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Newbie lawn Owner Question!
Hi all just had my first lawn laid!
Its not very big! about 10mX5m
It was put down last week and the landscaper said the various pieces would 'join up' and just to water it a lot.
I have noticed some splodges of grass that are starting to grow a little quick and producing spots (see photo)
What general advice should I follow to look after my first lawn?...when should I first attempt to cut it?...how to get some nice stripes?!...
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I have never had a lawn laid but know that the rolls of turf and the joints all have to be butted tightly together or the edges will die off. If I was you I would watch a few videos on how a lawn should be laid then contact your landscaper and ask him to return to put things right. If that is not possible then you could try filling all the spaces between the turves with sterile soil then keep well watered.
Did you watch the area being prepared? Is the soil underneath of good quality?
if its only been down a week then looks fine to me,
some of the gaps look a bit larger than they should be but some topsoil brushed into the gaps should help,
unless it doesn't rain for a couple of days, I would not water from now on, otherwise you risk waterlogging and killing the roots.
the 'splodges' are prob different species of grass, unless you want a striped bowling green, all the species will get going eventually.
Thanks to you both, I wasn't at home to watch the process in its entirety. I know the ground was levelled and it looks like some compost was put down prior to the lawn being laid.
I will monitor it over the next few weeks, hopefully the parts will 'gell' to form a complete lawn. I have a sack of compost so may put some between the gaps.
This is on a new build where previously it was farm land used for growing potatoes and latterly wheat.
I'm afraid I agree with Esspee. I don't think that looks like a quality 'product' at all.
The turf should be uniform, there really shouldn't be lumps of different grasses in it, and it looks badly joined. You'll need to water well (unless you get a week or two of rain) to keep the edges moist until they join properly.
New builds are notoriously bad for having poor soil because builders chuck everything down and cover it. It may not have been very well prepared before laying.
It's really up to you whether you question the supplier about it, or whether you want to sort it yourself. It largely depends on how much of a survey he/they did initially, what he told you was required, and what you were charged. Filling the gaps with some soil and firming it down will help, and then reseeding in spring. It's probably too late to seed now unless you're in a warm enough area to get quick germination.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
It should sort itself out when it really gets going. It'll be getting its roots down first.
When you come to mow it (not till next spring now unless we have a very mild autumn) use a mower with a roller at the back (cylinder better than rotary but also more expensive and possibly harder work) and mow adjacent widths in opposite directions. This will produce a nice stripy finish.
If you mow weekly you'll have a decent lawn; twice weekly and it'll be the best in the road. Don't cut it too short.
As you say, nothing that can't be sorted Steve - my issue is that the OP has got a poor quality product and has possibly been ripped off
Hope it wasn't too expensive as400
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...