I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

How do the pros do it? I would think the only certain way would be to
use formers and a tamping beam as if one were preparing a sand bed for
a driveway, then finally loosening the surface before actual sowing.

Any hints, web site referrals etc most welcome.

MM

I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The


Is that, 75 metres square or 75 square metres?

and no they are NOT the same

Mike

Mike wrote:
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn.
The


Is that, 75 metres square or 75 square metres?

and no they are NOT the same

Mike

Either way, it usually takes about four hundred years of careful
attention. I don't think there's any secret to it: you just have to
keep on breaking down the lumps and picking out the stones, I'm
afraid. Then let it settle for a month or more, and weed and rake it
all again. Once you've got the nice tilth, it's better not to roll,
but to shuffle over the whole thing bit by bit: one book says "in the
manner of an old-age pensioner on black ice"! You should make
yourself a thing whose name I've forgotten, but which is a six-foot
plank with a long broom-handle in the middle: you drag this over and
over the tilth to level it. After sowing, over the next couple of
years, uneven bits will probably appear, to be dealt with in the
usual way: they aren't your fault.

I don't know if the following website will tell you anything you
don't know already:
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/grass.htm

--
Mike.

rotavate
rake
roll
repeat

it'll be flat

In message , MM
writes
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

Some years ago (1998/1999 maybe) a then regular poster to urg, Paul
Womack aka Bugbear posted a whole series of posts about his attempt to
create such lawn.

Google Groups is your friend here.
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

Some years ago (1998/1999 maybe) a then regular poster to urg, Paul
Womack aka Bugbear posted a whole series of posts about his attempt to
create such lawn.

Search in uk.rec.gardening for "rebuilding a lawn"

Marcus

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 22:21:17 +0000, Chris French and Helen Johnson
wrote:

In message , MM
writes
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

Some years ago (1998/1999 maybe) a then regular poster to urg, Paul
Womack aka Bugbear posted a whole series of posts about his attempt to
create such lawn.

Google Groups is your friend here.

Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

Thanks, Chris, Helen. That URL returns Error 404, by the way, and the
main site address www.familyfrench.co.uk returns the message: "This
site is currently inactive."

MM

In message , MM
writes
On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 22:21:17 +0000, Chris French and Helen Johnson
wrote:

urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

Thanks, Chris, Helen. That URL returns Error 404, by the way,

Ahhhh, that'd be because it isn't there.....

Had problems with the webserver a while back and took a load of stuff
down, I thought I'd put it back up , obviously not :-( TBH, it's
probably so out of date now anyway.....

and the
main site address www.familyfrench.co.uk returns the message: "This
site is currently inactive."

Don't believe everything you read, my web server seems to give that
message if there is not a 'index.html' file in the root directory. It's
all hiding :-) One day I'll sort it out.
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

"MM" wrote in message
...
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

How do the pros do it? I would think the only certain way would be to
use formers and a tamping beam as if one were preparing a sand bed for
a driveway, then finally loosening the surface before actual sowing.

Any hints, web site referrals etc most welcome.

MM
I've seen the experts using something which looks like a large ( 1m x 2m )
wooden frame with a handle attached to the centre so it pivots. You then
drag that over the area much as you would with a rake, but being much larger
it gives a much more even result.

--
Martin & Anna Sykes
( Remove x's when replying )
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~sykesm

Martin Sykes wrote:
"MM" wrote in message
...
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.



Lots of time and lots of work!

I did this for an area roughly 4*8m winter before last.

What I did:

Dug to 1 - 2 spade depth turning, removing stones/roots etc and
incorporating organic matter.

Left for several weeks for weather to break up the clods.

Forked over quite deeply and roughly raked - at this stage soil level was
still bulked up around 6" above final in the middle.

Did the "Hamilton Tread" - big boots, shuffle over the whole surface weight
heavily on the heels

Left for several weeks again.

Lightly forked. raked re tread - aiming to get a very even lightly compacted
bed.

Left again.

Very lightly forked and raked, then using the path and brick edge as a
level, dragged a long baulk of timber across to give an accurate level,
skimming and filling as necessary.

That lot took from autumn to march.

Over the next month, I raked frequently but gently, removing all small
stones that appeared each time wearing flat shoes and stepping flatly!

late march, spread general growmore type fertilizer.

Early April, sowed RHS supplied seed, lightly raked in. erected fishing line
bird-mesh over area.

Watered every day.

8 weeks later perfectly flat and level, usable lawn

A lot of work, but if you want the billiard table....

pk

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 15:12:11 -0000, "Martin Sykes"
wrote:

"MM" wrote in message
.. .
I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

How do the pros do it? I would think the only certain way would be to
use formers and a tamping beam as if one were preparing a sand bed for
a driveway, then finally loosening the surface before actual sowing.

Any hints, web site referrals etc most welcome.

MM
I've seen the experts using something which looks like a large ( 1m x 2m )
wooden frame with a handle attached to the centre so it pivots. You then
drag that over the area much as you would with a rake, but being much larger
it gives a much more even result.

Yes, such a tool seems to be widely recommended. I've just purchased
Hessayon's Lawn Expert book, latest edition (only cost £5.99 at
Baytree) and it, too, depicts the use of something large and flat. A
ladder is shown.

I popped into to Jewson's on the way home to see what timber they have
to make one of these gadgets. I reckon a couple of rough-sawn 6" x 1"
boards joined in some way and then provided with handles should do the
trick. Any pics of such implements on the web anywhere? Two years ago
I built my own large soil sifter based on pics on the web. Pics can
tell a very good story!

MM

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 16:57:30 +0000, MM wrote:


I've seen the experts using something which looks like a large ( 1m x 2m )
wooden frame with a handle attached to the centre so it pivots. You then
drag that over the area much as you would with a rake, but being much larger
it gives a much more even result.

Yes, such a tool seems to be widely recommended. I've just purchased
Hessayon's Lawn Expert book, latest edition (only cost £5.99 at
Baytree) and it, too, depicts the use of something large and flat. A
ladder is shown.

What you propose would need *very* strong arms to use. The one we use
is commercially made (sold by LBS), about 80 or 90 cm wide and about
50 cm deep, lightweight metal construction. You will still have quite
a bit of raking to do before you can use the 'lute'.
pk's post is good advice, it's an incremental process and time is
needed to settle and for weeds to germinate between each stage.

=================================================

Rod

Weed my email address to reply.
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 18:24:30 +0000, Rod
wrote:

What you propose would need *very* strong arms to use. The one we use
is commercially made (sold by LBS), about 80 or 90 cm wide and about
50 cm deep, lightweight metal construction. You will still have quite
a bit of raking to do before you can use the 'lute'.

Rod, do you mean one of these?

http://www.lbsgardendirect.co.uk/pro...VELAWN&recno=7

MM

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 17:53:33 +0000, MM wrote:

I'm preparing a patch (75 m2) of virgin soil for sowing a lawn. The
builder left the area roughly rolled, but I'm now raking and removing
stones and getting a fine tilth on top before sowing grass seed.

I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

How do the pros do it? I would think the only certain way would be to
use formers and a tamping beam as if one were preparing a sand bed for
a driveway, then finally loosening the surface before actual sowing.

Any hints, web site referrals etc most welcome.

Get rid of the roller. All it does is compact the soil under the high
spots.

Go buy yourself a long 2x4 (or whatever the standard size of framing
lumber is in the UK), or even a 2x6 or 2x8. Attach an eyebolt at each
end in the long edge, tie a rope between the bolts, and start dragging
the thing around. It will scrape down the high spots and move the soil
it scrapes off into the low spots.

Protocol: dig over and rake. Drag your drag. Then water to settle all
the loose soil. (Or, given that you are in the rainy UK, wait a few
minutes until the next shower is over.) (Is joke, smile!)

Leave for a few days so the loose soil really does settle, then
repeat.

You might want to consider feeding the area at the same time: between
the water and the fertilizer, you will encourage weed seeds to
germinate. You can hoe these into oblivion when they are still wee
seedlings, and your hoeing will disturb the soil and expose more weed
seeds to be annihilated in the next round.

If you do this for a fairly long period, say until the end of this
coming summer, there will be many fewer weed seeds in your soil and
your lawn will be correspondingly more nearly weed free.

Lots of work and time? Yes, definitely, but you don't get something
for nothing. And gardening is an activity that demands patience to
attain good results.

HTH


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, BC, Canada
to send email, change atlantic to pacific
and invalid to net

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 16:03:37 GMT, lid (Rodger
Whitlock) wrote:


I want to get the most even lawn possible. I am raking and rolling,
and it's kind of level, but with pockets and gullies. When I fill
these, rake and roll over, I tend to get humps instead.

Use rake fairly upright, no stretching, then I used a six foot plank on edge to
check for hollows.

--



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