Advice please for New Lawn.

Posts

• JennyJ Posts: 10,576

  4 March edited 4 March

  The yellowing and slight sparseness is probably just due to winter wet and cold. I expect it mostly needs time to thicken up, but if it doesn't improve you could overseed it.

  Not sure about the bumpy-ness - that sounds like improper preparation, eg soil not properly firmed, but I'm sure you know enough about that (in theory at least) to have kept an eye on what they were doing (or was it laid before you moved in? In which case - new build lawn prep probably was poor). The easiest way to tackle it is probably to brush soil into the low areas - a little at a time so the grass doesn't get completely buried. I've never used a lawn roller but I imagine it would compact the high spots but leave the low spots soft, which sounds to me like a recipe for uneven growth. Lawn experts might know better though.

  If the pan proves to be a problem, I don't think there's an easy fix
  

  Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  

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• rossdriscoll13 Posts: 234

  4 March

  @GardenerSuze a lawn laid only in November should not be lumpy and bumpy.  Was it laid by a landscaper?  If the proper prep was done you wouldn’t get this.  If there are only small dips instead of rolling you could top dress using topsoil and then use a drag mat, I have described how to make one of these yourself before on other threads, to level the lawn. 

     The yellowing is down to all the rain we have had.  Your lawn needs feeding.  Use a good lawn food, not the 4 in 1 feed, weed and mosskillers that are available.  I also use liquid seaweed sprayed onto the lawn using a pump action sprayer.  Any renovation should be done mid to late March.  A lawn feed that I can recommend is Viano lawn boost.  It’s expensive but good and it’s organic.

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• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  4 March

  @JennyJ Thankyou and yes I agree if the 'pan' under the lawn is a problem it will take alot to resolve. We have had so much rain that it is difficult to work out at present if it will dry out. The original lawn was removed in the autumn by the landscapers and replaced. The design involved changing the levels. This photo was taken just after storm Ciaran. There was no going back and still it rained. When the turf was laid it certainly looked good and another landscaper working nearby commented too.
  Your advice regarding brushing in top soil/ seeding to thicken is something I will do as soon as I can walk on it.
  
  @rossdriscoll13 Viano is new to me, will take a look only a small lawn, so I am happy to pay extra. I had wondered about spiking it with a fork but it won't reach the 'pan'.
  This photo isn't the best to see what went on when it was landscaped but there was a huge pile of soil in the middle of the garden at one point. Do I wished I had waited until spring? Maybe but no going back now. Thankyou.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• rossdriscoll13 Posts: 234

  4 March

  @GardenerSuze with a small lawn a way of improving drainage is by using Rubber Crumb.  This is made from old car tyres cut into tiny pieces.  What you do is make holes using a wrecking bar and brush the rubber crumb into the holes.  It expands and contracts with the changes of temperature of the seasons allowing water to drain.

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• Slow-worm Posts: 1,630

  5 March

  Looks like too much creeping red fescue and not enough softer grasses? 
  Mine was awful (posh seed apparently) until I threw some Evergreen on to patch it up - those bits are the healthiest, the rest is just moss, clover and creeping bloody buttercup. 🙄
  But the fescue does go like that, and it looks unhealthy though it's not. 

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• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  5 March

  @Slow-worm Thankyou good to hear from you. I want to avoid the 'salad bowl' look if I can. In my old garden I didn't worry too much about the lawn it was much bigger and a few weeds weren't a problem. The garden here is very different much smaller and every single thing is very much on show. I am going to need to learn to care for the lawn quickly.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  5 March

  @rossdriscoll13 Wow never heard of that before. There is a certain amount of wait and see, I hope drainage won't be an issue in the spring/ summer, just don't know.
  I want to be able to look at all the options out there so that I can take good care of it.
  
  The lawn won't be walked on very much, infact the plan had been not to have one at all. On balance the garden seemed just a little too big not to have one. Everedge has been used and the idea is to replace with a clover lawn or gravel in the future if it becomes too much work.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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• GardenerSuze Posts: 5,692

  10 March

  Rightly or wrongly I spiked the whole lawn yesterday. There is a slight slope away from the house so I started at the bottom working my way back to the house. The fork went in with ease but it was obvious the bottom quarter was still wet but pleased to say not waterlogged.
  
  @rossdriscoll13 I have got some Viano lawn boost. It was half price as were three different organic lawn feeds at the local Blue Diamond GC a bit disappointing. You have had success with Viano and I was assured it had been dry stored. All three of these products were set to be discontinued. Do gardeners prefer the strong nasty chemicals for their lawns? It would seem that is the case.

  I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.

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