Sowing grass seed - stones problem
 

Hi all. I want to sow some grass seed on an area of my garden which has been very bare, covered in*ivy, twigs, stones ect for a long time, its quite shady for about 2/3rds of it too as its under some tall trees and at the back of the garden, its about 12 sq metres in a long rectangular strip, 2m wide x 6m long. I have tried to get rid of the debris and have forked and raked the soil, raking as much as i can and treadind down, there were loads of bulbs too which i have dug up and lots of stones, some big ones as well as lots of small ones. I have also put some general fertilzer granules on it a couple of weeks ago and today was my first opportunity to get to work on sowing the grass since 2 weeks of rain. Anyway I came to start it this morning and where I had raked there were now hundreds of stones which have come to the surface I think because of the rain washing the soil away. I have tried raking some more but I can still see stones under the soil when I rake and I can only think that the same thing will happen even if I did rake it again and try to get rid of the stones, once it rains again. They are mostly small stones 1-2 cm in size, i think there are bigger ones below the surface. So anyway what I want to know is what should I do about the stones? Do I need to put a load of top soil on the top to cover the stones and if so how much? I am half contemplating just turfing it, but would i need to put a load of top soil down under that too? i hope you can help me.

Sowing grass seed - stones problem
 

As long as there is a significant amount of dirt showing too, the stones will
probably not be a problem. The grass will grow roots between and around the
stones, and the stones may even encourage deeper root growth. You probably want
to rake the stones back into the soil, then seed it and roll it down to press
the seed/soil into a slightly firmer flat surface. Try to do it when no heavy
rains are predicted to undo the work, and water the seed lightly several times a
day until it sprouts. A timer on the sprinkler helps greatly to keep the soil
just a little wet until the grass has sprouted.


Ben Emms wrote:
Hi all. I want to sow some grass seed on an area of my garden which
has been very bare, covered in*ivy, twigs, stones ect for a long
time, its quite shady for about 2/3rds of it too as its under some
tall trees and at the back of the garden, its about 12 sq metres in a
long rectangular strip, 2m wide x 6m long. I have tried to get rid of
the debris and have forked and raked the soil, raking as much as i
can and treadind down, there were loads of bulbs too which i have dug
up and lots of stones, some big ones as well as lots of small ones. I
have also put some general fertilzer granules on it a couple of weeks
ago and today was my first opportunity to get to work on sowing the
grass since 2 weeks of rain. Anyway I came to start it this morning
and where I had raked there were now hundreds of stones which have
come to the surface I think because of the rain washing the soil
away. I have tried raking some more but I can still see stones under
the soil when I rake and I can only think that the same thing will
happen even if I did rake it again and try to get rid of the stones,
once it rains again. They are mostly small stones 1-2 cm in size, i
think there are bigger ones below the surface. So anyway what I want
to know is what should I do about the stones? Do I need to put a load
of top soil on the top to cover the stones and if so how much? I am
half contemplating just turfing it, but would i need to put a load of
top soil down under that too? i hope you can help me.

Sowing grass seed - stones problem
 

On Mar 24, 11:37*am, "Bob F" wrote:
As long as there is a significant amount of dirt showing too, the stones will
probably not be a problem. The grass will grow roots between and around the
stones, and the stones may even encourage deeper root growth. You probably want
to rake the stones back into the soil, then seed it and roll it down to press
the seed/soil into a slightly firmer flat surface. Try to do it when no heavy
rains are predicted to undo the work, and water the seed lightly several times a
day until it sprouts. A timer on the sprinkler helps greatly to keep the soil
just a little wet until the grass has sprouted.



Ben Emms wrote:
Hi all. I want to sow some grass seed on an area of my garden which
has been very bare, covered in*ivy, twigs, stones ect for a long
time, its quite shady for about 2/3rds of it too as its under some
tall trees and at the back of the garden, its about 12 sq metres in a
long rectangular strip, 2m wide x 6m long. I have tried to get rid of
the debris and have forked and raked the soil, raking as much as i
can and treadind down, there were loads of bulbs too which i have dug
up and lots of stones, some big ones as well as lots of small ones. I
have also put some general fertilzer granules on it a couple of weeks
ago and today was my first opportunity to get to work on sowing the
grass since 2 weeks of rain. Anyway I came to start it this morning
and where I had raked there were now hundreds of stones which have
come to the surface I think because of the rain washing the soil
away. I have tried raking some more but I can still see stones under
the soil when I rake and I can only think that the same thing will
happen even if I did rake it again and try to get rid of the stones,
once it rains again. They are mostly small stones 1-2 cm in size, i
think there are bigger ones below the surface. So anyway what I want
to know is what should I do about the stones? Do I need to put a load
of top soil on the top to cover the stones and if so how much? I am
half contemplating just turfing it, but would i need to put a load of
top soil down under that too? i hope you can help me.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

The stones are about 1/2 - 3/4", so they aren't really big.
Other factor is how many there are. If there is plenty of soil
showing in between, ie, it's 80%+ soil, not stone, then I agree with
the above. I'd rake it out a bit. Since the soil
was disturbed, if it's just lightly raked now, next rain you
probably won't get as many showing up again.

But, on the other hand, it's only a 12 sq m area. If screened
topsoil is available for a reasonable price and the increase in
height isn't an issue, might want to price out buying the topsoil.
For a small job like this, could buy it by the bag.

Should also make sure the seed is appropriate for shade.

Sowing grass seed - stones problem
 

Ben Emms wrote:

...about stones...

for a marginal area at the back of a
garden along a wooded area grass is not too
likely to do all that well.

instead of spending money on sod or
topsoil find whatever you can scrounge for
organic materials and add that slowly on
the surface then let native plants take
over the area. they are adapted to the
soil and the light and won't need any care
at all.

if you want to mow it once in a while
that is fine. set the mower on the higher
settings, use a mulching mower and have at
it.

or you can put down a few inches of wood
chips over cardboard and smother whatever is
there and then plant shade loving decorative
plants in holes through the cardboard. water
a few times to get them established and then
they'll gradually take over the space as the
cardboard and wood chips degrade. no mowing
needed for that area then. you won't see the
stones any longer.

and/or find shade tolerant decorative shrubs
that will provide berries and flowers for the
birds and bees.


songbird