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#1
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Resurrecting a totally abandoned lawn?
Just bought a house whose garden has been left to its own devices for a
good length of time. I want to bring the lawn vaguely back under control this coming season - how best to go about this? The grass has grown out and has collapsed under its own weight into a fairly flat, soggy mess. Feels like it needs raking and blow-drying, then it could be attacked with a strimmer or mower maybe! I'm aware that for a proper job I have no option but to start from scratch with seed or turf, but that ain't going to happen any time soon as there are other priorities! Any advice as to how I can get the jungle back to some semblance of a lawn this year would be much appreciated! David |
#2
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In article ,
Lobster wrote: Just bought a house whose garden has been left to its own devices for a good length of time. I want to bring the lawn vaguely back under control this coming season - how best to go about this? The grass has grown out and has collapsed under its own weight into a fairly flat, soggy mess. Feels like it needs raking and blow-drying, then it could be attacked with a strimmer or mower maybe! I'm aware that for a proper job I have no option but to start from scratch with seed or turf, but that ain't going to happen any time soon as there are other priorities! Any advice as to how I can get the jungle back to some semblance of a lawn this year would be much appreciated! Remove the surplus by hook, crook or sickle, and then mow it. It will turn back into a rough lawn amazingly fast. In the lowlands of the UK (most of the inhabited parts), all that you need to do to turn some land into pasture/lawn is to cut down the trees and shrubs, flatten it and graze or mow it. Seriously. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#3
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Lobster wrote:
Just bought a house whose garden has been left to its own devices for a good length of time. I want to bring the lawn vaguely back under control this coming season - how best to go about this? The grass has grown out and has collapsed under its own weight into a fairly flat, soggy mess. Feels like it needs raking and blow-drying, then it could be attacked with a strimmer or mower maybe! I'm aware that for a proper job I have no option but to start from scratch with seed or turf, but that ain't going to happen any time soon as there are other priorities! Any advice as to how I can get the jungle back to some semblance of a lawn this year would be much appreciated! David I'd start right now. If possible, rake it over to see if you can get a lot of last year's dead stuff out. Then go over it with the mower at the highest setting, even if it involves a lot of shoving and cursing, before it really starts back into growth. Collect the mowings if possible. If there are serious patches of bare earth, rake in some grass-seed. Then just keep going at it, lowering the cut as it becomes possible, at least once a week and preferably more, until to your great surprise you suddenly realise that you have a lawn. I'd only bother with a strimmer if it really did turn out impossible to get a high-set mower over it; and even then I'd first ask the hire shop if they had a mower suitable for clearing (I think I remember the brand "Victa"), as strimming a large area is a pain. (Could be cheaper to grab the bloke working for the Council next time you see him and offer him the job, one-off.) It sounds as though there will be clumps of very coarse grass such as Yorkshire Fog. Sometimes close mowing kills these off, and sometimes you have to dig them out and reseed the patch. Safety: if you _do_ have to do a lot of shoving and cursing, don't run the mower over your foot; and whatever you do, don't trip over. I can't bear to think about it. Mike. |
#4
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"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message ... In article , Lobster wrote: Just bought a house whose garden has been left to its own devices for a good length of time. I want to bring the lawn vaguely back under control this coming season - how best to go about this? The grass has grown out and has collapsed under its own weight into a fairly flat, soggy mess. Feels like it needs raking and blow-drying, then it could be attacked with a strimmer or mower maybe! I'm aware that for a proper job I have no option but to start from scratch with seed or turf, but that ain't going to happen any time soon as there are other priorities! Any advice as to how I can get the jungle back to some semblance of a lawn this year would be much appreciated! Remove the surplus by hook, crook or sickle, and then mow it. It will turn back into a rough lawn amazingly fast. In the lowlands of the UK (most of the inhabited parts), all that you need to do to turn some land into pasture/lawn is to cut down the trees and shrubs, flatten it and graze or mow it. Seriously. I got mine sorted with a tool rental "scarafier". It will remove all the dead growth and allow air to get to the soil. Works a treat but there will be a lot of waste to rake up and get rid of. |
#5
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I agree with the others, but there are plus sides to this unkemptness
too; the fact that its been allowed to grow long probably means there isn't any moss to get rid of each spring and autumn, and you might have some lovely wild flowers popping up. A really good book for novices on lawns is The Lawn Expert by Dr Hesayon - can get them cheap on Ebay / Amazon too. General rules are cut it on the highest setting of the mower and often - dont be tempted to cut it very short to save you mowing again for a while as the moss will get hold and a few days without rain will kill off the roots of the grass then you will be starting again!. And dont walk on it when its very wet. If you're going to the garden centre for some food/fertiliser, there is different stuff for spring and autumn, so check before you buy. |
#6
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In article . com, "Jules" writes: | | I agree with the others, but there are plus sides to this unkemptness | too; the fact that its been allowed to grow long probably means there | isn't any moss to get rid of each spring and autumn, and you might have | some lovely wild flowers popping up. | | If you're going to the garden centre for some food/fertiliser, there is | different stuff for spring and autumn, so check before you buy. If you want to preserve the meadow flowers, you must not fertilise the lawn - EVEN with lawn fertilisers that contain no weedkillers. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
#7
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Jules wrote:
I agree with the others, but there are plus sides to this unkemptness too; the fact that its been allowed to grow long probably means there isn't any moss to get rid of each spring and autumn, and you might have some lovely wild flowers popping up. Thanks for the advice, all. Somehow I don't really think we're in the realms of pretty meadows and wild flowers here... first task is to get rid of the debris (eg yesterday I discovered two iron gates lying there hitherto unnoticed beneath the soggy grassy mess), then tackle the rat's nest of brambles snaking across the place...! David |
#8
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Lobster wrote:
[...] Somehow I don't really think we're in the realms of pretty meadows and wild flowers here... first task is to get rid of the debris (eg yesterday I discovered two iron gates lying there hitherto unnoticed beneath the soggy grassy mess), then tackle the rat's nest of brambles snaking across the place...! Ah, the most satisfying kind! It'll still turn into a decent lawn very quickly, though. For brambles, I don good gloves, cut each tentacle into convenient lengths with secateurs, and haul 'em out by hand. The crowns can either be dug out with a fork, or cut to the base: once the new shoots appear in a week or two they're vulnerable to weedkiller. The seedlings which _will_ appear will often be knocked out by regular mowing if the soil is level; if not, they usually pull up easily. Mental attitude is important: if you think of it as creating something nice it can be fun; but if you slip into "What a norrible chore, and now I've scratched my hand again!" it won't be. Mike. |
#9
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Nick Maclaren wrote:
In the lowlands of the UK (most of the inhabited parts), all that you need to do to turn some land into pasture/lawn is to cut down the trees and shrubs, flatten it and graze or mow it. Seriously. Weak anthropic principle, init. That's /why/ and /how/ lawns were invented! |
#10
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