New lawn
Mark127
Posts: 4
Hi all
I took the plunge and bought my first house last year, and whilst I'm enjoying the renovation project and am pretty good with my DIY, I am clueless when it comes to gardening.
i really want to sort the lawn out. It's been used in the past for bonfires and storing the junk from the renovation, but is now clear of all that. However the grass is dead in places, weedy in others, and the hard compacted soil is full of stones. So what Im after, is the definitive solution. Can I just turn it all over with a fork, and then lay turf or seed (once levelled), or do I need to get rid of the old grass by slicing it off the top and chucking it? Another idea I thought about is just to throw a few inches of top soil over what is there, and then seed or turf over the top?? Will that work? I don't particularly want to hire a rotavator, but am willing to put in the muscle.
Last edited: 21 July 2016 17:55:26
Posts
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/complete-newbie-needs-help/980639.html
This covers most of the basics of new lawns from scratch including the preparation. It looks like a lot but it's only 2 pages.
September is the ideal time as Verd says but you can get your prep in now at your leisure and while the weather is decent and the ground not too claggy.
Wow, what a great response. Just what I needed.
Can I just clarify the whole trenching thing. My understanding from your post is that I just slice off the top 1-2inches and turn it upside down, and then commence the raking, levelling, etc. I just have this image in my head of lots of upside down grass roots in patches the size of a shovel, all over the garden. I guess the raking will loosen up all this soil and make it 'all as one'?
Thanks for this. I've had a quick look. I guess the main thing I'm looking for, is what to do with the current grass/soil combo. Should I kill it off, or can I just turn it over, (similar to what Verd said)
Mine was like that when we moved in, I use weed and feed early summer and sow lots of new grass seed in autumn every year. It looks lovely now.
Mark , I'm going to throw a spanner in now, sorry Verdun, there's not enough sod to trench there. It's too sporadic so you wouldn't get a sod to turn. Depending on what's been burned you're going to have an imbalance of nutrients or poisons in the soil. Wood burns will give you high potash, anything else you'll have contamination. Sowing anything on that may be a bit fraught. I'd seriously consider skimming off the top few inches and import fresh topsoil. It's not a large area so perfectly do able. Good new topsoil would give you peace of mind as well. Stoney soil won't matter, youll be less likely to suffer from moss. But good soil gives good grass and rectifying mistakes is always a lot of hard work.
Thanks to you all. I think my local top soil supplier will get a call tomorrow. I'll skim off the top or turn it over. Get s new top soil to cover and level, and then seed it in September.
thanks again
Mark
One caveat I'd add is that if you're preparing the lawn bed now I'd be tempted to cover the area (plastic sheeting / weed membrane etc) until you sow the seed in September. If you don't then you'll be making the perfect environment for all sorts of weed seeds to land in the coming weeks. Just a thought, it might not be necessary. Be interested to hear what the more experienced folk think.