula could be wrong!).... and spread it scarcely.

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• JapanRed Posts: 6

  June 2018

  K67 said:

  Have you had Green Thumb aerate and scarify?  Is this a developers grass laying? 
  
  

  Hi K67. No the grass has never been aerated or scarified. Yes it was a small local builder (just 4 houses built on this development). 

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• JapanRed Posts: 6

  June 2018

  josusa47 said:

  Your lawn looks better than a lot are looking after two months of drought.  Do you do anything to it in between Green Thumb's visits?  Does your contract include remedial work, like digging out the coarse clumps and re-seeding in the bare patches?  Or do they just cut it and scatter a feed-and-weed preparation?

  Thanks, do you think it's purely down to the drought? They don't cut it (I mow once a week), all GreenThumb do is apply feed & weed treatments. I don't do anything to it inbetween their 3-monthly visits other than mowing it. Should I be doing something? I don't expect it to look like a bowling green but would like it nicer than it is currently if possible. 

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• JapanRed Posts: 6

  June 2018

  dannyson said:

  I moved on from similar due to poor admin and franchise changing....
  
  I now do it again myself - but as we know looking after the lawn takes more time than any other part of the garden!
  
  Hollow tining is a nightmare job by hand - only to be done when the soil is soaked (which can lead to compaction by your feet) - but slitting and maybe scarfing a couple of times of the year help big time (with a machine) and then 'mulching' (top dressing with sieved compost - or not.... it doesn't make much difference) helps a lot and then broadcast the seed of your choice.  For me its a 'coastal' mix (i'm near Newquay Cornwall) - but I can barely recognise which bits are which.... any grass apart from those that horizontally (and I suspect rye grass does this?) that grow are good.  And then cut to the maximum height of your mower - all year until you are ready to 'scarify' again - and cut short before hand - but take note of the weather - if its forecast to be dry don't bother.
  
  An early spring sprinkling of blood/fish and bonemeal helps a bit - but a 'green up' type fertiliser makes a big difference (short term)......
  
  I am going to try a recommended nitrogen based fertiliser soon - something called a 10.13.13 or some such (this formula could be wrong!).... and spread it scarcely.

  Sorry but you've completely lost me with this post Danny. Sorry but I'm a bit of a beginner when it comes to lawn care and don't really understand what you are saying I should do...

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• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2018

   just moved into a new build and watched them lay grass in the new houses, no levelling to speak of, no grading of the soil which is stuff they took of the site when it was started so not good quality at all. Their method for laying consisted of running a compactor plate over the area and levelling up with loads of soft sand not sharp sand.
  So after 4 years I think your grass is looking pretty good which is down to you having it treated on a regular basis. All grass seems to grow those coarse patches over time and as said by josusa47 they need digging out or slashing with a knife. Try to alter the way you cut the lawn, go from side to side now and again as that can lift the grass up to the mower blades. 
  I would certainly have green thumb hollow tine and scarify which will rake out the dead grass,  but they wouldn't carry it out until later in the year as you need moist soil. If it ends up too bare they will reseed it but that's not usually necessary. It's not cheap but worth doing at least once.
  It all depends on what you want to spend on it.
  I know I will get shot down but I took up my grass the week after I moved in while it was easy to do and as the garden is small I graveled one area and yes laid fake grass on the rest, I can hear the gasps of horror but after 46 years of cutting lawns I felt it was time to stop and conserve my declining energy for looking after my flower beds which I am busy filling. 

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• Dave Humby Posts: 1,145

  June 2018

  The coarse grass is couch grass and has nothing to do with what GreenThumb may or may not have done. You’ll have to dig that out and reseed or it will out-compete the finer grass. It could have gone from anywhere: seed on the wind, in the ground prior to turf laying or in the turf itself.
  
  New builds are notorious for lawn problems. Compaction of the ground during construction, clay and inadequate top soil all common problems. As time goes on the lawn deteriorates. You’re doesnt look too bad considering the dry conditions. You might want to get it areated in the autumn. 

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• JapanRed Posts: 6

  June 2018

  Thanks K67 and Dave; great advice. Thanks for mentioning the name couch grass Dave; I had no idea what it was but will allow me to research it a little more now I know the name of it. I'll aim to dig up the patches of couch grass and I will also ask GreenThumb to hollow tine and scarify later in the year. 
  
  A couple more questions if I may?
   - Is there a good time of year to dig out the couch grass?
   - Is re-seeding the subsequent patches preferred to laying down new turf?
   - I'm happy to spend the money on aerating/hollow tine/scarify but wasn't sure whether the results would be worth it. How often should I get it done in future? Every year? Every other year?
   - what are the brown patches in the due to and what is the remedy? 
  
  thanks again; very helpful. 

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• K67 Posts: 2,506

  June 2018

  Glad to help.
  Autumn us a good time as you need moist soil to reseed but still warm enough to germinate. You can buy boxes of patching seed. Wouldn't turf as it's a fiddle to get the levels right.
  As to aerating etc Green Thumb would do once a year but if your operative is good they will advise or as suggested get a machine and diy but I know which I prefer!
  Brown patches are either dry  which is most likely,  buried rubble, a possible, but unless you are prepared to water really well which takes hours they will recover with a few days rain. Don't mow too close in dry weather though. A green thumb guy told me the closer you cut the shallower the roots are so I used to mow twice a week and had a much better lawn. Now mine in green all year!
  
  

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