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I have a very dead lawn
glen.mclellan10
Posts: 12
We just moved into a new house and the garden was a mess. Covered in dog mess, and grass really high. After doing some reading it looked like killing the whole thing and starting again was the best option. So I bought some Glyphosate and spread it.
Now the garden looks pretty much completely dead. It looks like it's covered in hay. What do I do now? Is it just a matter of digging up the whole garden now? Or should I do something else? It's fairly tough to dig up. But I can if needed. Would just like some advice before I do.
The eventual place we will get to is to relay a load of new lawn, if that helps!!
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You could mow it down, and then hire a turf stripping machine, strip the turf and lay a new lawn. Autumn would be a better time to do it when the new lawn isn't so likely to dry out in the sun.
I was hoping to avoid curing up the lawn and throwing it away by killing it all. I read it was a way to get rid of everything without needing to how a skip. Or am I just kidding myself. I've tried diving up the lawn and turning it over. But that is really hard work for me and my fork!! But I'd it needs to be done then so be it. Was wondering what you all thought! I'm not free an award winning lawn. But something my son can play on.
Hi Glen - you'd probably have been better just mowing it and then giving it a dose of weed and feed. Glyphosate kills everything unfortunately. You'd be surprised how much mowing alone improves grass. I usually give mine a feed in early spring, followed by a weed and feed 4 to 6 weeks later. Mowing every week, only taking a little off the height each time, encourages the grass to thicken up and spread sideways, giving you a decent surface.
If the ground's compacted,aerating will help in spring and autumn. An ordinary garden fork pushed in to a good depth will often be all that's needed.
If you wait till the effect of the weedkiller's gone, you could mix some grass seed in with some soil or compost, and sow that over the whole area, making sure it's in contact with the ground by firming it in well, and then watering thoroughly if there's no rain forecast. It won't take long to germinate at this time of year. I'm afraid it won't be suitable to play on this year though. Alternatively, you fork it over, adding some soil and compost, level it and lay turf.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Ah, that's a shame. So it sounds like it would have been better if I'd not killed everything!!
I applied the weedkiller 3 weeks ago. Now all the grass is very yellow and feels like straw. You can easily see I'm very novice about this. We just moved from a flat to this house, so first time I've actually had a garden type area!!
So you suggest I buy loads of soil/compost and some grass seed and cover the whole thing with that? What's a good seed to buy?
The area is 10m x 6m. How much depth do I want to cover it with? 10cm? Or more? What sort of ratio do I want with regards to mixing soil and compost? The bags I've seen for sale look like they're done by weight rather than surface area. Any idea how much I'd need to buy? Sorry for asking such stupid questions. I'm very novice and I'm so sorry for asking stupid quesitons!
Remove all the dead grass first. I'd wait a couple of weeks before doing anything else, but you can check the optimum amount of time on the packaging regarding the breaking down of the weedkiller.
No need to use a lot of soil/compost - you only need to sprinkle some over the surface with the seed mixed in. A centimetre or two of coverage is sufficient. Rake all the surface of the plot first though, to get it broken up a little, then proceed with the soil/compost and seed. You can use compost or soil on their own or a mix - it doesn't have to be too scientific at this stage. It's not too big an area, so you won't need much - two or three standard bags is probably enough.
If the garden's shady, you can get seed designed for that aspect, otherwise go for a general purpose, hard wearing mix which is more suitable for wear and tear. Your local Garden Centre or DIY store will have loads of different types - just check the packaging for the right amount you'll need, and the type which will suit best.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Hi Glen I think as a novice gardener you may be better with a turf option of rye grass as it will be
ready for playing on etc much quicker than seed. First though like the others said check how long
the glyphosate takes to clear. Then I would rake off all the dead grass and level the area as well
as you can. Get about four bags of top soil or cheap compost, lightly rake it over the surface.
Then lay your turf. there are some good turf laying tips on this site. Good Luck..
Yeah, I think laying the turf sounds good. The stuff I bought was called Gallup Hi-ACTIV 490. It says it should be clear to lay stuff 3 weeks later. I think the issue I've got is gathering up all the dead grass. When we moved in the grass was waste height. So that's a lot of dead grass!!! I was hoping the grass would decompose fairly quickly, after I'd killed it. But I really don't think that's happening!! Just looks like a garden full of hay!!!
It doesn't rake up very well. Do I need to leave it for longer? Will it rake up easier if I leave it?
Do you have a photo?
no. But I will take one tomorrow and post it up!