What's wrong with my lawn?
 

I mow it (regularly and not too short).
I weed & feed it (Evergreen complete).
I rake and fork it.
I water it.

And still it looks like this:
http://www.genesis-x.nildram.co.uk/images/dscf0041.jpg

Closer:
http://www.genesis-x.nildram.co.uk/images/dscf0043.jpg

Even closer:
http://www.genesis-x.nildram.co.uk/images/dscf0044.jpg

Even the best bits of the lawn still don't look that good:
http://www.genesis-x.nildram.co.uk/images/dscf0042.jpg

The size and shape of the grass stems has changed over the last couple of
years. They used to be dark green and very thin, but now they are thick
and flat; a lighter colour, and sort of horrible and gnarly. The whole
lawn is thinning out, with just these mutated stems growing in clumps.

Should I just give up, start again, and re-turf, or is there another way?

Have I been invaded by the dreaded couch grass? It doesn't have the same
long white root system, but it is just as ugly.

-
[H]omer

In article , [H]omer
writes
The size and shape of the grass stems has changed over the last couple of
years. They used to be dark green and very thin, but now they are thick
and flat; a lighter colour, and sort of horrible and gnarly. The whole
lawn is thinning out, with just these mutated stems growing in clumps.

Should I just give up, start again, and re-turf, or is there another way?

Have I been invaded by the dreaded couch grass? It doesn't have the same
long white root system, but it is just as ugly.

No, it's not couch (Agropyron repens) Could be Yorkshire fog (Holcus
lanatus) - very pretty en masse in flower, but that's not the effect you
were aiming for.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 19:08:23 +0100, Kay wrote:

In article , [H]omer
writes
The size and shape of the grass stems has changed over the last couple of
years. They used to be dark green and very thin, but now they are thick
and flat; a lighter colour, and sort of horrible and gnarly. The whole
lawn is thinning out, with just these mutated stems growing in clumps.

Should I just give up, start again, and re-turf, or is there another way?

Have I been invaded by the dreaded couch grass? It doesn't have the same
long white root system, but it is just as ugly.

No, it's not couch (Agropyron repens) Could be Yorkshire fog (Holcus
lanatus) - very pretty en masse in flower, but that's not the effect you
were aiming for.

Doh!

I think you're on the right track, and I know where it came from.

We've got decorative grasses in pots on the patio, and they've obviously
seeded onto the lawn. Double Doh!

I should add, that I didn't grow these, my father did (for some reason),
and not being the most observant person in the world WRT gardens, I didn't
notice them nor pay any attention to them, until I started gardening this
year.

Unlike the Holcus lanatus, our potted grass' flowers are deep purple, and
more like bluebell cups, rather than long buds, but the stems are
identical to the stuff growing on the lawn, it's just they they never get
a chance to flower because they are always being mown down.

I've had to give up on this one, since the extent of the invasion is
beyond my skill and knowledge. I've called in a local guy who's a
qualified greenkeeper to sort out the mess.

-
[H]omer

In article , [H]omer
writes
On Thu, 09 Sep 2004 19:08:23 +0100, Kay wrote:

In article , [H]omer
writes
The size and shape of the grass stems has changed over the last couple of
years. They used to be dark green and very thin, but now they are thick
and flat; a lighter colour, and sort of horrible and gnarly. The whole
lawn is thinning out, with just these mutated stems growing in clumps.

Should I just give up, start again, and re-turf, or is there another way?

Have I been invaded by the dreaded couch grass? It doesn't have the same
long white root system, but it is just as ugly.

No, it's not couch (Agropyron repens) Could be Yorkshire fog (Holcus
lanatus) - very pretty en masse in flower, but that's not the effect you
were aiming for.

Doh!

I think you're on the right track, and I know where it came from.

We've got decorative grasses in pots on the patio, and they've obviously
seeded onto the lawn. Double Doh!

Not necessarily. It's so often in a lawn that I'd almost assumed it was
included in lawn seed mixtures, but a Google on lawn seed suppliers
shows that it isn't. But it is a common british native, so it'll get
there whether you've grown it deliberately or not.

There's an interesting study of the flora of lawns in Sheffield - well
worth reading the conclusions section at the end - amongst other things
a rough summary is that everyone acquires Holcus lanatus sooner or later
;-)

http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/projects/b...s/reprint3.pdf


Unlike the Holcus lanatus, our potted grass' flowers are deep purple, and
more like bluebell cups, rather than long buds, but the stems are
identical to the stuff growing on the lawn, it's just they they never get
a chance to flower because they are always being mown down.

It's damned difficult to identify grasses when not in flower. OK, you
can see straight away that something's not a fescue, for example (as you
have), but totally different grasses can look very similar from the
leaves until you get very familiar with them (which I'm not).


--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"