Which grass seed to look for?

I have a large garden - 127ft down the long side and a corner plot too. The majority of it is lawn and it's driving me crazy! It grows super fast - already I need to be cutting it every 3-4 days to keep on top of it. However, right now I can't because of back and shoulder problems - it's at full length now and will be for some time because of my problems. But at least once a year, something happens that delays my cutting it so I end up with very long grass that's flipping hard work to get back under control!

So, I want to start again, probably next year now as I'm not in good shape for sorting out the current grass to restart.

What I'm after is the dream: low-growing, slow-growing but hard wearing! I have 8 big dogs to contend with too, although they don't have unrestricted access and I'm planning to start breaking up the lawn with small fences and borders so they can't just charge off down the length of the garden!

Generally I like it at about 1" length so I don't need something that'll cope with being cut very short, just something that doesn't need cutting all the time and if I'm in this position physically again, isn't going to grow to the length it's at now if left for a while (between 8-10" up to well over a foot long in places). I'm not bothered about weeds growing in it - a fair bit of the lawn at the moment is weeds, I like the variety and the colours they add when flowering as do the bees!

So, any suggestions? Thanks

Oh also - suggestions on the best way to remove the old lawn would help too please!

 

Have you considered reducing the size of your lawns? It would help your health issues and it doesn't mean that you need to have huge planted areas to replace it. Take a look at the link below......

https://www.google.com/search?q=gra...V7AbB-IBY&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=752


Slow growing lawn seed is available, have a look on the internet to give you ideas of type and price. With the amount of lawn you have it's going to be a big and hard job to remove it and even if you kill off what you have now, the area will still need preparing for the new seed/lawn. There is machinery available to hire for slicing off the turf that is worth considering.

 

I will be removing some lawn altogether, as I'll be getting an allotment patch up and running next year which will take up a big chunk at the end of the garden. That'll knock around 1/4 off the workload I think, and it'll be in the bit that's most awkward to mow as it's where the three fences of the corner meet (the boundary is about 10ft past the corner itself). I'm also going to be putting some beds in - I have big specimen plants dotted around the lawn and I'm gonig to be plating round the base of some, again to make mowing easier (especially my tamarix as it's growing mostly sideways so I can't mow under it any more!).

Gravel is not an option, although those gardens are gorgeous! But I really don't like it for a start, and one of my dogs is not steady on his feet so gravel would be nothing short of disastrous for him. He needs solid ground to walk on.

I'll have another google, thanks

 

If you are needing to mow your grass twice a week you have some rough varieties in there, or are using a generous helping of fertiliser?. I reckon a decent quality lawn seed mix, with fine perennial rye grass (must be fine - that's what I think is wrong with yours) won't grow like blue-blazes. Plus it will give you a good looking and reasonably hard wearing lawn.

For now I would cut it a lot shorter, that will deter the more vigorous grasses you have, and favour the finer grasses, and then I would overseed in the Autumn with the seed mix that you want (and repeat in future years). I reckon that would be a lot less work than replacing the lawn (which is a HUGE undertaking, plus it puts it out of commission for several months whilst it regrows - even if you Turf it)

If you have temporary back problems, or similar, find a strong youth nearby who could do with a few quid and get them to cut it for you?

 

Thanks Kristen. It gets no fertiliser whatsoever, it just grows like crazy! How would the overseeding work? I've never done anything to any lawn beyond just cutting it so this is new to me!

 

OK, its a "rough" grass then. Mowing it short (not right down to the roots though!!) will give it a hard time, and the fine grasses will survive that quite happily, and over time the rough grass will give up ... and the finer grasses take over.

The idea is that you "introduce" new grass varieties, to give them a helping hand. Basically you just increase the proportion of grass varieties that you want, so to speak. I've forgotten exactly (but Mr Google will tell you ) but its something like 1/2 or 1/4 of the rate of seed application that you would use if sowing a brand new lawn.

I could do with someone who knows more about it, than me, confirm whether they think this would get rid of the "rough" grasses - before you start on it!

 

Overseeding sounds like a good option then. I couldn't mow it down to the roots even if I wanted to - the ground is far too uneven, if I go below about an inch long then the mower starts digging up the ground!

It's different in different areas - particularly up the back, it doesn't get as tall and it's quite 'loose', much easier to mow even when it's fully grown like it is now. That area was apparently all veg patch until a few years before I bought the house so I guess the finer stuff has taken over there, heavy weed load too which helps. The worst area is closer to the house, that's almost all thick and heavy stuff. Nightmare.

 

In that case my suggestion would be:

Come Autumn:

• Mow as short as you can (scalping it in places if necessary)
• Spread topsoil over the area, and get it nice and even (if you have to put down more than an inch, in places, then we might need a different strategy - although if "just in a few places" that would be OK - the old grass isn't going to grow through several inches of soil)
• Over-seed with the grass seed of your choice
• Water immediately, and then twice a week (unless you have decent rain) until the grass germinates [probably 14-21 days] - no sense waiting for the weather on an area you want to use, as it may turn out to be a dry month when you do it

 

Slow growing grass seed is a bit of a marketing hype I think. I've never seen any real evidence of it, especially in a domestic scenario. There are professional growth hormone treatments available which encourage the grass to grow sideways rather than upwards, but these are only temporary and quite expensive.

The speed of grass growth on your lawn is generally dictated by two things: The soil and the weather.
If the soil is nice and soft and with a good balance of nutrients then the grass will grow well. Likewise, if it is getting a good amount of sun, warm temperatures and plenty of water, that too will also help it grow well.
To "slow it down" you need to inhibit some, or all of these factors, which generally means do the opposite of what is recommended good lawn care practice!
Firstly, never feed it, and always remove the clippings after mowing. This will keep the nutrient levels low and the grass will just plod along not doing anything special.
Secondly, you may want to consider getting a lawn roller and rolling it over and over. This will compact the top of the soil and, although this is very bad practice in nearly all cases, the act of compacting the soil will reduce the size of the grass roots and slow it's growth dramatically. I have seen some compacted lawns which still have grass and are never mown. The grass just goes dormant.

Now the problem you will encounter if you go down this route is that it will not be hard wearing, as the definition of a hard wearing lawn is one that recovers quickly, and slowing down growth will obviously slow down its repair rate.

It is a tough one, and I feel that you are probably after something that probably doesn't exist.

Hope this helps.

Kris

 

I did wonder if that was the case, which is why I wanted to ask here first

If slow-growing is more of a dream then just looking at different grass types would help. If the whole lawn was the grass I have up the back it wouldn't be an issue - even very long, that is far, far less of a problem to mow than the stuff down front. So if I could find out what that is then get some of that, that would help perhaps? I've attached pics. The darker, finer stuff is the tough stuff that I want rid of. Very dense near the base which is why it's so flipping hard to get through when it's long! Up the back there are two or three different types but they are all less dense, with wider leaves. Easier to get through and the leaves cut easier too I think.