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Catastrophic failure to make a lawn

TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
in The potting shed
I hope you can help there has been a catastrophe.  :o Whilst making a lawn from a weed patch my groundsman ran out of dwarf ryegrass and told me get more seed fast because he would have to move on soon. Everything's online and I did not have time to wait for a delivery. All I could find was a horse shop and they sold me bags of fast horse feed grass saying it was rye and fine for a lawn. Only the first part of that sentence was correct. Now I have 100 m2 of field costing the good part of a new car. Weighing up my options I do at least need a flat area of lawn for games. Funds are now low. Is there a way and can restart on a small area of dwarf variety without the larger field variety invading it? 
Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
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  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    Perhaps this isn't the best place on the forum to ask. Maybe lawn isn't a popular topic.
    I'll try again in the problem solving area.
    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    Have you got a photo? I would just mow it  regularly. It may be no good for crown bowls but will probably be fine for kids playing on it.   You could always use a weed and feed on it if there are too many weeds in it, but generally just frequent mowing and a bit of rolling will do it.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    You seem to be having a difficult time with your  lawn/s  …  or is it a problem with your ‘groundsman’ … is he/she an experienced professional?  If so they shouldn’t really be running out of seed like that … if not then maybe now’s the time to cut your losses and get a professional gardener/landscaper in … 

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1072930/grass-seed-thrown-into-new-borders#latest 




    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    Dovefromabove said:
    You seem to be having a difficult time with your  lawn/s  …  or is it a problem with your ‘groundsman’ … is he/she an experienced professional?  If so they shouldn’t really be running out of seed like that … if not then maybe now’s the time to cut your losses and get a professional gardener/landscaper in … 

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1072930/grass-seed-thrown-into-new-borders#latest 



    Experienced professional yes but his methods might be unusual, or perhaps common to commercial as opposed to garden landscaping. A reliance on spreading lots of seed and driving it deep. I worked out the amount of seed based on the coverage given on the packet but not nearly enough for the way he works. So off I had to trot.
    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    I can't believe horse shops are selling ryegrass alone for pastures!! It's normally to fatten cows up, and because it's fast growing, but not suitable for horses. Anyway, on to your lawn.. Rye is hard wearing at least, you might have to mow more often though.
    You can buy some standard mix like Evergreen and it'll be fine to overseed with. I'd always want mixed grass personally. 
    Your groundsman sounds like a waste of space though, he could have just got some grass for you! 
  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    fidgetbones said:
    Have you got a photo? I would just mow it  regularly. It may be no good for crown bowls but will probably be fine for kids playing on it.   You could always use a weed and feed on it if there are too many weeds in it, but generally just frequent mowing and a bit of rolling will do it.

    I will sent a pic. Will cutting large ryegrass lower that normal put it under stress? 
    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    I've started a new thread in problem solving because this might not be the best space. Having said that not a dicky bird yet.

    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1073789/growing-a-species-of-grass-within-another#latest

    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    @TattyMac I wouldn't worry too much about the category, they all come up together - occasionally posts just get pushed down is all, and need a quick bump up.
    Ryegrass is used for cattle fields, so it's constantly getting eaten, trodden and laid on by heavy beasties - mowing won't bother it, unless you scalp it every time. 
  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    Slow-worm said:
    I can't believe horse shops are selling ryegrass alone for pastures!! It's normally to fatten cows up, and because it's fast growing, but not suitable for horses. Anyway, on to your lawn.. Rye is hard wearing at least, you might have to mow more often though.
    You can buy some standard mix like Evergreen and it'll be fine to overseed with. I'd always want mixed grass personally. 
    Your groundsman sounds like a waste of space though, he could have just got some grass for you! 
    The sales pitch for the product is purely directed towards paddocks with difficult areas to seed over. It's a mixture of three rye grasses. Once this groundsman's on the job and driving his digger there's no time for him to wait for a delivery of seed when he has another job to do down the road. Trying to get trades to return is a nightmare once they have left site. I could do a bit of experimenting with Evergreen. I think it's only sold in small packs but I'm sure there are alternatives.
    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
  • TattyMacTattyMac Posts: 81
    Slow-worm said:
    @TattyMac I wouldn't worry too much about the category, they all come up together - occasionally posts just get pushed down is all, and need a quick bump up.
    Ryegrass is used for cattle fields, so it's constantly getting eaten, trodden and laid on by heavy beasties - mowing won't bother it, unless you scalp it every time. 
    Ah yes but there is ryegrass for sports which is a dwarf variety. That ran out and got replaced by giant horse feed ryegrass. The larger has grown up to 5 inches as opposed to 1 inch for the sports variety which I wanted as lawn. Has to be ryegrass due to chalky soil.
    Kent near the white cliffs. Always learning and often the hard way.
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