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Lawn growing at different rates

benhurlestonCyTb5BivbenhurlestonCyTb5Biv Posts: 10
in Problem solving
I'm looking for a bit of advice as I have grown a lawn from seed (sown on May 27) all seemed to be coming along nicely except for the fact there was a patch that wasn't really as thick as the rest but that didn't concern me, and has since thickened up. Now, I'm finding that in certain areas it  seems to be growing at certain rates, or maybe it's that some of it is growing freely and some areas are stunted for some reason. As in they won't grow past a certain length..
I watered the whole lawn very frequently when it was first sown, for maybe a fortnight.. then for a couple weeks following we had really bad rain for quite a while, followed by a couple of weeks with no rain at all, by this point I thought the roots should be established well enough to be able to withstand a bit of a dry spell so i didn't water it at all for the first week but did a couple of times the following week. Has the root system been damaged maybe? Will it sort itself out? I have no idea as this is the first time I've done this and don't know if there is someht i should/could be doing to rectify this.
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  • Chris-P-BaconChris-P-Bacon Posts: 943
    benhurlestonCyTb5Biv said:
     Will it sort itself out?
    The growth rates may be due to compaction - do you walk on it? Or some overseeding in certain areas. Nothing to worry about - at least it doesn't look as though there is.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Looks pretty good to me. It should even out as time goes on, so I wouldn't worry too much at this stage. Just enjoy it  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • benhurlestonCyTb5BivbenhurlestonCyTb5Biv Posts: 10
    Yeah I've been walking on it for a couple weeks now but not a lot really. Obviously I've been walking on it for longer than that to mow it, but other than that it's just to and from the shed but I try to make sure I vary my routes as much as possible. 

    If it is due to overseeding, will the areas that have too much see in, sort themselves out over time, as in some of the seeds will die off to create room for the rest to thrive?

    One more thing I forgot to add earlier I'd it flooded really badly a while back, that wouldn't have caused any serious damage would it? I mean, it did flood but it drained away after an hour or two..

    Thanks for your replies :)
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Being underwater for an hour or two won't hurt. The fact that it drained quickly shows that you're unlikely to have any issues with waterlogging. The variation in growth is probably just minor variations in soil conditions or sunlight. It won't show much if you cut little and often or (conversely) if you go for a no-mow shaggy look.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I don't think you need to worry. If the rainwater drained after and hour or two it's fine. 
    If you live in a consistently wet area, and the ground underneath hasn't been well enough prepped re drainage, you may have to amend it in future by spiking and adding coarse sand/grit, but that's something that can't be evaluated at this stage. In wetter areas, people don't use their lawns much through later autumn/winter, and into spring because it causes too much damage. They just stay off them  :)
    The grass seed isn't a problem either. The most important thing with grass is to cut little and often, and according to the climate. That helps the grass thicken up as it encourages sideways growth [tillering] but in long dry spells, just cut less frequently if there's less growth. Never take more off than about a third of the height at any time. That prevents it getting scalped, which just weakens it.

    If you need to use the shed a lot, you might need to consider installing a path. 


    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • benhurlestonCyTb5BivbenhurlestonCyTb5Biv Posts: 10
    Ok thanks for all the advice. The reason why I haven't mowed it in a while is because I keep getting spates of mushrooms in the lawn, the first time it happened I mowed the lawn and spread the spores everywhere, I think.. There were 100s of the things! Then they went away with the dry spell we had, then recently with all this rain they have appeared again so I've left it unmowed to try to allow them to go as quickly as possible. I know it's supposed to be a compliment getting mushrooms as it shows the soil underneath is nutrient rich but id really rather not get them to be honest as the main reason i put a lawn down is so my 11 month old can totter around on it. Can't have him doing that with all those mushrooms around now can I! 😆
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Mushrooms are perfectly normal too, so don't worry. You'll get them in damp conditions, and they're a vital tool in the garden health. The hard work they do is mostly below ground where you can't see them.  :)
    Regular light mowing will take off the visible bits, but you can just brush them off if you're worried about them for your little son  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • benhurlestonCyTb5BivbenhurlestonCyTb5Biv Posts: 10
    Thanks again, you know when you say regular, how often are we talking because I've been finding I need to mow it every 4 or 5 days to manage to keep to the rule of not cutting off more than a third at a time. Probably more regularly than that to be honest, definitely when we've had rain. Feels like I'm constantly mowing the thing!! 🤣🤣
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Yes - it's a question of doing it according to conditions  :)
    You could probably take a little more off, but as soon as you do that, it'll be dry for 6 weeks! 
    I think because you've seeded quite heavily, and if the ground was fed, or is very rich, it's encouraged lots of lush growth. It'll settle down  :)

    Once the wee one's been roaring around on it, it'll not be looking so grand  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • benhurlestonCyTb5BivbenhurlestonCyTb5Biv Posts: 10
    Haha!! Yeah I rotavated lots of expensive mushroom compost into what was, very compact clay hard ground. And I think it's just going a bit mental at the minute. As you say I'm sure it'll settle down. 
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