Grass dilemma

Kathm · May 2022

Hello;
Looking for a bit of advice please.
I need to get work carried out in my garden (which I love). The wooden deck and surrounds of the raised and sunken patio are all starting to rot. So I will get the deck replaced with paving and some steps added to lead down to a slightly enlarged sunken area.

Dilemma is:

I have a large grassed area, most of which I think is in not bad condition. (No weeds as such, and I will lose most of the worst areas by getting the borders increased too)
While the diggers etc are on site - should I get ALL the grass scraped off and replaced with new turf? Or after the work; would money be better spent getting existing grass aerated/top dressed/improved?

I am at the top of a gorge, so have slopes in all directions, on heavy clay - I doubt my grass will ever be fit for bowling on.

Thanks. K

AnniD · May 2022

If you think it's not in bad condition (and it certainly looks okay to me

l'm wondering why you would want the top layer removing and starting over again.
Are you expecting the work to cause major damage?
If not, l would just wait until the work is completed and carry out any work on the lawn afterwards.
(Sorry if l'm being a bit thick, it's been one of those mornings. Welcome to the forum by the way

)

Uff · May 2022

I agree with AnniD, if you are happy with the lawn then leave it and either save the money or spend it on other things. I'm sure you'll have plenty of ideas when the work starts. Do you really want a bowling green?

Fairygirl · May 2022

I wouldn't waste money renewing the lawn either.

You'll get a certain amount of damage due to having other work done, but it shouldn't be too difficult to resurrect the existing lawn with a bit of TLC.
Very few people want a bowling green, and you can become a slave to grass very easily. Better to focus, or spend money, on the other parts of your garden [which already looks very nice anyway] or on something else you might need it for.
A bit of aeration and top dressing/feed etc would probably be all you'd need to do to have the lawn looking great again

Kathm · May 2022

Thanks. It’s me that’s being thick. Been reading the forum for past few weeks to get ideas, and so what started out as slight ‘improvements’ has grown arms and legs (+cost) because I like what other people have done. I like the idea of having deep green lush new turf, but then remember the struggle I have had to get the grass to look like this. Like you say, unless it gets seriously damaged during the work, will see how it looks next spring.

Fairygirl · May 2022

It'll probably get compacted and have a few bits and pieces which won't be perfect. It's not a disaster though

If the work meant it was all getting ripped up, and totally annihilated, that would be different.
If you're in a drier area, it's better to leave the grass a bit longer. That helps it stay greener and more lush.

Kathm · May 2022

I have definitely been a slave to the grass. Made rookie mistake in year one when this was new build, and burnt it all with feed.

. And at various points have scarified it into a barren wasteland. At least I know what I have now is growing.

Fairygirl · May 2022

The important thing is to not scalp it. All that does is weaken it, and then weeds thrive more readily.
Cut regularly, but never take too much off. In long dry spells, cut less often, because it's less likely to grow so much in those conditions.

Grass dilemma

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