On Aug 18, 1:41*am, puppilup
wrote:
Trader4 - Thanks for your reply. I will use the Autumn/Fall fertilizer
as you say, mid/late September.

Yes, the grass is a mix specifically for the UK climate, see below it
includes "Slender Creeping Red Fescue".
The Rowlawn site says ..............
---------------------------------------------
"Specifically selected seed type sowing mix Produces a turf that
provides the most suitable performance for the diverse UK climate. It is
highly adaptable to variations in rainfall,
sunlight, soil type, pH level and nutrients
"High content of Slender Creeping Red Fescue Extremely drought tolerant.
High performance cultivar in times of low rainfall "
---------------------------------------------

Answer to questions please ..........
On my questions 1 to 5, I would appreciate a short answer to each if you
could please/

1) *Should I still look for a fungicide, do you think it still needs
one?

No. Based on how well it's recovered, if it had any fungus/disease
its
gone. It could have just been from not being properly watered,
cutting it too short quickly, etc.





2) Will the grass thicken up or is the dead bit dead? I want to get it
back to a thicker denser, multi-bladed, healthy grass.
Is the dead part of the lawn at ground level actually completely dead in
the roots, or will new grass push through to thicken it up again.

There are a variety of grass types. Some which are called
clump type cannot spread and create new individual plants.
But even with a clump type grass, the individual plants can
grow larger to fill in bare spots. And from your pictures
your bare spots are small enough that they would fill in
that way.

But you have creeping red fescue which is a cultivar
that has some ability to send out stolens and establish
new plants. So, you should not have to do anything.
I think it will be fine. If there are any larger spots you
could either get a piece of sod or buy creeping red
fescue seed. I'd only do the latter if necessary as
there are differences with varieties and you might
see a difference in texture, color, etc.


Can I risk scarifying it in the Fall or Spring to remove the dead
stuff?

I think scarifying is referred to here in the states as
dethatching. First, you need to understand that thatch
is normal. There is always going to be a layer of
decaying cut grass, dead crowns, etc. That
decomposes on it's own. It's only
when it gets excessively thick to the point that
water and air can't penetrate that it becomes a
problem. That is when you need to consider
scarifying. Before doing that on any lawn,
I'd lift a section of turn and look at the edges.
If excessive thatch is present it will be a thick
layer of stuff almost like what would be on a
thatch roof hut. A layer of about a 1/2" is
normal.

When you scarify, while getting rid
of the thatch, you are also damaging and
killing some of the grass. That's the
tradeoff. In short, I'd leave your new lawn be.
I'd personally prefer to address most thatch
issues by aerification, rather than scarification.
Punching holes in the turf opens it up to water,
air, etc and then bacteria can better break down
the thatch. But again, your lawn does not need
that.



3) How do I keep weeds at bay?

Get a 2 gallon tank sprayer and a herbicide for
broadleaf weed control on lawns. With a tank
sprayer you can minimize the amount of herbicide
used while at the same time delivering it exactly
where it's needed.


- where the grass is thin, do I need to
top dress (seed/soilo/compost/sand) and when?

As I said above, I think it will fill in by itself. I'd wait
until mid-Sept and see what it looks like then. If
you need to address any spots, that would be the
time. You could also give it a light fertilizer application
now, which will help it grow and fill in more, then use the
Fall fertilizer late sept.





4) Approaching autumn/Fall - do I have to remove the dead grass? Should
I put a treatment on it to feed it through the winter? { You Trader4
said "Yes, put a Fall fertilizer down in a month". I will use the
Rowlawn Autumn Lawn Food.Autumn Lawn Food from Rolawn

I would not worry about the dead grass. Wait and see
how it fills in. Above fertilizer sounds right.




5) What height should I mow at? - I have raised the mower to a 2.5" cut.

Sounds good.



It won't go higher. What height should I be working towards as 'normal'
and by when?
Do I go for 1.5" during next spring/summer? Remember this is supposed to
be a fine blade 'show' lawn.

I'd keep it at 2.5. You could go lower next Spring if you like the
look better. I would not go lower than 2. Also, don't know if you
are actually measuring the cut height or going by settings on the
mower. There can be a difference. If you want to go lower, you
can try it, just don't do it in sudden steps.