I think I've killed the lawn
Liam Nashley
Posts: 6
Had a problem with a water logged moss strewn lawn. I decided to hollow tine the whole area as the soil was very compacted.
I then spread lawn sand on the area. Unfortunately I think I may have overdone it and put twice the amount on. The moss died and I raked out the thatch etc. But the grass has gone yellowy brown (the colour of rust) and is growing in sporadic batches. I think the problem was I was attempting to use the lawn sand as a way to thin the soil and change its consistency. Also, I didn't immediately water it in as the lawn was so waterlogged anyway I didn't think it would matter. At the time I was concerned with how badly the water was draining from the lawn.
Is there anything I can do to heal my lawn. It looks like it has alopecia. Clumps of healthy green grass between patches of yellow lawn. Given enough time it grows long and green but when I cut it short the yellow patches surface.
Is time the only healer here or is there something I can do to help my lawn cope with the lawn sand?
Posts
I should say its now about 5 weeks since I put the lawn sand on. I was hoping time and rain and giving it a water would solve the problem.
Any help would be gratefully received. I suppose I just need to dig up the dead areas and reseed. I was hoping to avoid that though.
Thanks Verdun. I don't suppose there's any kind of silver bullet as far as scorched grass and overuse of lawn sand is there, beyond water and over seeding?
What's a reasonable timescale for lawn recovery here?
My neighbour killed half his lawn with overapplication of Iron sulphate. I recommended sharp sand to improve drainage when spiking to aerate and decompact but he came home with a big bag of lawn sand, applied all of it and was left with a few patches of grass.
It often looks like one has killed the grass but after a week or so it greens up. It it does not, set your blades high keep trimming, keep dethatching too let the light in, keep aerating (spiking) it and the healthy grass plants should still send out stolons (lateral rhizomes) and start new stems.
Don't water the lawn that'll just dissolve more into the roots. If it rains it rains, you can't do anything about that.
If you have access to a hover mower with grass collection that may well suck up undissolved granules. It's worth a try.
I use only, erm, self-made nitrogen fertiliser.
Five weeks in, the granules should all be dissolved. If the drainage is OK then yes you could water the lawn.
Timescale? Perhaps this season. It should recover next.
My neighbour killed his at the end of last season with the double whammy of a short scalped cut and excess Iron Sulphate lawn sand (weedkiller concentrations). His grass didn't stand a chance, I'm sure your lawn will fare better
Haha, almost everyone, though about half of us who can make it have less difficulty putting it in the watering can than the other half.
Thanks Frank.
So you reckon I should let nature and rhizomes run their course rather than going nuclear and digging it up and reseeding?
Will overseeding help do you think?
I've already dropped the ball on this and don't want to mess up again.