I really wouldn't advise using a selective weedkiller yet, the grass is at very vulnerable stage, you wouldn't even feed the lawn at this stage let alone apply a herbicide . Try and hand weed large weeds but that all, of course the weeds are competing against the grass, it be 3 to 4weeks or more before dealing with them
DAY 15: I must admit I am particularly annoyed by the weed growth in some areas. The stuff coming up is ugly and the leaves are already getting nasty spikes on them, its going to make for uncomfortable seating if they carry on. The thought of having to leave them there for the first year before I can treat them is really, really grinding my gears.
But for those who have joined me on the journey so far, here is how it looks today, the first day of the 3rd week, or day 15. To me it looks like I need to cut it already! But I am pretty pleased for 2 weeks of growth.
Firstly, congratulations! What a fantastic job you've done so far. It must have been back breaking.
The grass shown looks like couch grass which is almost impossible to get rid of and will probably keep on coming back.. The good news is that you have a garden in full sun, ideal for a lawn. The better the drainage the better the lawn. I could tell you how to achieve this but I think you've done enough hard work already. You will need hard wearing seed containing ryegrass. Try buying sports utility seed. (the stuff football pitches use) Water lightly but frequently in dry weather. When the new shoots appear (about 6 weeks) apply a light dressing of lawn fertiser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) Cut grass, on high setting, when it's about 3" high and reseed any bald patches. I think that's about it for now. But, trust me, there's a lot more to growing a good lawn, I've been doing it for forty years.
Let me know how you get on and I'll give you all the advice I can. But, don't let it become an obsession.
Firstly, congratulations! What a fantastic job you've done so far. It must have been back breaking.
The grass shown looks like couch grass which is almost impossible to get rid of and will probably keep on coming back.. The good news is that you have a garden in full sun, ideal for a lawn. The better the drainage the better the lawn. I could tell you how to achieve this but I think you've done enough hard work already. You will need hard wearing seed containing ryegrass. Try buying sports utility seed. (the stuff football pitches use) Water lightly but frequently in dry weather. When the new shoots appear (about 6 weeks) apply a light dressing of lawn fertiser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) Cut grass, on high setting, when it's about 3" high and reseed any bald patches. I think that's about it for now. But, trust me, there's a lot more to growing a good lawn, I've been doing it for forty years.
Let me know how you get on and I'll give you all the advice I can. But, don't let it become an obsession.
I decided to go with a premiership pitch blend, of the following (apologies to those who may have seen this): 40% Tetraploid Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Double) 40% Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Esquire) 20% Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Sravinsky)
It's only been 2 weeks (14 days exactly today in the ground) and this is how it looks today, I just went back out to take this photo for you: You say "when the new shoots appear (about 6 weeks)" though I think I may have already hit this threshold, as the grass is already about 6-7cm long from the ground to the tip. I think I may have my own herd of elephants by week 6...
I was wondering if you have any advice on the weed control, which I have admitted today has really got me down as they are everywhere. They are growing like wildfire in some areas and are already quite unsightly and ugly, and have a rough and spikey leaf which sort of defeats the object of a lovely lawn. I don't know what to do to try to control them I gave up on puling them out one by one, there are thousands.
Please can you suggest a solution if there is one you know of on a newly seeded lawn?
Again thank you for your interest and insight, I wonder if I shouldn't have gone with a shrubbery...
Well! What a revelation. You should feel justly proud of yourself. Well done.
It's remarkable that the grass has grown so quickly. Don't worry about the weeds they can be sorted out later. The grass looks a bit bare and is not quite ready to be cut. Apply a very light dusting of lawn fertiliser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) with a high nitrogen content. Given time this should thicken up the grass. Overseed any really bare patches. Like pinching out bedding plants so they spread out grass benefits from regular mowing. Once established the more you mow the better and finer the grass.
Ok so let's sort out the weeds. The best lawn weed killer is Verdone (quite expensive) applied as a liquid. Apply when the weeds are growing vigorously. You may need a second or third application and some more overseeding after the weeds have died back. Weeds hate being cut so providing you maintain a regular cutting programme weeds should not be a problem. I haven't had a weed in my lawn for 40 years and I don't use weed killer.
A note on lawnmowers. You can achieve a reasonable utility lawn by using a rotary mower. But, if you want a much finer lawn you require a cylinder mower (expensive). This gives a finer and closer cut. The most important thing about a lawn is regular mowing. It's great cutting the grass on a lovely summers day but not so good when it's overcast and cold. With a cylinder mower grass should be cut three times a week in the summer.
Hope you end up putting on it? But then it becomes an obsession! Not good!
Well! What a revelation. You should feel justly proud of yourself. Well done.
It's remarkable that the grass has grown so quickly. Don't worry about the weeds they can be sorted out later. The grass looks a bit bare and is not quite ready to be cut. Apply a very light dusting of lawn fertiliser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) with a high nitrogen content. Given time this should thicken up the grass. Overseed any really bare patches. Like pinching out bedding plants so they spread out grass benefits from regular mowing. Once established the more you mow the better and finer the grass.
Ok so let's sort out the weeds. The best lawn weed killer is Verdone (quite expensive) applied as a liquid. Apply when the weeds are growing vigorously. You may need a second or third application and some more overseeding after the weeds have died back. Weeds hate being cut so providing you maintain a regular cutting programme weeds should not be a problem. I haven't had a weed in my lawn for 40 years and I don't use weed killer.
A note on lawnmowers. You can achieve a reasonable utility lawn by using a rotary mower. But, if you want a much finer lawn you require a cylinder mower (expensive). This gives a finer and closer cut. The most important thing about a lawn is regular mowing. It's great cutting the grass on a lovely summers day but not so good when it's overcast and cold. With a cylinder mower grass should be cut three times a week in the summer.
Hope you end up putting on it? But then it becomes an obsession! Not good!
I must admit not being able to deal with the weeds now while they are so visible and prolific is frustrating but I accept I must wait.
So I just did a light treatment of 6-9-6 fertiliser as you recommended and watered thoroughly.
I did actually buy a 17” cylinder mower as spares or repair and ordered replacement parts on Amazon and got it working perfectly. I sent off the entire cutting cassette to have the rotating and bottom blade reconditioned and re-sprayed and that should be back in a few days.
So for now we wait and stare menacingly at the weeds.
Hi! Traderneo - My, my you're certainly enthusiastic. I'm afraid gardening is a patient mans hobby. Things dont happen instantly.
The lawnmower sounds great it's the secret of a first class lawn. The fertiliser should make everything grow thicker including the weeds. After applying leave for a week or two till everything is growing vigorously and then apply the Verdone. The weeds should gradually die back. Only you can decide when to make the first cut. I wouldn't recommend cutting a new lawn for the first time with a cylinder mower. If you've got a rotary mower sharpen the blade and cut on high. Then you'll probably have to apply more Verdone and reseed. Sorry! it's all very slow.
Let me know how you get on. I hope you end up with the perfect lawn. I once almost got there. But, I'm afraid that where lawns are concerned `almost` is a very long word.
DAY 17/18: So the only areas which are NOT growing prolifically are those where there are heavy weeds present.
Now, here is today's conundrum for the day. Please apply your collective wisdom, I am confused! So Weedol (Previous brand Verdone) lawn weedkiller. The official UK site listed on the box is weedol.co.uk which takes you to lovethegarden.com. All good. However, the website lists the product comes in 3 sizes, 250ml, 500ml and 1 litre. The pack I bought yesterday at a large builders merchant is a 190ml pack! No mention of a 190ml option on the official website?? THEN: The box I have (with the unlisted size) lists a number of ingredients, NOT listed on the official website. Stranger and stranger...but there's more! On the official website, they quite clearly say that you CAN treat a newly sown lawn, after 2 months if the grass is well established. So 3 things! Different ingredients in the box to the website Different packaging size to the website Completely different application guide on the website vs the box And not so striking but the branding on each box is quite different.
Am I the only one who thinks this is strange for a poison to be quite so different across 3 pretty important categories? BOX:
WEBSITE:
I would imagine using the box product according to the website would kill a new lawn...which would be pretty annoying!
Just something to think about, is it worth an email to the manufacturer?
Today I learnt a new word: "Tillering" ~ A tiller is a stem produced by grass plants, and refers to all shoots that grow after the initial parent shoot grows from a seed. Tillers are segmented, each segment possessing its own two-part leaf. They are involved in vegetative propagation and, in some cases, also seed production.
The test to determine if a newly seeded lawn is safe to apply suitable weed control products, is the grass must have begun to 'tiller', or split shoots away from the parent shoot.
Obviously I ran out to check and (insert drum roll here):
At worst I have tillering on every grass shoot and in some cases as many as 4! Which means after the rather extraordinary passing of only 19 days I can in fact spray to control weeds without risk to the new lawn. Every day is a school day! A special shout out to David at Progreen for the expertise and patience shown this morning. Now I am on the hunt for a small amount of "Holster XL"...as I don't particularly need enough to cover 10 square kilometres!
My plan for the moment is to leave it all alone for the next few days, as we have an extended period of rainfall forecast and once it dries up a bit I shall be treating the weeds for the first time.
Posts
I must admit I am particularly annoyed by the weed growth in some areas. The stuff coming up is ugly and the leaves are already getting nasty spikes on them, its going to make for uncomfortable seating if they carry on. The thought of having to leave them there for the first year before I can treat them is really, really grinding my gears.
But for those who have joined me on the journey so far, here is how it looks today, the first day of the 3rd week, or day 15.
To me it looks like I need to cut it already!
But I am pretty pleased for 2 weeks of growth.
The grass shown looks like couch grass which is almost impossible to get rid of and will probably keep on coming back.. The good news is that you have a garden in full sun, ideal for a lawn. The better the drainage the better the lawn. I could tell you how to achieve this but I think you've done enough hard work already. You will need hard wearing seed containing ryegrass. Try buying sports utility seed. (the stuff football pitches use) Water lightly but frequently in dry weather. When the new shoots appear (about 6 weeks) apply a light dressing of lawn fertiser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) Cut grass, on high setting, when it's about 3" high and reseed any bald patches. I think that's about it for now. But, trust me, there's a lot more to growing a good lawn, I've been doing it for forty years.
Let me know how you get on and I'll give you all the advice I can. But, don't let it become an obsession.
I decided to go with a premiership pitch blend, of the following (apologies to those who may have seen this):
40% Tetraploid Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Double)
40% Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Esquire)
20% Dwarf Amenity Ryegrass (Sravinsky)
It's only been 2 weeks (14 days exactly today in the ground) and this is how it looks today, I just went back out to take this photo for you:
You say "when the new shoots appear (about 6 weeks)" though I think I may have already hit this threshold, as the grass is already about 6-7cm long from the ground to the tip. I think I may have my own herd of elephants by week 6...
I was wondering if you have any advice on the weed control, which I have admitted today has really got me down as they are everywhere.
They are growing like wildfire in some areas and are already quite unsightly and ugly, and have a rough and spikey leaf which sort of defeats the object of a lovely lawn. I don't know what to do to try to control them I gave up on puling them out one by one, there are thousands.
Please can you suggest a solution if there is one you know of on a newly seeded lawn?
Again thank you for your interest and insight, I wonder if I shouldn't have gone with a shrubbery...
It's remarkable that the grass has grown so quickly. Don't worry about the weeds they can be sorted out later. The grass looks a bit bare and is not quite ready to be cut. Apply a very light dusting of lawn fertiliser (NOT weed, feed and moss killer) with a high nitrogen content. Given time this should thicken up the grass. Overseed any really bare patches. Like pinching out bedding plants so they spread out grass benefits from regular mowing. Once established the more you mow the better and finer the grass.
Ok so let's sort out the weeds. The best lawn weed killer is Verdone (quite expensive) applied as a liquid. Apply when the weeds are growing vigorously. You may need a second or third application and some more overseeding after the weeds have died back. Weeds hate being cut so providing you maintain a regular cutting programme weeds should not be a problem. I haven't had a weed in my lawn for 40 years and I don't use weed killer.
A note on lawnmowers. You can achieve a reasonable utility lawn by using a rotary mower. But, if you want a much finer lawn you require a cylinder mower (expensive). This gives a finer and closer cut. The most important thing about a lawn is regular mowing. It's great cutting the grass on a lovely summers day but not so good when it's overcast and cold. With a cylinder mower grass should be cut three times a week in the summer.
Hope you end up putting on it? But then it becomes an obsession! Not good!
The lawnmower sounds great it's the secret of a first class lawn. The fertiliser should make everything grow thicker including the weeds. After applying leave for a week or two till everything is growing vigorously and then apply the Verdone. The weeds should gradually die back. Only you can decide when to make the first cut. I wouldn't recommend cutting a new lawn for the first time with a cylinder mower. If you've got a rotary mower sharpen the blade and cut on high. Then you'll probably have to apply more Verdone and reseed. Sorry! it's all very slow.
Let me know how you get on. I hope you end up with the perfect lawn. I once almost got there. But, I'm afraid that where lawns are concerned `almost` is a very long word.
So the only areas which are NOT growing prolifically are those where there are heavy weeds present.
Now, here is today's conundrum for the day. Please apply your collective wisdom, I am confused!
So Weedol (Previous brand Verdone) lawn weedkiller. The official UK site listed on the box is weedol.co.uk which takes you to lovethegarden.com. All good.
However, the website lists the product comes in 3 sizes, 250ml, 500ml and 1 litre. The pack I bought yesterday at a large builders merchant is a 190ml pack! No mention of a 190ml option on the official website??
THEN: The box I have (with the unlisted size) lists a number of ingredients, NOT listed on the official website. Stranger and stranger...but there's more! On the official website, they quite clearly say that you CAN treat a newly sown lawn, after 2 months if the grass is well established.
So 3 things!
Different ingredients in the box to the website
Different packaging size to the website
Completely different application guide on the website vs the box
And not so striking but the branding on each box is quite different.
Am I the only one who thinks this is strange for a poison to be quite so different across 3 pretty important categories?
BOX:
WEBSITE:
I would imagine using the box product according to the website would kill a new lawn...which would be pretty annoying!
Just something to think about, is it worth an email to the manufacturer?
"Tillering" ~ A tiller is a stem produced by grass plants, and refers to all shoots that grow after the initial parent shoot grows from a seed. Tillers are segmented, each segment possessing its own two-part leaf. They are involved in vegetative propagation and, in some cases, also seed production.
The test to determine if a newly seeded lawn is safe to apply suitable weed control products, is the grass must have begun to 'tiller', or split shoots away from the parent shoot.
Obviously I ran out to check and (insert drum roll here):
At worst I have tillering on every grass shoot and in some cases as many as 4! Which means after the rather extraordinary passing of only 19 days I can in fact spray to control weeds without risk to the new lawn. Every day is a school day! A special shout out to David at Progreen for the expertise and patience shown this morning. Now I am on the hunt for a small amount of "Holster XL"...as I don't particularly need enough to cover 10 square kilometres!
My plan for the moment is to leave it all alone for the next few days, as we have an extended period of rainfall forecast and once it dries up a bit I shall be treating the weeds for the first time.