Hi Ross2, wasn't planning to overseed all over, just assumed there was going to be a lot of bare patches once moss and thatch were absent. Do you think this is necessary or will the gaps fill naturally? Also, could you tell me to what iron application you refer and what the next steps are. Many thanks
It would be my personal preference to carry out scarification in the spring, after selective weed control has weakened or dispatched any broadleaf weeds. My reasoning behind this is, the fact that you raise. the point about recovery Carrying out heavy scarification in the autumn, may well leave small or even large areas devoid of grass, if the autumn then takes an unexpected cold snap, good seed germination could be hampered, thus going through the winter with a patchy lawn. Conversely, if carried out in the spring, the weather will at some stage be conducive to good germination and therefore good all round recovery.
Hollow core aeration however, again in my opinion, should be done in the winter months, (if any one wishes me to expand this view point I would be happy to do so, just ask).
The iron application that I use is a simple application of sulphate of iron, more expensive irons are available, but why spend money that is not needed. Sulphate of iron can be applied at a rate between 8 to 20kg/ha in 300 to 600 litres of water per ha. (if you want me to put this into a knapsack application rate just let me know) When putting into a solution use very hot water, it will dissolve much better, if you add a little liquid nitrogen fertiliser to the solution it will be taken up much faster by the plant. If this all sounds a little to daunting you could always get a lawn care company to do it for you, if so you can find one on http://www.uklawncare.net
Hi Ross, thankyou for your very interesting response. I would like your expanded viewpont on hollow core aeration and indeed your knapsack rates on iron application since you so kindly offered. I also appreciate your advice on scarifying late in the season.
There are two primary methods of aerating, spiking and coring. Spiking uses solid tines, slit tines or chisel tines, these only a have a very short term effect, particularly on lighter soils. In all lawns that I aerate I use the hollow coring method.
Before carrying out any coring one must understand what it archives, it will be a pointless exercise if your lawn doesn’t benefit from it.
Hollow tining opens up soil to create entry points for air, water, oxygen and fertiliser. It also help loosen surface compaction, break up any thatch layer, improve water and nutrient infiltration, increase oxygen in the root zone, encourage new, deeper root growth and reduces water runoff or puddling
When I core, the extracted core plugs of grass and soil are deposited on the surface of the lawn. I leave these to dry and degrade for a few days, even a week, before mowing over the top of them (with a rotary mower, not a cylinder one). I do this in dry conditions without a grass collection box. The mower blades chop and pulverise the cores, the soil element of the cores is distributed over the lawn and the core holes. The resulting light dusting of soil covering the lawn settles on any thatch layer and the beneficial micro organisms contained in the soil can further aid in thatch reduction. To complete the process is simple, attach your grass box and mow as normal. This will pick up all the debris left on the surface and visually return your lawn to normal.
I prefer to do this in the depths of winter as the frost helps to degrade the cores and also gets down into the core holes causing fissures in the root zone that further aids drainage and root development. The grass height is normally slightly higher in the winter months so visually the process isn’t so apparent. Lastly (good I hear you say!!) because photosynthesis is at a minimum, leaving the cores on the surface, covering other leaves doesn’t cause yellowing to the lawn.
The rate for iron is approximately 0.5kg - 1.5kg to a 16 litre knapsack. As I don’t know what your sprayer is calibrated to, I would start at the lower rate. As I said use warm water to dissolve the iron, best done in a plastic bucket, after its fully dissolved it is best to sieved it before adding to your knapsack. Don’t get any of the spray on natural stone work, it will stain!!
Thankyou Ross for your indepth analysis. I am pretty convinced my lawn would beneifit from coring. Can I hire one of these machines? Also, could you tell me if there is a way of testing for compaction as I do believe this to be the problem.
Is a link for a hire company. Dependent on hire and delivery-collection costs, it may be cheaper to get someone in to do it. http://www.uklawncare.net/ will give you an independent lawn care business close to you. It should cost about 50p per m2 ish
Hope this helps. Any more info needed ,on any aspect of lawn care, just yell!
Having applied Scott's lawn builder (autumn lawn feed and moss control ) waited two weeks and then raked out moss my question is... do I still need to apply any other product or is the lawn feed enough for now? Will I still need to apply iron later in the season? Sorry if these questions seem daft but I have no idea what nutrients I have given with the 'Scott's' and I get very confused with all the different feeds and times to apply them.
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Hi Ross2, wasn't planning to overseed all over, just assumed there was going to be a lot of bare patches once moss and thatch were absent. Do you think this is necessary or will the gaps fill naturally? Also, could you tell me to what iron application you refer and what the next steps are. Many thanks
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Hi Meomye,
It would be my personal preference to carry out scarification in the spring, after selective weed control has weakened or dispatched any broadleaf weeds. My reasoning behind this is, the fact that you raise. the point about recovery Carrying out heavy scarification in the autumn, may well leave small or even large areas devoid of grass, if the autumn then takes an unexpected cold snap, good seed germination could be hampered, thus going through the winter with a patchy lawn. Conversely, if carried out in the spring, the weather will at some stage be conducive to good germination and therefore good all round recovery.
Hollow core aeration however, again in my opinion, should be done in the winter months, (if any one wishes me to expand this view point I would be happy to do so, just ask).
The iron application that I use is a simple application of sulphate of iron, more expensive irons are available, but why spend money that is not needed. Sulphate of iron can be applied at a rate between 8 to 20kg/ha in 300 to 600 litres of water per ha. (if you want me to put this into a knapsack application rate just let me know) When putting into a solution use very hot water, it will dissolve much better, if you add a little liquid nitrogen fertiliser to the solution it will be taken up much faster by the plant. If this all sounds a little to daunting you could always get a lawn care company to do it for you, if so you can find one on http://www.uklawncare.net
If I can be of any more help, please let me know.
Regards
Ross
Hi Ross, thankyou for your very interesting response. I would like your expanded viewpont on hollow core aeration and indeed your knapsack rates on iron application since you so kindly offered. I also appreciate your advice on scarifying late in the season.
Hi Meomye,
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There are two primary methods of aerating, spiking and coring. Spiking uses solid tines, slit tines or chisel tines, these only a have a very short term effect, particularly on lighter soils. In all lawns that I aerate I use the hollow coring method.
Before carrying out any coring one must understand what it archives, it will be a pointless exercise if your lawn doesn’t benefit from it.
Hollow tining opens up soil to create entry points for air, water, oxygen and fertiliser. It also help loosen surface compaction, break up any thatch layer, improve water and nutrient infiltration, increase oxygen in the root zone, encourage new, deeper root growth and reduces water runoff or puddling
When I core, the extracted core plugs of grass and soil are deposited on the surface of the lawn. I leave these to dry and degrade for a few days, even a week, before mowing over the top of them (with a rotary mower, not a cylinder one). I do this in dry conditions without a grass collection box. The mower blades chop and pulverise the cores, the soil element of the cores is distributed over the lawn and the core holes. The resulting light dusting of soil covering the lawn settles on any thatch layer and the beneficial micro organisms contained in the soil can further aid in thatch reduction. To complete the process is simple, attach your grass box and mow as normal. This will pick up all the debris left on the surface and visually return your lawn to normal.
I prefer to do this in the depths of winter as the frost helps to degrade the cores and also gets down into the core holes causing fissures in the root zone that further aids drainage and root development. The grass height is normally slightly higher in the winter months so visually the process isn’t so apparent. Lastly (good I hear you say!!) because photosynthesis is at a minimum, leaving the cores on the surface, covering other leaves doesn’t cause yellowing to the lawn.
The rate for iron is approximately 0.5kg - 1.5kg to a 16 litre knapsack. As I don’t know what your sprayer is calibrated to, I would start at the lower rate. As I said use warm water to dissolve the iron, best done in a plastic bucket, after its fully dissolved it is best to sieved it before adding to your knapsack. Don’t get any of the spray on natural stone work, it will stain!!
Hope this is of help
Regards
Ross
Thankyou Ross for your indepth analysis. I am pretty convinced my lawn would beneifit from coring. Can I hire one of these machines? Also, could you tell me if there is a way of testing for compaction as I do believe this to be the problem.
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There are soil compaction test meters on the market;(penetrometer) you can get them for a few hundred pounds. In all my years in the industry I must admit to never using one! If soil conditions are damp and you have any difficulty in pushing a garden fork or a golf tee peg into the ground, then compaction may be a problem. http://www.erento.co.uk/hire/tools-equipment/gardening-landscape-equipment/lawn-scarifier/?gclid=CPG6jcy2wbkCFWXKtAod5HUA3Q
Is a link for a hire company. Dependent on hire and delivery-collection costs, it may be cheaper to get someone in to do it. http://www.uklawncare.net/ will give you an independent lawn care business close to you. It should cost about 50p per m2 ish
Hope this helps. Any more info needed ,on any aspect of lawn care, just yell!
Regards
Ross
Having applied Scott's lawn builder (autumn lawn feed and moss control ) waited two weeks and then raked out moss my question is... do I still need to apply any other product or is the lawn feed enough for now? Will I still need to apply iron later in the season? Sorry if these questions seem daft but I have no idea what nutrients I have given with the 'Scott's' and I get very confused with all the different feeds and times to apply them.
The lawn feed is enough for now Meomye, you could put some seed down if it's looking a bit bare.