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Old 30-04-2014, 09:37 PM
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Default Straw-like grass ruining my lawn!

Dear All,
I have a bit of a problem with my lawn! 4 weeks ago it was looking really green and lush as you can see in the picture. I had mowed it on a high setting as recommended for the first few mows of the season - about 1 notch from top on my Honda IZY which I think is about 6cm. We've had good weather here so I started gradually lowering the height to what I normally cut it in the summer which is 3 notches from lowest on the Honda (about 4cm). And you can see the result! I've posted some close-ups. Basically it's very coarse, brown a bit like straw. I raked some of the bad areas to get this long coarse grass to stand up and then mowed again. Studying the whole lawn it seems that the majority is made up of this coarse grass - there were a lot of seed heads on it earlier in spring all over the lawn.

I suspect this has been a problem slowly developing over the last few years - I've always cut the lawn at about 4-5cm and I'm wondering if this has allowed the coarse grasses to take hold!? Should I start mowing a bit lower to allow the finer grasses to come back? I have Hessayon's lawn book which suggests just that but my lawn undulates a bit and I'm worried about scalping it.

What would you all recommend? Last year I was delighted with my lawn...but this looks terrible!

I have green thumb to feed and weed and I don't have a single weed and no moss which is good at least!

Many thanks,
Matt

PS - I can't seem to upload more than one photo so I've just included the close-up!
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Straw-like grass ruining my lawn!-image.jpg  
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Old 07-05-2014, 02:52 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
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Posts: 237
Default Straw-like grass ruining my lawn!

On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:37:26 PM UTC-4, MattC76 wrote:
Dear All,

I have a bit of a problem with my lawn! 4 weeks ago it was looking

really green and lush as you can see in the picture. I had mowed it on a

high setting as recommended for the first few mows of the season - about

1 notch from top on my Honda IZY which I think is about 6cm. We've had

good weather here so I started gradually lowering the height to what I

normally cut it in the summer which is 3 notches from lowest on the

Honda (about 4cm). And you can see the result! I've posted some

close-ups. Basically it's very coarse, brown a bit like straw. I raked

some of the bad areas to get this long coarse grass to stand up and then

mowed again. Studying the whole lawn it seems that the majority is made

up of this coarse grass - there were a lot of seed heads on it earlier

in spring all over the lawn.


You should have mowed it short back then to prevent the undesirable
grass/weed from going to seed. And put down pre-emergent crabgrass
control, assuming they have that in the UK. It will prevent most
anything from germinating and that could work to eliminate it, if it's
an annual. But, IDK what exactly it is that you have there. It looks
like something that has completed it's lifecycle and is dying. What
happens later in summer?

But if it's a grass, it's a real problem. There are very few herbicides
that will kill weed type grass without also killing the desireable grass.
And the few that are, only work with a very few undesirable grasses and
aren't available to homeowners.

I'd try to get someone locally to identify it for you and then you
can google for possible solutions.








I suspect this has been a problem slowly developing over the last few

years - I've always cut the lawn at about 4-5cm and I'm wondering if

this has allowed the coarse grasses to take hold!? Should I start mowing

a bit lower to allow the finer grasses to come back? I have Hessayon's

lawn book which suggests just that but my lawn undulates a bit and I'm

worried about scalping it.



What would you all recommend? Last year I was delighted with my

lawn...but this looks terrible!



I have green thumb to feed and weed and I don't have a single weed and

no moss which is good at least!



Many thanks,

Matt



PS - I can't seem to upload more than one photo so I've just included

the close-up!





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

|Filename: image.jpg |

|Download: http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=15996|

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


--

MattC76


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Old 07-05-2014, 05:18 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: May 2007
Posts: 762
Default Straw-like grass ruining my lawn!

wrote:
On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:37:26 PM UTC-4, MattC76 wrote:
Dear All,

I have a bit of a problem with my lawn! 4 weeks ago it was looking

really green and lush as you can see in the picture. I had mowed it
on a

high setting as recommended for the first few mows of the season -
about

1 notch from top on my Honda IZY which I think is about 6cm. We've
had

good weather here so I started gradually lowering the height to what
I

normally cut it in the summer which is 3 notches from lowest on the

Honda (about 4cm). And you can see the result! I've posted some

close-ups. Basically it's very coarse, brown a bit like straw. I
raked

some of the bad areas to get this long coarse grass to stand up and
then

mowed again. Studying the whole lawn it seems that the majority is
made

up of this coarse grass - there were a lot of seed heads on it
earlier

in spring all over the lawn.


You should have mowed it short back then to prevent the undesirable
grass/weed from going to seed. And put down pre-emergent crabgrass
control, assuming they have that in the UK. It will prevent most
anything from germinating and that could work to eliminate it, if it's
an annual. But, IDK what exactly it is that you have there. It looks
like something that has completed it's lifecycle and is dying. What
happens later in summer?

But if it's a grass, it's a real problem. There are very few
herbicides that will kill weed type grass without also killing the
desireable grass. And the few that are, only work with a very few
undesirable grasses and aren't available to homeowners.

I'd try to get someone locally to identify it for you and then you
can google for possible solutions.


He let it grow long and healthy, then scalped it, leaving nothing but stem -
most of the leaves are gone. What can he expect? If he lets it grow long again,
it'll gradually begin to look good again. Cutting a long lawn really short will
just end up this way.


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Old 11-05-2014, 04:43 PM posted to alt.home.lawn.garden
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2011
Posts: 237
Default Straw-like grass ruining my lawn!

On Wednesday, May 7, 2014 11:18:40 AM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
wrote:

On Wednesday, April 30, 2014 3:37:26 PM UTC-4, MattC76 wrote:


Dear All,




I have a bit of a problem with my lawn! 4 weeks ago it was looking




really green and lush as you can see in the picture. I had mowed it


on a




high setting as recommended for the first few mows of the season -


about




1 notch from top on my Honda IZY which I think is about 6cm. We've


had




good weather here so I started gradually lowering the height to what


I




normally cut it in the summer which is 3 notches from lowest on the




Honda (about 4cm). And you can see the result! I've posted some




close-ups. Basically it's very coarse, brown a bit like straw. I


raked




some of the bad areas to get this long coarse grass to stand up and


then




mowed again. Studying the whole lawn it seems that the majority is


made




up of this coarse grass - there were a lot of seed heads on it


earlier




in spring all over the lawn.






You should have mowed it short back then to prevent the undesirable


grass/weed from going to seed. And put down pre-emergent crabgrass


control, assuming they have that in the UK. It will prevent most


anything from germinating and that could work to eliminate it, if it's


an annual. But, IDK what exactly it is that you have there. It looks


like something that has completed it's lifecycle and is dying. What


happens later in summer?




But if it's a grass, it's a real problem. There are very few


herbicides that will kill weed type grass without also killing the


desireable grass. And the few that are, only work with a very few


undesirable grasses and aren't available to homeowners.




I'd try to get someone locally to identify it for you and then you


can google for possible solutions.




He let it grow long and healthy, then scalped it, leaving nothing but stem -

most of the leaves are gone. What can he expect? If he lets it grow long again,

it'll gradually begin to look good again. Cutting a long lawn really short will

just end up this way.


I looked at the pic again and you may be right. I'm not
sure that there is any "coarse grass" infestation problem.
It looks as you say, more like a dying section of grass that's
the same as the rest of the grass. I also didn't pay close
attention to the 4cm part. Cutting most grasses down that short
isn't a good idea. It should be min 2x that, IMO.
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