Lawns

I agree that you shouldn't lay a layer of sand but do support the addition of large amounts of sharp or grit sand to heavy soil types. I insist however that it should be incorporated by rotovator. Because of differing expansion and contraction rates of stone and soil it will cause fractures and...

That is right but check what percentage of "active ingredient" is included as some products are stronger than others

When you say it is clay, it may be the subsoil which the builders have generously given you. Not the best stuff to grow in. As I have said elsewhere there is no substitute to digging a pit for a look see. Sub-surface problems in new housing is very common. There are clay and sand soils in NE...

I would add one point, have you had extremes of rain and dessicating dry winds (we have up here in East Scotland) This can cause problems with emerging seeds (encouraged to germinate by heavy rain and then hammered by dessicating wind). This, alongside the spring weed flush, is why autumn takes...

Remember the top can still look dry even if the real water problem is deep down. Only solution is to dig a pit to investigate. Check outfall from draiage system runs shortly after heavy rain.

It sounds as though the lawn is pretty well established, so just about any lawn food will do. I prefer the slow release ones, because they'll usually last a couple of months even if it pours with rain all summer - but they are more expensive.Go for a spring / summer NPK analysis, which means...

Thank you both for your helpNGF

Just a tip on starting off a new lawn which I have done on previous occasion. I normally mix my grass seeds with a good multi purpose compost in a wheelbarrow. I leave it for about five days in the garden shed, turning it once a day, whereby it will start to sprout, I then sow it on the...

thanks for the advice i,m sorry i took so long to reply but i had to go out, i,ll pass on the info thanks again Duncan

I would do the following if you don't want to returf and that would be my way.Rake the lawn to remove the moss and the accumulated debris. Moss can be sign of compacted soil.Aereate - use a garden fork, and dig in, lever back a little, and add sharp sand to increase the drainage, then sow...

Thanks for the replies, it looks as though my choices are limited. I would happily bring in a company, as Will suggested, but most are little more than cowboys who might do more harm than good. I can't really gravel the area because it's about 1200m2. I'll do as Fran suggested and look around at...

Thanks for the pics e17ab.It looks to me as though this is Baby's Tears, also known as Angels Tears or Mind Your Own Business (Latin Soleirolia soleirolii) - if you run a google images search for that, you'll probably find a few more pictures to compare yours to.A broad leaf selective weed...

Why do you want to kill them, though? They are unlikely to be doing any significant harm [at least in my experience].Do you have any fruit trees or vines nearby? It seems to me to be more likely that they are living there.

Borage it is then :DI haven't ever had to treat Borage so I don't know how effective a weed and feed would be. Personally I prefer to do the two things separately, using a broad spectrum selective weed killer. I wouldn't worry too much about the clover though - anything short of Agent Orange...

Hi Bayleaf - I've given swompy a reply but I think that particular lawn might be beyond help - time to call in the astroturf!

Hi Lawnmowerman,Yes, you can add a granular fertiliser, but you're right, you ought to use a straight fertiliser without added selective weed killer.There's no need to wait before applying fertiliser - so go for it, but don't overdo it or you'll be mowing 5 times a week

There isn't much you can do to 'treat' a soil before you lay turf, but you might want to apply some pre-seed fertiliser to the soil before you actually lay the turf - this makes sure that the nutrients move down into the native soil, as opposed to sitting in the half inch of soil that the turf...

Hmm, sounds like Italian Ryegrass to me - not something you want to try and grow a lawn out of Dwarf Ryegrass germinates quickly, and is very wear tolerant, but as its name suggests, it doesn't grow like an agricultural crop.

Hi Mike,How long since the turf was laid? If it's fairly new, you might consider giving it a bit longer to let the roots go deeper before you do anything. Established turf has an amazing capacity to firm soft ground, and once the roots develop further, you'll find that surplus water is removed...

Hi Darius Could well indeed be the coarser grasses as Steve suggests but sounds like Couch grass to me, I have it in my garden, although considerably less than when I moved in - its a matter for perseverance :rolleyes: ! check out this link ...