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Old 15-09-2015, 08:07 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening
News[_3_] News[_3_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2014
Posts: 20
Default Preparing ground for new lawn


Good morning, and greetings from Aberdeenshire, where the temp was 2.5
at 06.00 this morning!

We have an area of garden at one side of the house which was fallow i.e.
weeds when we moved here 13 years ago, and stayed that way until earlier
this year, when I blitzed it with Glyphosate weed killer. After the
weeds died, we cleared the site, dug it over, raked it thoroughly and
covered with weed control membrane pending a final decision on what
we're actually going to use it for - probably lawn.

However, before covering, I took a sifted wheelbarrow full of the soil
to top up areas elsewhere. The areas where I used that soil immediately
sprouted weeks including nettles, wild grass etc. which suggests that
the soil is full of dormant seeds just waiting for ideal growing
conditions. We are unlikely to take any action until next year now,
but, when the soil is uncovered and a lawn laid, how do we prevent a
million old weed seeds from germinating and taking over? Would turf be
better than seed, or little difference, long term?
--
Graeme