I've just bought a house which has a large rear lawn, broken up with a missmatch of patios and random beds. I want to remove these and grow grass which would match in with the existing lawn. I was going to turf these areas but am now worried that the two won't blend. Any advise?

Tim Boyle said:

I've just bought a house which has a large rear lawn, broken up with a
missmatch of patios and random beds. I want to remove these and grow
grass which would match in with the existing lawn. I was going to turf
these areas but am now worried that the two won't blend. Any advise?

Are you planning on using the same species of grass?

--

Eggs

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

Good point - I'm not that up on grass but I guess I could find out what species it is before turfing - or seeding if that is simpler. Also I'm told that turfing is now equivalent or cheaper than seeding 0 is that your understanding?

Tim

Tim Boyle wrote:
Eggs Zachtly Wrote:
Tim Boyle said:
-
I've just bought a house which has a large rear lawn, broken up with
a
missmatch of patios and random beds. I want to remove these and grow
grass which would match in with the existing lawn. I was going to
turf
these areas but am now worried that the two won't blend. Any
advise?-

Are you planning on using the same species of grass?

--

Eggs

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.


Good point - I'm not that up on grass but I guess I could find out what
species it is before turfing - or seeding if that is simpler. Also I'm
told that turfing is now equivalent or cheaper than seeding 0 is that
your understanding?

Tim




--
Tim Boyle



Seeding is cheaper, at least here in the northeast USA. But we don't
know if you're in Boston or Bangladesh. For small areas though the
cost may be well worth it for the convenience. However, your best
chance of matching the existing grass is to have it identified. Is
there a local AG county service in your area?

If the areas are small relative to the existing lawn and the existing
lawn is the type of grass you want (ie suited for the climate, color,
texture, disease resistance, water needs, etc), then the best solution
would be to seed the new areas and overseed the whole thing at the same
time. This would be particularly effective if the rest of the area
could use some thickening up.

Alternatively, if the rest of the lawn isn't that great, you could kill
the whole thing off with Roundup, then reseed a week later with the
appropriate grass. That is guaranteed to produce uniform results.

Tim Boyle said:

Eggs Zachtly Wrote:
Tim Boyle said:
-
I've just bought a house which has a large rear lawn, broken up with
a
missmatch of patios and random beds. I want to remove these and grow
grass which would match in with the existing lawn. I was going to
turf
these areas but am now worried that the two won't blend. Any
advise?-

Are you planning on using the same species of grass?


Good point - I'm not that up on grass but I guess I could find out what
species it is before

That would be a good idea.

turfing - or seeding if that is simpler.

Neither is all that difficult, depending on the grade of the area.
Slice-seeding is the most effective way of seeding the area, but depending
on where you live, the optimum time for seeding may have passed. The seeder
may be hard to come by. Some rental places stock them. As long as the
ground is thawed, you can lay sod. Keep in mind that you'll be watering a
bit more often, until the roots take.

Also I'm
told that turfing is now equivalent or cheaper than seeding 0 is that
your understanding?


The obvious positives about sodding a
The results are instantaneous. There was a bare spot, and there is instant
lawn. There are also no weeds (assuming the sod comes from a reputable
farm).

The drawbacks: It costs more (negligible, when doing a small area).

With seeding, drawbacks a
Keeping traffic off of it, until the lawn gets established. Giving it the
correct amount of moisture, until it gets established. Keeping the birds
from eating the seed, until it germinates. Etc, etc, etc. It all takes
time.

IMO, seeding is too high-maintanence for my available time. I've renovated
all of my beds, have all of the new ones in that I need, and the last thing
to do with my yard's renovation, is the lawn. I have two dogs that I'd
never be able to keep confined to a small area, so I'll be sodding. I have
an advantage on the cost of the sod, due to my employment. We've a major
project at work that will involve many truckloads of sod. I'll purchase a
few pallets at the same time. In your case, sodding would probably be the
way to go, also. It's not a large area, and it's a heckuva lot less work,
in the long run.

HTH
--

Eggs

If there was any logic in this world, it would be men who ride side-saddle,
not women.