I am indeed a complete novice and it may not be clover...I'll take a closer look in daylight.
I'd rather avoid chemicals, but didn't know if that'd be the only option.
I'm happy to keep clover in there, just didn't know whether it'd totally stop any grass from growing.
I should add we already have a toddler, so he'll hopefully be using it next spring.
And I'm in Kent, so fairly dry and warm.
At the moment I'm happy to go with the rake it over and sow seed option. It's bare earth right now (with exception to the [possible] clover and a sole asparagus that's made an appearance).
Weedkiller is toxic of course. You wouldn't want to spray your food with it would you? Many weedkillers do remain in the soil much longer than was previously thought.
Most importantly though, clover, if that's what @milzib has in fact, mingles well with grasss, is more drought resistant, and the resulting non-mono culture lawn will look better and be easier to maintain as a result. Really, manicured grass lawns have had their heyday. They are ecological deserts that take insane amounts of effort to keep going.
Weedkiller is toxic of course. You wouldn't want to spray your food with it would you? Many weedkillers do remain in the soil much longer than was previously thought.
Most importantly though, clover, if that's what @milzib has in fact, mingles well with grasss, is more drought resistant, and the resulting non-mono culture lawn will look better and be easier to maintain as a result. Really, manicured grass lawns have had their heyday. They are ecological deserts that take insane amounts of effort to keep going.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but a huge amount of your food already IS sprayed with weedkiller. If it was toxic we'd all be dead. And many studies have failed to find glyphosate in soil after spraying.
I speak from experience of using it for years... soil life continues as normal on areas treated with the stuff.
I run a lawn care firm and can promise you... lawns are NOT insane amounts of effort.
> I run a lawn care firm and can promise you... lawns are NOT insane amounts of effort.
Well everyone can draw their own conclusion! It is commonly stated in gardening books that manicured lawns are per-square meter the biggest time sink. My own experience bears this out. It's all about one's preferences whether this is time well spent or not.
> And many studies have failed to find glyphosate in soil after spraying.
There have been a lot of publications recently saying the exact opposite. This is just one:
It is well known that companies like Monsanto put a lot of money into competing studies that are probably pretty biased and dodgy. We are mining, felling, razing, spraying and polluting our environment into oblivion.
We had clover in the lawn of our previous home and really liked it. It tended to keep the lawn looking lush if the grass got baked and as others point out created interest. The only thing to watch out for is the amount of bees it attracts if you have young ones crawling in it or walking barefoot, this is easily remedied by mowing it
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I am indeed a complete novice and it may not be clover...I'll take a closer look in daylight.
I'd rather avoid chemicals, but didn't know if that'd be the only option.
I'm happy to keep clover in there, just didn't know whether it'd totally stop any grass from growing.
I should add we already have a toddler, so he'll hopefully be using it next spring.
And I'm in Kent, so fairly dry and warm.
At the moment I'm happy to go with the rake it over and sow seed option. It's bare earth right now (with exception to the [possible] clover and a sole asparagus that's made an appearance).
Treat the clover, then rake over in 2 weeks and seed. Keep it damp as far as you can. You'll have a lawn by the end of Oct.
Happy to help with details any time.
I speak from experience of using it for years... soil life continues as normal on areas treated with the stuff.
I run a lawn care firm and can promise you... lawns are NOT insane amounts of effort.
The only thing to watch out for is the amount of bees it attracts if you have young ones crawling in it or walking barefoot, this is easily remedied by mowing it