Hi,

I'd like some advice on lawn care.

I have worked hard to try and improve the condition of my lawn over the
last 2 years since I moved to a new house, with only limited success.
The lawn was full of moss and yarrow when I moved in and I have
successfully removed much of this through the use of feed and weed,
moss killer, scarifying, top dressing an reseeding. However, in
May/June last year and once more this year I suddenly seem to hit a
problem where by some 25-35% of the grass (possibly just the original
grass) appears to die (pale yellow/whitish) for no obvious reason. This
obviously makes the lawn look in poor condition which is annoying given
the work put in so far ! So, the question is why should this grass
suddenly die ?

Here's some more detail:

- Tha lawn is well protected from wind and receives sun for much of the
day. It is mostly flat apart from a drop between two levels. I never
water the grass (certainly not needed this year so far).

- In mid April I used feed, weed and moss kill (12% nitrogen). We had
two mild frosts after this application. However, the results after two
weeks were great with the whole lawn was looking extremely green and
growing really well. One issue maybe that I never really new how much
my spreader was putting down (no instructions) hence I may have over
done it, or underdone it ... could this be the cause ? I have a Scotts
Evergreend distributor so if anybody knows what the numbers 1-19
represent that would be useful

- I have a mix of weeds in the garden including clover, yarrow,
germander speedwell plus others. General impression I get is these
weeds indicate a lack of nutrition in the soil.

- There are areas which show up with Red Thread disease, I suspect more
so after all this heavy rain. Does this indicate poorly draining soil
?

- The soil is chalky but not until 10-12 inches. On top of that is soil
which I think has an okay pH, although can't recall exact value.

- Newly seeded grass from this year is growing really well. I have used
standard family hard waring grass mix rather than the finer looking
grass that was already down (although I guess this may have just been
the same grass but poor quality).

- The lawn had been poorly maintained for years prior to us moving in.

- I have never aerated the lawn deeply. Those roll spikers never seem
much good and hand coring for a large lawn is a nightmare !

- I mow 1-2 times a week but suspect I have cut too much grass at times
as I have cut greater than 1/3 off at a time. I have noticed the tops
of the grass have browned, yet I have sharpened the blade twice already
this year. Exactly what is 'sharp' for a mower blade ?

I imagine the issue is general poor quality soil rather than one
specific issue, if that's the general view what's the best way to get
the goodness back in. Extra fertilizer applications, more top dressing,
machine based aeration ?

Thanks for any advice,

jed

"Jed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'd like some advice on lawn care.

I have worked hard to try and improve the condition of my lawn over the
last 2 years since I moved to a new house, with only limited success.
The lawn was full of moss and yarrow when I moved in and I have
successfully removed much of this through the use of feed and weed,
moss killer, scarifying, top dressing an reseeding. However, in
May/June last year and once more this year I suddenly seem to hit a
problem where by some 25-35% of the grass (possibly just the original
grass) appears to die (pale yellow/whitish) for no obvious reason. This
obviously makes the lawn look in poor condition which is annoying given
the work put in so far ! So, the question is why should this grass
suddenly die ?

Do you see birds pecking at the grass? It could be grubs eating at the
roots, either charer grubs or leatherjackets.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0402/chafer.asp

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...herjackets.asp

"Jed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'd like some advice on lawn care.

I have worked hard to try and improve the condition of my lawn over the
last 2 years since I moved to a new house, with only limited success.
The lawn was full of moss and yarrow when I moved in and I have
successfully removed much of this through the use of feed and weed,
moss killer, scarifying, top dressing an reseeding. However, in
May/June last year and once more this year I suddenly seem to hit a
problem where by some 25-35% of the grass (possibly just the original
grass) appears to die (pale yellow/whitish) for no obvious reason. This
obviously makes the lawn look in poor condition which is annoying given
the work put in so far ! So, the question is why should this grass
suddenly die ?

Here's some more detail:

- Tha lawn is well protected from wind and receives sun for much of the
day. It is mostly flat apart from a drop between two levels. I never
water the grass (certainly not needed this year so far).

- In mid April I used feed, weed and moss kill (12% nitrogen). We had
two mild frosts after this application. However, the results after two
weeks were great with the whole lawn was looking extremely green and
growing really well. One issue maybe that I never really new how much
my spreader was putting down (no instructions) hence I may have over
done it, or underdone it ... could this be the cause ? I have a Scotts
Evergreend distributor so if anybody knows what the numbers 1-19
represent that would be useful

- I have a mix of weeds in the garden including clover, yarrow,
germander speedwell plus others. General impression I get is these
weeds indicate a lack of nutrition in the soil.

- There are areas which show up with Red Thread disease, I suspect more
so after all this heavy rain. Does this indicate poorly draining soil
?

- The soil is chalky but not until 10-12 inches. On top of that is soil
which I think has an okay pH, although can't recall exact value.

- Newly seeded grass from this year is growing really well. I have used
standard family hard waring grass mix rather than the finer looking
grass that was already down (although I guess this may have just been
the same grass but poor quality).

- The lawn had been poorly maintained for years prior to us moving in.

- I have never aerated the lawn deeply. Those roll spikers never seem
much good and hand coring for a large lawn is a nightmare !

- I mow 1-2 times a week but suspect I have cut too much grass at times
as I have cut greater than 1/3 off at a time. I have noticed the tops
of the grass have browned, yet I have sharpened the blade twice already
this year. Exactly what is 'sharp' for a mower blade ?

I imagine the issue is general poor quality soil rather than one
specific issue, if that's the general view what's the best way to get
the goodness back in. Extra fertilizer applications, more top dressing,
machine based aeration ?

Thanks for any advice,

jed

what is the worm life like in the soil Jed? You can put everything you like
in to the soil however a lack of worms indicates a lack of life in the soil,
which adds life to the lawn. Even poor soil can be improved so it has a
viable food web. A balanced soil gives a good result. It sounds like you are
doing the fundamentals ok. Obviously maybe cut a little less off the grass
each mow but sharpening your blade twice a year (provided it is done
correctly) is more than enough to keep it sharp.

Cut a spade spit cubed (lxwxh) from your lawn and hand count your worm life.
You will have to sacrifice the sod here by the way but you can always refill
the hole and reseed. Anything under about 7 worms per spade cut is abysmal,
that will indicate roughly the health of your soil. If you have upwards of
say 10 to 20 then that is ok to good. Anything over about 23 is very good.
If you have a low worm count then you need to take steps to get some 'life',
literally, back in your soil. Try using an organic fertiliser like pelleted
animal poop or even blood and bone as these will encourage worms and other
microbal life. If you have the ability to mulch your grass clippings do this
as it will add organic matter, encourage worms and other microbal activity.

If you are very keen you could try mixing up a batch of compost tea (google
a search for a recipe) and apply this to your lawn. The compost tea will
inject microbal life in to your soil and (hopefully) kick start the food web
in it. It is not an exact science and there will be differing views on this
matter, some may argue it is hocus pocus. However, I had a garden along the
house that was fairly well dead ie it grew sfa, stuff all, nowt. I dug some
mushroom compost in to it (which is inert itself as it is smeat sterilised
after use to kill any life) to add organic matter. I let it break down a
little but still nothing was growing. I then threw on some worms I had
harvested and soaked the soil on 2 occasions with a liquid compost. Within a
couple of weeks it was sprouting weeds and a ground cover that had hardly
(very weakly) grown there previously. Only an anecdotal story mind, but
enough to suggest to me it may be worth while you trying.

Also test you soil, you said you had done that, if you are not sure of the
ph. Look for around 6.5 ideally. Use lime to sweeten the soil if necessary.
This will not make the grass grow directly but will improve the soils
ability to deliver nutrients.

A suggestion is to set aside a patch of lawn as a test pad for a season or
two. Give it fortnightly or monthly infusions of compost tea through the
spring and autumn and feeds with organic fertilisers. Use as little
synthetic inputs and weed killers as possible. Check a year or 2 to see how
it varies from the rest of the grass. That may be a little long run a time
frame for you however, I note you have spent 2 years looking after a
neglected lawn so you may have the patience. I am in to year 4 of being a
lawn psycho and it does pay off eventually.

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Jed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'd like some advice on lawn care.

I have worked hard to try and improve the condition of my lawn over the
last 2 years since I moved to a new house, with only limited success.
The lawn was full of moss and yarrow when I moved in and I have
successfully removed much of this through the use of feed and weed,
moss killer, scarifying, top dressing an reseeding. However, in
May/June last year and once more this year I suddenly seem to hit a
problem where by some 25-35% of the grass (possibly just the original
grass) appears to die (pale yellow/whitish) for no obvious reason. This
obviously makes the lawn look in poor condition which is annoying given
the work put in so far ! So, the question is why should this grass
suddenly die ?

Here's some more detail:

- Tha lawn is well protected from wind and receives sun for much of the
day. It is mostly flat apart from a drop between two levels. I never
water the grass (certainly not needed this year so far).

- In mid April I used feed, weed and moss kill (12% nitrogen). We had
two mild frosts after this application. However, the results after two
weeks were great with the whole lawn was looking extremely green and
growing really well. One issue maybe that I never really new how much
my spreader was putting down (no instructions) hence I may have over
done it, or underdone it ... could this be the cause ? I have a Scotts
Evergreend distributor so if anybody knows what the numbers 1-19
represent that would be useful

- I have a mix of weeds in the garden including clover, yarrow,
germander speedwell plus others. General impression I get is these
weeds indicate a lack of nutrition in the soil.

- There are areas which show up with Red Thread disease, I suspect more
so after all this heavy rain. Does this indicate poorly draining soil
?

- The soil is chalky but not until 10-12 inches. On top of that is soil
which I think has an okay pH, although can't recall exact value.

- Newly seeded grass from this year is growing really well. I have used
standard family hard waring grass mix rather than the finer looking
grass that was already down (although I guess this may have just been
the same grass but poor quality).

- The lawn had been poorly maintained for years prior to us moving in.

- I have never aerated the lawn deeply. Those roll spikers never seem
much good and hand coring for a large lawn is a nightmare !

- I mow 1-2 times a week but suspect I have cut too much grass at times
as I have cut greater than 1/3 off at a time. I have noticed the tops
of the grass have browned, yet I have sharpened the blade twice already
this year. Exactly what is 'sharp' for a mower blade ?

I imagine the issue is general poor quality soil rather than one
specific issue, if that's the general view what's the best way to get
the goodness back in. Extra fertilizer applications, more top dressing,
machine based aeration ?

Thanks for any advice,

jed

what is the worm life like in the soil Jed? You can put everything you
like
in to the soil however a lack of worms indicates a lack of life in the
soil,
which adds life to the lawn. Even poor soil can be improved so it has a
viable food web. A balanced soil gives a good result. It sounds like you
are
doing the fundamentals ok. Obviously maybe cut a little less off the grass
each mow but sharpening your blade twice a year (provided it is done
correctly) is more than enough to keep it sharp.

Cut a spade spit cubed (lxwxh) from your lawn and hand count your worm
life.
You will have to sacrifice the sod here by the way but you can always
refill
the hole and reseed. Anything under about 7 worms per spade cut is
abysmal,
that will indicate roughly the health of your soil. If you have upwards of
say 10 to 20 then that is ok to good. Anything over about 23 is very good.
If you have a low worm count then you need to take steps to get some
'life',
literally, back in your soil. Try using an organic fertiliser like
pelleted
animal poop or even blood and bone as these will encourage worms and other
microbal life. If you have the ability to mulch your grass clippings do
this
as it will add organic matter, encourage worms and other microbal
activity.

don't simply use a standard mower that takes a catcher as this will mulch
the grass into big clumps, vreate an uneven dispersal over the grass and
leave piles that could rot in wet weather and rot your grass as well. Use a
proper mulching mower. The obly exception I have found to that rule is in
summer when giving the lawn a very light mow and my standard rotary mower
cuts of a fine enough lay of grass that quickly dries on the grass.

rob

"Jed" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I'd like some advice on lawn care.

I have worked hard to try and improve the condition of my lawn over the
last 2 years since I moved to a new house, with only limited success.
The lawn was full of moss and yarrow when I moved in and I have
successfully removed much of this through the use of feed and weed,
moss killer, scarifying, top dressing an reseeding. However, in
May/June last year and once more this year I suddenly seem to hit a
problem where by some 25-35% of the grass (possibly just the original
grass) appears to die (pale yellow/whitish) for no obvious reason. This
obviously makes the lawn look in poor condition which is annoying given
the work put in so far ! So, the question is why should this grass
suddenly die ?

Sounds like disease in the rootstock.


Here's some more detail:

- Tha lawn is well protected from wind and receives sun for much of the
day. It is mostly flat apart from a drop between two levels. I never
water the grass (certainly not needed this year so far).

- In mid April I used feed, weed and moss kill (12% nitrogen). We had
two mild frosts after this application. However, the results after two
weeks were great with the whole lawn was looking extremely green and
growing really well. One issue maybe that I never really new how much
my spreader was putting down (no instructions) hence I may have over
done it, or underdone it ... could this be the cause ? I have a Scotts
Evergreend distributor so if anybody knows what the numbers 1-19
represent that would be useful

Scotts are usually very helpful in this respect, email or call them


- I have a mix of weeds in the garden including clover, yarrow,
germander speedwell plus others. General impression I get is these
weeds indicate a lack of nutrition in the soil.

- There are areas which show up with Red Thread disease, I suspect more
so after all this heavy rain. Does this indicate poorly draining soil
?

- The soil is chalky but not until 10-12 inches. On top of that is soil
which I think has an okay pH, although can't recall exact value.

Grass likes an acidic environment


- Newly seeded grass from this year is growing really well. I have used
standard family hard waring grass mix rather than the finer looking
grass that was already down (although I guess this may have just been
the same grass but poor quality).

- The lawn had been poorly maintained for years prior to us moving in.

- I have never aerated the lawn deeply. Those roll spikers never seem
much good and hand coring for a large lawn is a nightmare !

Hmmmm, Sounds like you need to chat to a locall Golf course Head Greenkeeper
and get a spiker in. Pound notes usually assist :-)


- I mow 1-2 times a week but suspect I have cut too much grass at times
as I have cut greater than 1/3 off at a time. I have noticed the tops
of the grass have browned, yet I have sharpened the blade twice already
this year. Exactly what is 'sharp' for a mower blade ?

As an ex Golf Course mechanic the way to test the sharpness of your machine
if it's a reel mower not a rotary is to have the reel accurately ground by a
local specialist, usually costs around £1.50 per inch width of the reel.

Therefore a 10" width reel would cost £15 etc.

The bottom blade can be removed and "Drawfiled" to produce a sharp edge,of
around 3 degrees backward "rake" ( The angle of the face in relation to the
base of the blade) or ground at the same place.
Unless you are extramely good with an angle grinder don't grind it.

To set the cut correctly you need the right size spanner for the adjusters
(Assuming they need one) and a fag paper.
(Ordinary photocopy paper will do if you want, but the clearance will be
wider)

Using your paper cut into ½" wide strips around 2" long lay the paper in
between the reel and the bottom blade. One peice around 1"- 2" in from each
end.
Gradually bring the reel (or blade if that's what moves, to the reel) toward
the blade until the paper is lightly nipped. Obviously both ends need to be
adjusted accurately and evenly. Take your time.

Gently rotate the reel in opposite to normal direction while doing so.
(Wear gloves as if it nips and then lets go get out the plasters for the
finger you cut !)

When satisfied that both ends are *JUST* nipping the paper you have a
clearance between the reel and blade of around 1½ thousandths of an inch.

Now take out the paper and gently spin the reel (backwards) and listen for
any rubbing sections. There shouln't be any if the grinder has done his job
properly. If it *just* hisses then alls OK.

Hold a peice of paper at 90 degrees to the BASE of the bottom blade in an
upright position between 2 of the reel blades and without cutting your
thumbnail off spin the reel in the normal rotation direction and watch the
paper cut. Try across the entire width of the mower here and there.
If it cuts cleanly you have a perfectly set up mower. If it rips or flattens
without cutting then either you haven't got the adjustment right, there's a
hollow in the reel/blade or it's a blunt mower.




I imagine the issue is general poor quality soil rather than one
specific issue, if that's the general view what's the best way to get
the goodness back in. Extra fertilizer applications, more top dressing,
machine based aeration ?

See above....

don't simply use a standard mower that takes a catcher as this will mulch
the grass into big clumps, vreate an uneven dispersal over the grass and
leave piles that could rot in wet weather and rot your grass as well. Use
a
proper mulching mower. The obly exception I have found to that rule is in
summer when giving the lawn a very light mow and my standard rotary mower
cuts of a fine enough lay of grass that quickly dries on the grass.

Not strictly true Rob,
If a Rotary blade is spinning fast enough it should throw the debris to the
collection bag without leaving trails.

When the clumps of debris are seen behind the mower or building up on the
wheels usually it means the exit route from the blade to the bag is
clogging. Shut down, clear and then continue.

Sharp blades will produce a cleaner cut, even on a rotary. Careful
sharpening of the cutting section of the blade produces a better cut,
cleaner debris removal and less susceptibility to leaf damage because it
cuts and doesn't rip. If sharpening yourself ensure that an even amount is
removed from each end of the blade as balance on small machines if essential
to prevent vibration damaging engine or motor bearings.

If there are small areas of waste left behind just set the mower to highest
cut and go over the area again. The vacuum effect will lift the debris
without any damage.

10 years on a Golf course as their mechanic looking after everything from
18" walk behind mowers to 8 metre wide fairway machines, both rotary and
reel type, gives an idea of what cuts well and what cuts crap ;-)

"Me here" wrote in message
...

don't simply use a standard mower that takes a catcher as this will
mulch
the grass into big clumps, vreate an uneven dispersal over the grass and
leave piles that could rot in wet weather and rot your grass as well.
Use
a
proper mulching mower. The obly exception I have found to that rule is
in
summer when giving the lawn a very light mow and my standard rotary
mower
cuts of a fine enough lay of grass that quickly dries on the grass.

Not strictly true Rob,
If a Rotary blade is spinning fast enough it should throw the debris to
the
collection bag without leaving trails.

Agreed. I was meaning however using a standard rotary mower without the
catcher as a pseudo mulcher. I have never seen a rotary with a catcher
properly mulch lawn. It blows it out the back in clumps and the cut was too
chunky to quickly decay. Thats why I suggested using a proper mulching
mower.

Obviously in your trade you may have come across a standard catcher rotary
that does do a good job of mulching without the catcher. I am talking from
experience with your bog standard common garden variety lawn mowers, nothing
fancy. I will defer to your opinion on this point.

rob

"George.com" wrote in message
...

"Me here" wrote in message
...

don't simply use a standard mower that takes a catcher as this will
mulch
the grass into big clumps, vreate an uneven dispersal over the grass
and
leave piles that could rot in wet weather and rot your grass as well.
Use
a
proper mulching mower. The obly exception I have found to that rule is
in
summer when giving the lawn a very light mow and my standard rotary
mower
cuts of a fine enough lay of grass that quickly dries on the grass.

Not strictly true Rob,
If a Rotary blade is spinning fast enough it should throw the debris to
the
collection bag without leaving trails.

Agreed. I was meaning however using a standard rotary mower without the
catcher as a pseudo mulcher. I have never seen a rotary with a catcher
properly mulch lawn. It blows it out the back in clumps and the cut was
too
chunky to quickly decay. Thats why I suggested using a proper mulching
mower.

Obviously in your trade you may have come across a standard catcher rotary
that does do a good job of mulching without the catcher. I am talking from
experience with your bog standard common garden variety lawn mowers,
nothing
fancy. I will defer to your opinion on this point.

I see where you are coming from.

Standard rotarys are good enough to lop the long stuff quite nicely, but
often the ground is so uneven that a reel mower produces an uneven looking
cut so a rotary is the better choice.

I have seen rotarys with a roller on the front, this is to condition the
leaf in preparation for the blade, although I haven't seen any decent
finishes with a rotary other than the squashed in one direction grass that
is left after the run.

You can't beat a reel mower correctly sharpened or dressed on the bottom
blade with a file to produce a good stripe.
Look at a Golf course fairway after it's been cut, there will be clods of
cuttings everywhere.

It's a rich and pedantic Greenkeeper that can afford the time and the
machine to remove the cuttings.

WRabbit: I don't think I have chafer grubs or leatherjackets as the
dead grass is fairly wide spread rather than specific areas. I've also
not seen the birds pecking hard at the grass, just pinching my grass
seed I reckon! I've seen the damage the crows have done at my golf
course looking for leatherjackets ... and that's nothing like I have in
the lawn. I'll keep an eye open though as there are certainly grubs in
there, but not sure what type. Maybe I'll find out if I dig up a spade
cube and count the worms (keep the kids happy that one for sure) !

Rob: Thanks for the extensive advice. Think I'll try checking the worms
to see if the soil really is any good. The house is 8 years old so it
wouldn'y have been too long ago that the back yard was a building site
with the lawn rarely being tended to in that time. How to fix it will
no doubt be harder, the tea compost looks a little tricky as I can't
see an easy way to get lot's of air in to the mixture or what container
to mix suitable quantaties in. Have about 350-450m2 of lawn.

Me he If the grass is diseased then I can't identify what it is as
it's so widespread hence my thoughts the soil just isn't that good. I'm
sure I have Red Thread disease but not sure if that would be lawn wide
yet and whether it's always accompanied by red mould type residue on
the grass, I only have some patches with this on it.

Everybody: Thanks for the mower tips, I have a tatty rotary mower which
takes for ever to mow the whole lawn and is long overdue replacement in
my mind (something bigger !). Maybe I should just go an buy a new blade
so it's balanced and sharp, they're not exactly expensive. I'll also go
pester the green keeper, but from what I recall I wouldn't even get his
corer through the garden gate !

Thanks

Jed

"Jed" wrote in message
ups.com...
WRabbit: I don't think I have chafer grubs or leatherjackets as the
dead grass is fairly wide spread rather than specific areas. I've also
not seen the birds pecking hard at the grass, just pinching my grass
seed I reckon! I've seen the damage the crows have done at my golf
course looking for leatherjackets ... and that's nothing like I have in
the lawn. I'll keep an eye open though as there are certainly grubs in
there, but not sure what type. Maybe I'll find out if I dig up a spade
cube and count the worms (keep the kids happy that one for sure) !

Rob: Thanks for the extensive advice. Think I'll try checking the worms
to see if the soil really is any good. The house is 8 years old so it
wouldn'y have been too long ago that the back yard was a building site
with the lawn rarely being tended to in that time. How to fix it will
no doubt be harder, the tea compost looks a little tricky as I can't
see an easy way to get lot's of air in to the mixture or what container
to mix suitable quantaties in. Have about 350-450m2 of lawn.

I wouldn't bother trying to be too clever with compost tea and aerate it to
buggery. I suggets either batch brewing it in a 10 litre paint container (or
the like) which you stir every day or twice a day if you remember or even
better set up a permanent liquid compost in a large drum (with a lid as it
will stink). Try that and see how it goes. Set up a test patch on your lawn,
say try 50 m2, and feed it every 2-3 weeks. Try diluting 8/1 or maybe 10/1
and applying fairly generously with a watering can. It will take a bit of
time to do but you may get good results. On the other hand it may be a waste
of time but you will only know after trying. Heres a useful website
http://www.organiclawncaretips.com/

rob