New build garden help
georgethornton200996UkXq0rID
Posts: 2
https://imgur.com/ZXz5Vik [This is the current state of my garden]
Hello everyone,
So a bit of background, I moved into this property on the 30th July, This is my first owned property and I want it to be something I am proud of. Weather-wise it has been 30+ for the last two weeks with minimal rain. I have been watering before I leave for work about 7:30 and then after I get in about 6:30.
Within a couple days of moving into the property, I started to see dead grass forming even after watering it twice a day for about 5 minutes time. After a few more days more started to form so I walked over the grass and put my foot on a dead patch and felt a massive rock, I pulled the turf back and removed said stone and other decent sized stones I could find, this then leads me going to the other dead patches and removing as many stones as I could, I even did a sweep of the garden to feel for stones on the green grass. Overall I spent about two hours removing stones from the garden.
after a couple of days I then went to a store called Wilkos and brought this https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/miracle-gro-water-soluble-lawn-food-1kg/p/0065281. I used a full bag by emptying it bit by bit into a watering can and mixing it with water and then applying to my garden. Im not sure I did this right. after a few days, I noticed no change and looked like the grass was getting worse. I looked online and I saw that some people had success with just applying the bag on the grass and then just watering it heavily after. So I did this.
Now another week later I am in the worst position I have been in, the grass looks horrible in parts, compared to the neighbor's mine is greener in the healthy parts but I have some terrible brown patches.
How can I fix this? Do I talk to the people who built the house and see if they can do anything or would it be worth just waiting till the hot weather to pass and doing it myself? I'm thinking that aerating and overseeing is the way to go. I could even level out the garden maybe?
Also was it me who messed up? or was I right trying to remove the stones? I am very new to this whole looking after a garden, but I want to learn.
Posts
If you're watering grass, you need to do it for a long time, preferably at night if it's hot and dry. Feeding is also pointless, and also causes more problems than it solves if it#s struggling.
Just copious amounts of water is what's needed. An hour at a time for an area of around 15 to 20 sq metres, approximately. Yours would need about a couple of hours.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I imagine you will be planning to plant up borders so no doubt you will be digging up sone of the grass.
New builds are well known for rocks, stones and compacted soil, been there, done that a coupke if times. Very doubtful that the landscapers would do anything.
In spring you can assess the condition and decide what to do if it needs work,
Thank you for the response, Girlfriend gets annoyed as it is when I'm out watering for more than five minutes. I don't have an outside tap as it stands so I have an attachment for the sink in the kitchen and run it outside and just use a hose with a spray attachment at the end. But I will do my best to water it more. Also, should I leave watering if it rains?
I've never watered grass, but the sky here does that for me.
Always keep it on the long side when cutting, if you're in a drier area, but cutting frequently is also the best way as it promotes better roots. Don't leave it to get long, then scalp it. Little and often
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Save your time and energy for getting the house the way you want and let your subconscious minds work on what you want out of your garden so that come autumn you can draw up a plan and start the prep work.
Make a list, eg seating/dining area; play area for children; fruit and veg; pond for wildlife; shrubs and perennials for colour/perfume/pollinators; shed; pergola; gazebo; greenhouse; lawn..............
You need to consider where the sun is at morning, noon and evening so you can decide where these features are best sited, think about colours you like, how much time you have to work on the garden and do regular maintenance and whether or not it is feasible to get an outside tap installed so you can have a hosepipe and sprinkler or seep hose and maybe an automatic timer. The kind of soil you have will also determine what plants will do well and what should not be attempted.
ideally you want minimal pipe on the outside so it won't be full and freeze in winter, though you also wrap any outside in stuff to give a bit of frost protection eg rubber or foam sheet.
The outside socket is similar - get a weatherproof double with an RCD included with a padlockable cover and have it spurred off a spare "way" in your fusebox, or on a fused spur from an existing socket. If you want you can have a swtiched fused spur so you have a master "off" switch.
All the bits can come from somewhere like Wickes, but you will want a real 'lecky to fit the electric socket, and give you the certificate to prove that it is in accordance with regs.
On the soil, TBH it sounds as if you may have rubble underneath which may impact what you can grow and how well. Keep taking those stones out and when you plant things keep feeding the soil.
No one has told me yet whether I am allowed to mention it, but I have just started a group blog about gardening for self-builders on the Buildhub forum, which will cover some of your matters. I won't link, but it should be easy to find.
Ferdinand