Hi All,

I moved into my first house last year and have been trying to make my lawn as good as possible. I think the sod used wasn't ideal so I'd like to make the best of it. Some areas need reseeding in autumn due to leatherjacket beetles last year and tall fescue weeds growing so I have some questions.

My grass is apparently made from the following mix:
30% dwarf amenity rye
20% smooth stalked meadow
30% slender creeping red fescue
20% chewings fescue

1) what is the ideal cutting height for a mix like this? I just cut at 6cm because I'm unsure.
2) when I reseed, should I try to match the original mix or use it as an opportunity to put down some better seed? If I bought something with a similar but not identical mix, would that be a problem?


Info:
-Bristol area of the UK.
-Happy to dedicate up to 6 hours per week to lawn care.
-Happy to spend money on good seeds etc
-anything else you may want to know to help?

Thanks for the help guys

On Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 10:25:06 PM UTC-4, houser85 wrote:
Hi All,

I moved into my first house last year and have been trying to make my
lawn as good as possible. I think the sod used wasn't ideal so I'd like
to make the best of it. Some areas need reseeding in autumn due to
leatherjacket beetles last year and tall fescue weeds growing so I have
some questions.

My grass is apparently made from the following mix:
30% dwarf amenity rye
20% smooth stalked meadow
30% slender creeping red fescue
20% chewings fescue

1) what is the ideal cutting height for a mix like this? I just cut at
6cm because I'm unsure.
2) when I reseed, should I try to match the original mix or use it as an
opportunity to put down some better seed? If I bought something with a
similar but not identical mix, would that be a problem?


Info:
-Bristol area of the UK.
-Happy to dedicate up to 6 hours per week to lawn care.
-Happy to spend money on good seeds etc
-anything else you may want to know to help?

Thanks for the help guys




--
houser85

That height should be fine. When in doubt, it's always better to
err on the side of higher. If you're just going to reseed some
spots that didn't take, you should use the same or similar mix.
If you use something different, then you can wind up with obvious
differences, visible, where one area has a different color, texture,
grows faster, etc.

It seems to me that you have chosen a good general purpose seed mixture which should perform well and create a good quality lawn.
I would say you are mowing a bit too high and would recommend a height of 3-4 cm once established. The key to a healthy lawn is regular mowing, at least once or twice per week and remember to make sure your blade is sharp!

The Lawn Store wrote:
houser85;1014135 Wrote:
Hi All,

I moved into my first house last year and have been trying to make my
lawn as good as possible. I think the sod used wasn't ideal so I'd
like to make the best of it. Some areas need reseeding in autumn due
to leatherjacket beetles last year and tall fescue weeds growing so
I have some questions.

My grass is apparently made from the following mix:
30% dwarf amenity rye
20% smooth stalked meadow
30% slender creeping red fescue
20% chewings fescue

1) what is the ideal cutting height for a mix like this? I just cut
at 6cm because I'm unsure.
2) when I reseed, should I try to match the original mix or use it
as an opportunity to put down some better seed? If I bought
something with a similar but not identical mix, would that be a
problem?


Info:
-Bristol area of the UK.
-Happy to dedicate up to 6 hours per week to lawn care.
-Happy to spend money on good seeds etc

-anything else you may want to know to help?

Thanks for the help guys

It seems to me that you have chosen a good general purpose seed
mixture which should perform well and create a good quality lawn.
I would say you are mowing a bit too high and would recommend a height
of 3-4 cm once established. The key to a healthy lawn is regular
mowing, at least once or twice per week and remember to make sure your
blade is sharp!

Why do you recommend so short?

I have never understood cutting lawn that low. Here in Seattle WA, I cut mine as
high as the mower will go, probably 2 1/2 times what you recommend. My
understanding is that cutting longer reduces water requirements significantly.
Cutting longer also helps the grass compete with moss, which is a frequent
problem here.

On 6/3/2015 2:32 PM, Bob F wrote:
The Lawn Store wrote:
houser85;1014135 Wrote:
Hi All,

I moved into my first house last year and have been trying to make my
lawn as good as possible. I think the sod used wasn't ideal so I'd
like to make the best of it. Some areas need reseeding in autumn due
to leatherjacket beetles last year and tall fescue weeds growing so
I have some questions.

My grass is apparently made from the following mix:
30% dwarf amenity rye
20% smooth stalked meadow
30% slender creeping red fescue
20% chewings fescue

1) what is the ideal cutting height for a mix like this? I just cut
at 6cm because I'm unsure.
2) when I reseed, should I try to match the original mix or use it
as an opportunity to put down some better seed? If I bought
something with a similar but not identical mix, would that be a
problem?


Info:
-Bristol area of the UK.
-Happy to dedicate up to 6 hours per week to lawn care.
-Happy to spend money on good seeds etc

-anything else you may want to know to help?

Thanks for the help guys

It seems to me that you have chosen a good general purpose seed
mixture which should perform well and create a good quality lawn.
I would say you are mowing a bit too high and would recommend a height
of 3-4 cm once established. The key to a healthy lawn is regular
mowing, at least once or twice per week and remember to make sure your
blade is sharp!

Why do you recommend so short?

I have never understood cutting lawn that low. Here in Seattle WA, I cut mine as
high as the mower will go, probably 2 1/2 times what you recommend. My
understanding is that cutting longer reduces water requirements significantly.
Cutting longer also helps the grass compete with moss, which is a frequent
problem here.


Inch and a half would also be considered scalping in US where I live but
they are in the UK. Lawn size might also be a lot smaller and intensive
care requires a lot less effort.

On 6/3/2015 1:32 PM, Bob F wrote:
The Lawn Store wrote:
houser85;1014135 Wrote:
Hi All,

I moved into my first house last year and have been trying to make my
lawn as good as possible. I think the sod used wasn't ideal so I'd
like to make the best of it. Some areas need reseeding in autumn due
to leatherjacket beetles last year and tall fescue weeds growing so
I have some questions.

My grass is apparently made from the following mix:
30% dwarf amenity rye
20% smooth stalked meadow
30% slender creeping red fescue
20% chewings fescue

1) what is the ideal cutting height for a mix like this? I just cut
at 6cm because I'm unsure.
2) when I reseed, should I try to match the original mix or use it
as an opportunity to put down some better seed? If I bought
something with a similar but not identical mix, would that be a
problem?


Info:
-Bristol area of the UK.
-Happy to dedicate up to 6 hours per week to lawn care.
-Happy to spend money on good seeds etc

-anything else you may want to know to help?

Thanks for the help guys

It seems to me that you have chosen a good general purpose seed
mixture which should perform well and create a good quality lawn.
I would say you are mowing a bit too high and would recommend a height
of 3-4 cm once established. The key to a healthy lawn is regular
mowing, at least once or twice per week and remember to make sure your
blade is sharp!

Why do you recommend so short?

I have never understood cutting lawn that low. Here in Seattle WA, I cut mine as
high as the mower will go, probably 2 1/2 times what you recommend. My
understanding is that cutting longer reduces water requirements significantly.
Cutting longer also helps the grass compete with moss, which is a frequent
problem here.



In cool, damp climates, close mowing works just fine. It provides a
more manicured/finished look. It keeps the turf drier, which reduces
the risk of fungal diseases, but it does tend to encourage weed seeds
to sprout and grow.

Here in the midwestern US, we generally mow short in cool damp weather
and tall in hot or dry weather.