Hello,

I am after a little advise. I have a new build and the lawn has been laid prior to move in. As we all probably know. The lawn had been laid on top of rocky top soil. Some are the size of my fist. I was spiking the lawn and it seems really rocky underneath.

Therefore is it possible to have a lush garden in these conditions. The lawn isn't bad but it does seem to have an even amount of dead grass a light yellow in colour preventing it looking lush and green. I have fed it and this seemed to help. I plan on feeding again (3 weeks apart) and seeing if it continues to green up.

Would it be worth me raking the dead grass out before hand? It seeded with fiberous stems about a month ago and they are tough to cut out. I'm sure it's because the roots are not as deep as its fresh laid.

Anyway any advice from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again

On 6/23/2017 6:53 AM, Pug wrote:
Hello,

I am after a little advise. I have a new build and the lawn has been
laid prior to move in. As we all probably know. The lawn had been laid
on top of rocky top soil. Some are the size of my fist. I was spiking
the lawn and it seems really rocky underneath.

Therefore is it possible to have a lush garden in these conditions. The
lawn isn't bad but it does seem to have an even amount of dead grass a
light yellow in colour preventing it looking lush and green. I have fed
it and this seemed to help. I plan on feeding again (3 weeks apart) and
seeing if it continues to green up.

Would it be worth me raking the dead grass out before hand? It seeded
with fiberous stems about a month ago and they are tough to cut out. I'm
sure it's because the roots are not as deep as its fresh laid.

Anyway any advice from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again





Feeding twice in 3 weeks is way too often unless you are doing very
light fertilizing. When I fertilize, It's just starting to really show
results after 3 weeks. If you use the recommended dose of a time release
fertilizer, 3-4 times a year should be plenty. The most important time
to fertilize is in the fall, to help build roots over the winter.

Rake up the stems with short lifting motions so they stand up, and the
mower will cut them off.

Talk to your neighbors with yards you like about what they did to
prepare the garden beds.

Pug wrote:
....
Would it be worth me raking the dead grass out before hand? It seeded
with fiberous stems about a month ago and they are tough to cut out. I'm
sure it's because the roots are not as deep as its fresh laid.

every bit of organic matter grown there is
fertilizer for the next generation. don't remove
any of it if there are no indications of problems.

it is also the basis of future humus.

rocky soil can be a problem if you have
freeze/thaw cycles which can lift the stones
nearer the surface.

otherwise, i would gradually add topsoil and build
it up that ways.

for actual garden beds you may want to dig out the
larger rocks and also build them up to get a decent
amount of soil.

we've never fertilized the grass here (what little
we have left of it). a mulching mower a few times a
week when it is actively growing returns the nutrients
to the plants and the rains bring more. 20yrs on and
it's doing fine.


songbird

On Friday, June 23, 2017 at 11:44:46 AM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
On 6/23/2017 6:53 AM, Pug wrote:
Hello,

I am after a little advise. I have a new build and the lawn has been
laid prior to move in. As we all probably know. The lawn had been laid
on top of rocky top soil. Some are the size of my fist. I was spiking
the lawn and it seems really rocky underneath.

Therefore is it possible to have a lush garden in these conditions. The
lawn isn't bad but it does seem to have an even amount of dead grass a
light yellow in colour preventing it looking lush and green. I have fed
it and this seemed to help. I plan on feeding again (3 weeks apart) and
seeing if it continues to green up.

Would it be worth me raking the dead grass out before hand? It seeded
with fiberous stems about a month ago and they are tough to cut out. I'm
sure it's because the roots are not as deep as its fresh laid.

Anyway any advice from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again





Feeding twice in 3 weeks is way too often unless you are doing very
light fertilizing. When I fertilize, It's just starting to really show
results after 3 weeks. If you use the recommended dose of a time release
fertilizer, 3-4 times a year should be plenty. The most important time
to fertilize is in the fall, to help build roots over the winter.

Rake up the stems with short lifting motions so they stand up, and the
mower will cut them off.

Talk to your neighbors with yards you like about what they did to
prepare the garden beds.

Amazing how people ask for lawn advice and don't say where they are or what kind of grass. And if he's got rocks the size of fists near the surface, obviously it was not prepped right. He's likely in for constant trouble, spending lots of money trying to treat the symptoms and never having it look right. The builder doesn't care, it looks good enough for awhile to sell.

In article ,
says...

prepare the garden beds.

Amazing how people ask for lawn advice and don't say where they are or what kind of grass. And if he's got rocks the size of fists near the surface, obviously it was not prepped right. He's likely in for constant trouble, spending lots of money trying to treat the symptoms and never having it look right. The builder doesn't care, it looks good enough for awhile to sell.


On one of the hous flipping programs the flipper was spraying the lawn
with something like paint to make the grass look green. Not sure what
it was or how long it would look good.

On 6/27/2017 11:42 PM, wrote:
On Friday, June 23, 2017 at 11:44:46 AM UTC-4, Bob F wrote:
On 6/23/2017 6:53 AM, Pug wrote:
Hello,

I am after a little advise. I have a new build and the lawn has been
laid prior to move in. As we all probably know. The lawn had been laid
on top of rocky top soil. Some are the size of my fist. I was spiking
the lawn and it seems really rocky underneath.

Therefore is it possible to have a lush garden in these conditions. The
lawn isn't bad but it does seem to have an even amount of dead grass a
light yellow in colour preventing it looking lush and green. I have fed
it and this seemed to help. I plan on feeding again (3 weeks apart) and
seeing if it continues to green up.

Would it be worth me raking the dead grass out before hand? It seeded
with fiberous stems about a month ago and they are tough to cut out. I'm
sure it's because the roots are not as deep as its fresh laid.

Anyway any advice from the experts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again





Feeding twice in 3 weeks is way too often unless you are doing very
light fertilizing. When I fertilize, It's just starting to really show
results after 3 weeks. If you use the recommended dose of a time release
fertilizer, 3-4 times a year should be plenty. The most important time
to fertilize is in the fall, to help build roots over the winter.

Rake up the stems with short lifting motions so they stand up, and the
mower will cut them off.

Talk to your neighbors with yards you like about what they did to
prepare the garden beds.

Amazing how people ask for lawn advice and don't say where they are or what kind of grass. And if he's got rocks the size of fists near the surface, obviously it was not prepped right. He's likely in for constant trouble, spending lots of money trying to treat the symptoms and never having it look right. The builder doesn't care, it looks good enough for awhile to sell.
It is dumb not to say where he lives. Here on central east coast grass
will not grow and any seed put down would not sprout until about April.
If he's far south than it could be seed. He also said it was laid which
means sod to me and would be OK as builder in back of me put sod down on
his own home in December and it survived.

When builders seed, they look for cheap, quick cover and that is often
annual rye so homeowner must reseed with good grass.