"Hugh Chaloner" wrote in message
news:1fqy1s3.1wvmuxuo6p4d4N%hughchal_nospamthanks@ eircom.net...
Greetings All,

I've just read the excellent FAQ at

http://www.tmac.clara.co.uk/urgring/faqlawn.html

and was wondering if anybody has advice about laying a new lawn over an
existing one? I've just moved to a new (old) house with a "tired" and
unlovely lawn about 12 x 36 feet.

Or do I need to re-lay the lawn at all - looks as if the soil & lawn are
in poor condition - lots of stone and weeds. I'm assuming that I should
start again.

Difficult to say without more detailed info but what I can say is that a lawn is largely a product of the treatment it
has had over a long period. It follows that good care can and will improve the lawn dramatically over time but not much
in any one year. A knowlegable gardener should be able to look at it make a judgement about the time scale and if it's
too long adopt a more radical approach like the one you're considering. If the problem is something like very poor
drainage then no amount of tlc will fix that, you have to find a way of draining it. Bulky top dressings, aeration and
feeding will help levels and nutrition and the grasses will compete better with weeds. Identify the weeds if you can,
they can sometimes give useful pointers about soil conditions. Set your mower a bit higher - again allows the grasses
will compete better. If you lay new lawn on old you will probably just lift your problems up a few inches. You need to
destroy your old lawn by spray or cultivation but don't remove it just work it into the soil. Everything else you need
is in Cormaic's faq.
If you do decide on replacement, one of the best times for sowing will be about 6-8 weeks from now. If you hit it right
that won't be much slower than turf, will be cheaper, less work and better quality grasses. Don't be afraid of Rye
Grass - most modern general purpose seeds mixtures contain one or more dwarf ryegrass varieties that have been bred for
amenity and sports use and they are excellent, tough, slowgrowing and good appearance.

Rod