Garden problem
 

I would be grateful for any sound advice to my current garden issue. I moved into my property 18 months ago and the garden had been poorly maintained, overgrown and heavily populated by weeds. Last year I trimmed and mowed and added evergreen complete using the push along seed disperser, this had mixed results. Despite following the instructions to the letter and regular watering and mowing the lawn was just did not meet expectations. I have purposely left the lawn so far this year to see what I am up against.
Perhaps this is incorrect but seem to recall May being perfect for undertaking gardening work. I am hoping to get started this week and have a lawn fit for my young children to enjoy throughout summer. Any recommendations for archiving the best results are very welcome. I am open to using pesticides (or perhaps not?).
At my previous address I had a similar problem, to remedy I stripped the turf, rotovated, allowed regrowth and treated before adding top soil and turf. I was very happy with the results but it was tough work and extreamly time consuming. Although this garden is much smaller my time is sparse with a young family. This said I'm not shy of getting stuck in, if returfing or reseeding is the only way, so be it. I have tried to attach some photos, if not here I will post later. Many thanks for any suggestions.
Marko.

Photos added

Garden problem
 

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 8:37:23 AM UTC-4, Marko wrote:
I would be grateful for any sound advice to my current garden issue. I

moved into my property 18 months ago and the garden had been poorly

maintained, overgrown and heavily populated by weeds. Last year I

trimmed and mowed and added evergreen complete using the push along seed

disperser, this had mixed results. Despite following the instructions to

the letter and regular watering and mowing the lawn was just did not

meet expectations. I have purposely left the lawn so far this year to

see what I am up against.

Perhaps this is incorrect but seem to recall May being perfect for

undertaking gardening work. I am hoping to get started this week and

have a lawn fit for my young children to enjoy throughout summer. Any


You don't say where you're located, but I'm guessing it's
the UK. That makes a big difference in the problems and
solutions. It's also not clear what the problem is.
"didn't meet expectations"? "mixed results"?

I will tell you this. In your area, I doubt May is the
best time for lawn reseeding, renovation, etc. Early Fall is the best time for cool season grasses. Then you have
weather on your side. Cooler temps, less competition from
weeds, time for the lawn to get established before the
following summer. Starting in May, you're going to need
more water, have more competition from weeds and will need
to keep it watered frequently in the heat of summer because
the new grass isn't established yet.

Without seeing it and knowing what's going on, it's
impossible to give advice. Could just need some fertilizer
and weed control, aeration, lime, etc. Could need to be
over-seeded. Or it could be crap grass that will never look
like you want and it requires killing it, reseeding or sodding, etc.







recommendations for archiving the best results are very welcome. I am

open to using pesticides (or perhaps not?).

At my previous address I had a similar problem, to remedy I stripped the

turf, rotovated, allowed regrowth and treated before adding top soil and

turf. I was very happy with the results but it was tough work and

extreamly time consuming. Although this garden is much smaller my time

is sparse with a young family. This said I'm not shy of getting stuck

in, if returfing or reseeding is the only way, so be it. I have tried to

attach some photos, if not here I will post later. Many thanks for any

suggestions.

Marko.





+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+







--

Marko

Thanks you for your feedback.

I am in Manchester UK. Last years attempt at weed and feed had some success in cutting back the weed population but the grass didn't flourish as I had hoped. I think your crap grass assumption is pretty accurate.

Today I have strimmed and mowed the lawn and weeded the flower beds. The lawn is now very patchy with lots of weed shoots visible, also quite a bit of moss. I've raked the area over but now am in two minds wether to scalp and reseed/turf or persevere and review in Autumn.

If I choose to wait I will certainly aerate and fertilize as advised (not sure which order to do this though) and mow regular on a high setting. Perhaps also using roundup on the weeds as they pop up.

Any further comments would be appreciated, I will attempt to add some more photos too.

Thanks Mark

Pre mowed lawn

Garden problem
 

Marko wrote:
Thanks you for your feedback.

I am in Manchester UK. Last years attempt at weed and feed had some
success in cutting back the weed population but the grass didn't
flourish as I had hoped. I think your crap grass assumption is pretty
accurate.

Today I have strimmed and mowed the lawn and weeded the flower beds.
The lawn is now very patchy with lots of weed shoots visible, also
quite a bit of moss. I've raked the area over but now am in two minds
wether to scalp and reseed/turf or persevere and review in Autumn.

If I choose to wait I will certainly aerate and fertilize as advised
(not sure which order to do this though) and mow regular on a high
setting. Perhaps also using roundup on the weeds as they pop up.


Using roundup on lawn weeds will kill any grass it gets on. There are other
chemicals that will kill broadleaf weeds without killing the grass itself.
Roundup will likely end up with big dead areas around the weed.

Garden problem
 

if you have children and pets it's much
easier to not worry about having a perfect
lawn and instead just keep it mowed
regularly. saves a lot of unneeded
chemicals too.

often poor and compacted lawns are created
by people who keep cutting and removing the
clippings. instead, cut regularly and leave
the clippings. the worms will eventually turn
them into healthier topsoil.

every time it rains there is a bit of
fertilizer in the rain. you don't need to
feed a lawn if it gets regular rains.

a mixed lawn of various plants is much more
interesting than just grasses and requires no
chemical treatments at all. just keep mowing
and that which can survive such treatment will
be what you end up with. simple, inexpensive
and much less bother.


songbird

Garden problem
 

On Sunday, April 27, 2014 5:30:18 PM UTC-4, Marko wrote:
Thanks you for your feedback.



I am in Manchester UK. Last years attempt at weed and feed had some

success in cutting back the weed population but the grass didn't

flourish as I had hoped. I think your crap grass assumption is pretty

accurate.



Today I have strimmed and mowed the lawn and weeded the flower beds. The

lawn is now very patchy with lots of weed shoots visible, also quite a

bit of moss. I've raked the area over but now am in two minds wether to

scalp and reseed/turf or persevere and review in Autumn.



If I choose to wait I will certainly aerate and fertilize as advised

(not sure which order to do this though) and mow regular on a high

setting. Perhaps also using roundup on the weeds as they pop up.



Any further comments would be appreciated, I will attempt to add some

more photos too.



Thanks Mark





+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

|Filename: image.jpg |

|Download: http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=15994|

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+







--

Marko


That looks pretty bad. I don't even see much grass
present. If it were mine, I'd renovate it by killing
off everything with Roundup/glyphosate, wait until
everything is dead, rake up the debris, then aerate.
At that point you can apply seed, or preferably rent
an overseeder, which is powered eqpt that cuts grooves
in the soil and drops seeds. That gives excellent
seed/soil contact, which is what you need. But just
core aerating works too, the plugs of soil that are
removed mix with the seeds.

Use a high quality grass seed and apply starter fertilizer. Test the PH and lime as needed, you can do that now. All this assumes the soil there is basically
OK. If it's not, that's another story.

The preferred time to renovate is in early Sept.
I'd kill it off in late Aug. But, you could also do
it now. That area is small and as long as you can
provide adequate water, you will be OK. If you can't
water it, or water is expensive, etc, then for sure
you want to do it in Fall. The other problem you'll
have doing it now, is more weeds, but you can deal with
that when the grass is established.

And don't use Roundup on weeds in turf. You want
a herbicide for lawns that kills weeds and not the grass.

Garden problem
 

Marko wrote:
I would be grateful for any sound advice to my current garden issue. I
moved into my property 18 months ago and the garden had been poorly
maintained, overgrown and heavily populated by weeds. Last year I
trimmed and mowed and added evergreen complete using the push along
seed disperser, this had mixed results. Despite following the
instructions to the letter and regular watering and mowing the lawn
was just did not meet expectations. I have purposely left the lawn so
far this year to see what I am up against.
Perhaps this is incorrect but seem to recall May being perfect for
undertaking gardening work. I am hoping to get started this week and
have a lawn fit for my young children to enjoy throughout summer. Any
recommendations for archiving the best results are very welcome. I am
open to using pesticides (or perhaps not?).
At my previous address I had a similar problem, to remedy I stripped
the turf, rotovated, allowed regrowth and treated before adding top
soil and turf. I was very happy with the results but it was tough
work and extreamly time consuming. Although this garden is much
smaller my time is sparse with a young family. This said I'm not shy
of getting stuck in, if returfing or reseeding is the only way, so be
it. I have tried to attach some photos, if not here I will post
later. Many thanks for any suggestions.
Marko.


Below is what I have found effective in Seattle Washington, where it is quite
wet for at least half the year. YMMV.
..
You'd be surprised what some fertilizer and water and MUCH longer mowing would
do. Without reseeding, it will take awhile to fill in, but will begin to look
better over the summer. Mowing it 3" deep (A finger length?) will help the roots
not dry out so much, and supply a lot more energy to the roots to grow. The
longer grass will look greener just because it's longer too. I set my mower at
its highest setting.

Fertilize it now, then wait a few days if you use a weed-n-feed type fertilizer,
or right away if you use a non-weed killer fertilizer, water it well - at least
an inch of water. Then water it an inch a week or so for the summer and see what
happens. Watering the lawn more, less often, will motivate the roots to grow
deeper looking for water during the dry spells, resulting in more drought
tolerant grass. Use a spreader to spread the fertilizer. If you get it too haevy
in areas, that will kill the grass there.

I usually fertilize at 1/2 the recommended rate of fertilizer a few times a year
and have very good results. Fertilizing in the fall (with a "fall" fertilizer)
is said to be the most important application, as it helps the grass roots grow
and spread during the wet season, and the lawn will take off in the spring.

For weeds, I use a hand held trigger sprayer to spray just the weeds with
weed-b-gon or similar lawn weed killer, rather than broadcasting it or
weed-n-feed all over the lawn. If you keep the grass growing well, the weeds
will not invade as much.

If you want to overseed:
Rake the surface on all the bare spots to loosen the surface soil a bit, add
some lawn starter fertilizer over the whole lawn, and spread seed, rake gently,
or sprinkle enough soil over the seed to just hide it, then keep it constantly
damp, not wet until the seed sprouts and gets an inch or more high. Setting a
sprinkler timer to water it for 5 minutes 3 times during the day hours has
worked well for me. The important thing is not to let the seed dry out until it
has sprouted and rooted a bit. Then you start watering with more water, but much
less often, working down to 1" or so once a week or so. Do not use a general
lawn fertilizer too soon after seeding. Wait until the new grass has grown to
3" or so.

Garden problem
 

On Monday, April 28, 2014 3:28:07 PM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
Marko wrote:

I would be grateful for any sound advice to my current garden issue. I

moved into my property 18 months ago and the garden had been poorly

maintained, overgrown and heavily populated by weeds. Last year I

trimmed and mowed and added evergreen complete using the push along

seed disperser, this had mixed results. Despite following the

instructions to the letter and regular watering and mowing the lawn

was just did not meet expectations. I have purposely left the lawn so

far this year to see what I am up against.

Perhaps this is incorrect but seem to recall May being perfect for

undertaking gardening work. I am hoping to get started this week and

have a lawn fit for my young children to enjoy throughout summer. Any

recommendations for archiving the best results are very welcome. I am

open to using pesticides (or perhaps not?).

At my previous address I had a similar problem, to remedy I stripped

the turf, rotovated, allowed regrowth and treated before adding top

soil and turf. I was very happy with the results but it was tough

work and extreamly time consuming. Although this garden is much

smaller my time is sparse with a young family. This said I'm not shy

of getting stuck in, if returfing or reseeding is the only way, so be

it. I have tried to attach some photos, if not here I will post

later. Many thanks for any suggestions.

Marko.





Below is what I have found effective in Seattle Washington, where it is quite

wet for at least half the year. YMMV.

.

You'd be surprised what some fertilizer and water and MUCH longer mowing would

do. Without reseeding, it will take awhile to fill in, but will begin to look

better over the summer.

If it's a clump type grass, it will never fill in. Rhizome type grass,
eg blue grass can spread to new areas. Clump type grasses can get bigger,
but the won't fill in larger open areas. Weeds will.



Mowing it 3" deep (A finger length?) will help the roots

not dry out so much, and supply a lot more energy to the roots to grow. The

longer grass will look greener just because it's longer too. I set my mower at

its highest setting.



Fertilize it now, then wait a few days if you use a weed-n-feed type fertilizer,


Fertilize it twice in a few days? Why?


or right away if you use a non-weed killer fertilizer, water it well - at least

an inch of water. Then water it an inch a week or so for the summer and see what

happens. Watering the lawn more, less often, will motivate the roots to grow

deeper looking for water during the dry spells, resulting in more drought

tolerant grass. Use a spreader to spread the fertilizer. If you get it too haevy

in areas, that will kill the grass there.



I usually fertilize at 1/2 the recommended rate of fertilizer a few times a year

and have very good results. Fertilizing in the fall (with a "fall" fertilizer)

is said to be the most important application, as it helps the grass roots grow

and spread during the wet season, and the lawn will take off in the spring.



For weeds, I use a hand held trigger sprayer to spray just the weeds with

weed-b-gon or similar lawn weed killer, rather than broadcasting it or

weed-n-feed all over the lawn. If you keep the grass growing well, the weeds

will not invade as much.



Herbicide shouldn't be used on newly seeded areas until the grass has
grown enough to be cut a few times.




If you want to overseed:

Rake the surface on all the bare spots to loosen the surface soil a bit, add

some lawn starter fertilizer over the whole lawn, and spread seed, rake gently,

or sprinkle enough soil over the seed to just hide it, then keep it constantly

damp, not wet until the seed sprouts and gets an inch or more high. Setting a

sprinkler timer to water it for 5 minutes 3 times during the day hours has

worked well for me. The important thing is not to let the seed dry out until it

has sprouted and rooted a bit. Then you start watering with more water, but much

less often, working down to 1" or so once a week or so. Do not use a general

lawn fertilizer too soon after seeding. Wait until the new grass has grown to

3" or so.

I'd just rent an overseeder. A lot less work, it gets done right and
a much higher success rate.

Garden problem
 

Garden problem
 

On Saturday, April 26, 2014 7:37:23 AM UTC-5, Marko wrote:
I would be grateful for any sound advice to my current garden issue. I

moved into my property 18 months ago and the garden had been poorly

maintained, overgrown and heavily populated by weeds. Last year I

trimmed and mowed and added evergreen complete using the push along seed

disperser, this had mixed results. Despite following the instructions to

the letter and regular watering and mowing the lawn was just did not

meet expectations. I have purposely left the lawn so far this year to

see what I am up against.

Perhaps this is incorrect but seem to recall May being perfect for

undertaking gardening work. I am hoping to get started this week and

have a lawn fit for my young children to enjoy throughout summer. Any

recommendations for archiving the best results are very welcome. I am

open to using pesticides (or perhaps not?).

At my previous address I had a similar problem, to remedy I stripped the

turf, rotovated, allowed regrowth and treated before adding top soil and

turf. I was very happy with the results but it was tough work and

extreamly time consuming. Although this garden is much smaller my time

is sparse with a young family. This said I'm not shy of getting stuck

in, if returfing or reseeding is the only way, so be it. I have tried to

attach some photos, if not here I will post later. Many thanks for any

suggestions.

Marko.



There is another possibility for your problem based upon your picture - shade. All plants, including grasses and weeds, have certain traits for sunlight. Your type grass may not be getting enough direct sun. If so, you may need to change the type grass you've been trying to grow. Check with your local experts.

Garden problem
 

On 4/27/2014 11:07 PM, songbird wrote:
if you have children and pets it's much
easier to not worry about having a perfect
lawn and instead just keep it mowed
regularly. saves a lot of unneeded
chemicals too.

often poor and compacted lawns are created
by people who keep cutting and removing the
clippings. instead, cut regularly and leave
the clippings. the worms will eventually turn
them into healthier topsoil.

every time it rains there is a bit of
fertilizer in the rain. you don't need to
feed a lawn if it gets regular rains.

a mixed lawn of various plants is much more
interesting than just grasses and requires no
chemical treatments at all. just keep mowing
and that which can survive such treatment will
be what you end up with. simple, inexpensive
and much less bother.


I endorse all of this. We'd be much better off (and our soils and
waters would be, too) if we went back to the days where all we really
cared about was if it was more or less green during most of the
growing season.

Monoculture isn't natural. Monoculture is an ongoing battle against
Nature's default status of diversity. If you want a weed free lawn, it
will require a constant investment of time and money to maintain that
unnatural environment. Or you can relax, accept weeds, or at least
weeds to a certain degree, and spend that time and money on more
pleasurable pursuits.