Complete new lawn on weedy soil
Rossco87
Posts: 1
I really need some advice with my new lawn, I'm clueless!
I've just moved into a new house and the garden was a complete mess. Majorly overgrown, weeds, small patches of grass, rubbish etc. a real tip!
I've now cleared the garden of all rubbish , I cut all vegetation down and pulled the roots out. I dug it all over, raked it and removed all the weed debris I could find.
Within a week weeds and other vegetation had started to grow back. So today I dug it all over again and removed all the weeds I could find.
If I'm to lay a new lawn what can I do now to prevent the weeds etc. growing back through? I know there's an ideal time to lay turf or seed, so would I have enough time to use a weed killer and lay the turf/seed in time this year for a nice lawn next year?
Also, my initial thoughts were to lay some turf, but a few people have told me it would be cheaper and easier to use seed. Thoughts?
I have a two year old daughter who loves playing in the garden so it needs to be pretty hardwearing. Any recommendations on what type of turf or seed to use?
Many thanks!
Posts
Preparation is the key. If you want to do it this year I think you'd have to turf - add some Blood, Fish and Bone a week before laying it. It's getting a bit late for seed now (unless you're in a milder area) as it's getting too cold for it to germinate and then it will just rot in winter rain.Since you have a daughter, that would probably be the best solution as it will be usable by next summer. Seed won't, unless you can get it done now and cross your fingers that it will be warm enough to germinate.
Alternatively, just do all the prep now - make sure all the weeds are out or killed off, and get the soil in good heart with some well rotted manure and soil/compost and let it lie over winter. In spring once it's warming up, add some extra compost or soil to get the level right (winter conditions will make it sink and settle a bit) rake it and add some B,F & B, then seed. It's a very cheap of doing it and all GCs and DIY stores offer a good selection of seed. They'll be labelled accordingly.
As Logan says, no weedkiller for six months or so. Any weeds after that can be treated by a Weed and Feed product used as per the instructions. If you turf now, that means you can use one in spring. Good habits re mowing will also give you a good turf - every five or six days through the growing season, and don't scalp it.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Sorry to mooch in on your post
but I have a quick question. Last week some cows and calves and other passers-by made free with my facilities and wandered all over my lawn. Is it too late to plant seed in the holes which I have since filled with the topsoil provided by said "wildlifes'" owner? I'm high up here but the soil is still a bit warm. The mornings are getting very very nippy though!
Suck it and see then. Thanks bb
Love that phrase ppauper - 'made free with my facilities'
I'd give those little spots a go too. Cold here at night, and has been for ages, and not that warm through the day, but the little edges of the new lawn I seeded a few weeks ago germinated quite well. It's a question of weighing up your own conditions. A big area's a different thing altogether though.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It's gloriously warm (vest top weather) here today but nights are nippy. I'll risk it. As you say FG they're only little tiny lawns.
The chap who owns the cattle has just had a load of landscaping done and has seed in half hundred weight bags (One for the oldies!) What's a wee handful here or there?
Thanks again