Just popping in to say, that's a good reward for so much work. I know there's a little way to go, but when you look at the photos on page 1 of this thread, it's really something.
Just read the whole thread (raining outside) well done, you must feel very proud, lawn looks great. I think it is important that you sit and relax and enjoy what you have done, we will never eradicate weeds......
Just popping in to say, that's a good reward for so much work. I know there's a little way to go, but when you look at the photos on page 1 of this thread, it's really something.
Just read the whole thread (raining outside) well done, you must feel very proud, lawn looks great. I think it is important that you sit and relax and enjoy what you have done, we will never eradicate weeds......
It's been a few days since my last post, not a lot to report really other than it's green out there. Today is day 25, we have had 3 days of rain so I haven't done much, nor do I plan to for about another week.
I can't really see much of a difference by day any more, but it's definitely still all happening out there: I lined up day 21's pic with todays (25) pic and the difference is very clear.
Some of you may have noticed a small square marked by string and chopsticks in some of the pics. As ever, this is a journey and I have been making small little adjustments and trying little things which to me make sense in my head, most obvious is weed control. I tried something on a small scale and left it about 10 days to see if it made any materiel difference. Here are the results and I think while not a roaring success, it certainly made an impact on weed development. I have expanded the treatment more broadly and will announce what I did once I have better result, this is our 'control' for the technical minded like me. And yes I have subsequently questioned the wisdom of testing something right bang in the middle of the lawn so all future tests have been moved to the boundary regions!
On the left is the treated/test area and the right is a similar area before testing. You can very clearly see way less weed growth on the left, and while the grass growth has not been quite as strong, it has certainly not been held back terribly. Test area on the left (turquoise) and control on the right (red). Way less weed on the left I hope you agree?
So I have expanded the test to a larger area along the boundaries. If it's a fail, I can then pave a nice walkway. New test area on the left...updates to follow.
It has been one whole month, exactly 30 days since the grass seeds went into the ground.
My plan is to leave it until Sunday (2 more days) and give it it's first high setting mow. Early reports seem to suggest I have completely eliminated the couch grass from the areas I treated them, so that will have been an extraordinary success IF they have died to the root, but certainly above ground they have died back completely.
So here it is, day 30 of a brand new lawn!
While not conclusive, early signs from the weed test area on the left of the string along the boundary of the lawn are looking VERY promising too. It's really not mysterious all I did was use a half the recommended dose of Weedol for a 'light' treatment and it hasn't done the grass any harm at all while it certainly has given the weeds a bit of a kicking! You can clearly see the weeds are beginning to yellow and shrivel while the grass has carried on as before, identical to the untreated area to the right of the string.
We have rain forecast for tomorrow so the first cut was moved back by a day. Here ladies and gentlemen is the result: (Yellowing patches are where the couch grass was treated and is dying back, it will leave small patches which will need to be reseeded in a week or 3. Overall I score this a solid 6.5/10 for a first effort at turning a jungle into a lawn.
So from this: To this: To this: To this: To this:
Project launched 1st February 2020 --> today 9 May 2020. So pretty much a 3 month job. And not done! Thank you to everyone who has commented, liked, upvoted, critique'd, observed and offered advice. Thank you.
Great job! I don’t know if your area is prone to cranefly/ leatherjackets? Did you notice any during your ground prep? You might consider applying nematodes in September. I’d hate to see all your efforts be of no avail if the little darlings end up feasting on your grass roots through the autumn, winter and spring.
Posts
It feels a little two steps forward and one back but I have enjoyed it. Mostly.
Well that's 11 minutes of your life you'll never get back!
Thank you for your comment and yes, you are right of course. But the weeds!!
It's been a few days since my last post, not a lot to report really other than it's green out there. Today is day 25, we have had 3 days of rain so I haven't done much, nor do I plan to for about another week.
I can't really see much of a difference by day any more, but it's definitely still all happening out there: I lined up day 21's pic with todays (25) pic and the difference is very clear.
Some of you may have noticed a small square marked by string and chopsticks in some of the pics.
As ever, this is a journey and I have been making small little adjustments and trying little things which to me make sense in my head, most obvious is weed control. I tried something on a small scale and left it about 10 days to see if it made any materiel difference. Here are the results and I think while not a roaring success, it certainly made an impact on weed development. I have expanded the treatment more broadly and will announce what I did once I have better result, this is our 'control' for the technical minded like me.
And yes I have subsequently questioned the wisdom of testing something right bang in the middle of the lawn so all future tests have been moved to the boundary regions!
On the left is the treated/test area and the right is a similar area before testing. You can very clearly see way less weed growth on the left, and while the grass growth has not been quite as strong, it has certainly not been held back terribly.
Test area on the left (turquoise) and control on the right (red). Way less weed on the left I hope you agree?
So I have expanded the test to a larger area along the boundaries. If it's a fail, I can then pave a nice walkway.
New test area on the left...updates to follow.
It has been one whole month, exactly 30 days since the grass seeds went into the ground.
My plan is to leave it until Sunday (2 more days) and give it it's first high setting mow. Early reports seem to suggest I have completely eliminated the couch grass from the areas I treated them, so that will have been an extraordinary success IF they have died to the root, but certainly above ground they have died back completely.
So here it is, day 30 of a brand new lawn!
While not conclusive, early signs from the weed test area on the left of the string along the boundary of the lawn are looking VERY promising too. It's really not mysterious all I did was use a half the recommended dose of Weedol for a 'light' treatment and it hasn't done the grass any harm at all while it certainly has given the weeds a bit of a kicking!
You can clearly see the weeds are beginning to yellow and shrivel while the grass has carried on as before, identical to the untreated area to the right of the string.
We may not win the war but this battle is ours!
We have rain forecast for tomorrow so the first cut was moved back by a day. Here ladies and gentlemen is the result: (Yellowing patches are where the couch grass was treated and is dying back, it will leave small patches which will need to be reseeded in a week or 3. Overall I score this a solid 6.5/10 for a first effort at turning a jungle into a lawn.
So from this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
To this:
Project launched 1st February 2020 --> today 9 May 2020. So pretty much a 3 month job. And not done! Thank you to everyone who has commented, liked, upvoted, critique'd, observed and offered advice. Thank you.