Overseeding lawn

Yes Sheal it is a lot of work and dedication that I don't contemplate when I started. I watered then lawn tonight as it has been dry and warm today and it has surprised me how lush it is already, although there are still many areas that need over seeding again.

I'm going to leave it for a couple of weeks and then once I have applied more dressing and seed, will cover it with chicken wire to keep the birds from dining out at my expense. ;-)

Interestingly enough, the soil here is also heavily clay. Do you have any tips for how I can condition/improve the quality of the soil and so improve the lawn? I carried some aerating last night, but it will take me a long time to do the whole lawn, so have decided to do a section at a time.

The aim is to have a beautifully lush lawn by the time the summer is out...

S

 

How about swapping some of your clay for my sandy soil. Being serious now.....it's best to work with opposites. Clay needs sand to help drainage and sandy soil needs topsoil or compost to retain moisture. As you aerate the lawn sweep some sand into the holes, that will help to keep the clay open and will also help keep moss at bay during the wet winter months.

When preparing for a new lawn to dig some small gravel, grit or sand into the clay soil. A little late for you now but the sand will help.

 

Use (or hire ) a hollow-tine aerator, and then top dress the lawn with sharp sand. Bush the sand into the grass - so the blades poke through it, rather than are smothered by it. The theory is that the sand is brushed into the hollow tine's holes, but in practice that would be way to fiddly, but spreading the sand evenly over the surface means it gets washed into the holes by the rain.

You need to collect the "spoil" from the hollow tined aerator (pile it up, it will rot down to lovely "loam"), otherwise that soil gets washed back into the holes instead of the sand - or compressed down in spots and smothers the grass.

 

Thanks Sheal and Kristan - appreciate the advice so I will do this.

I already have a hollow tine aerator but I need to get it sharpened so it works better. Then to follow up with sharp sand.

I take it I can do this any time of the year!?

I guess best time to apply sand is after a cut and then leave for a week til next cut to allow sand to get absorbed.

How will this benefit the lawn? Will I see a marked difference over time?

Thanks again, S

 

Hollow tine aeration is best done in the Autumn (Anytime after the end of August). The effect isn't immediate, and its basically something that should be done regularly but often isn't - which results in a lawn that gets compacted, and deteriorates, over time.

Doing it now may cause problems if we hit a dry spell, as the improved drainage will mean that the grass need to hollow cores will struggle.

 

OK makes sense. The lawn gets dry if I don't water it if no rain has fallen, so much so that in 1 corner there are a couple of cracks now. Then in the winter it is mostly a sodden quagmire, so I guess the aerating and sharps sand will improve this, hopefully markedly.

 

If that is a description of reality? (rather than a frustration about its state after a heavy rain ) then it needs drains, rather than aeration. Aeration won't shift significant amounts of water; whilst it may enable surface water it to reach lower levels in the soil structure more easily, it is as much about getting air into the root structure of the turf.

If the lawn is waterlogged for prolonged periods during the winter it is either full of builders buried junk, or a plough-pan remains from when it was agricultural land, and/or the soil structure prevents adequate drainage,. Builder rubble needs removing, plough-pan breaking up, but ultimately excess water needs drains; nothing else will do a good job (e.g. planting a thirst tree, like a Willow)

 

Thanks Kristen you are most certainly very astute as I fear we have a fair amount of builders rubble.

The house was built 3-4 years ago, and I have good reason to think there is a fair amount of rubble under the lawn as when I turned over the soil on a completely bare patch prior to seeding I found some rubble that I removed, also when I have been pushing a fork into the lawn I've found stone/rubble...

All this may suggest carving up the lawn and then I'd be tempted to stick some drainage channels in as there is a small brook behind the garden the channels could nicely run into, and start a fresh with a new lawn. Seems a shame as I've invested a lot of hard work into improving the current one.

Excuse the pun but I will take a rain check on this and wait to see how things fare this coming winter, as last winter was exceptionally wet so could prove to be an anomaly.

 

It beggars belief, to me, that builders are allowed to do that. ALL the rubble has to come out if you are to have any hope of making a garden ...

 

Well the most important aspect to me at the moment is the lawn, and as it has massively improved this year from my work then maybe it will look fine and I won't need to dig it up - here's hoping.

Just to add that I have admittedly gone over the top with the lawn, with the intention of making it bowling green perfect which to many (including my wife) is a little over the top, as even just now it looks much better than the average lawn.

I agree with you though that it's outrageous that builders just bury the rubble in gardens rather than taking responsibility for removing it as part of the job.

 

A good lawn always sets off the rest of the garden - and stops people noticing weeds and other perfections, so even if it seemed excessive there is still a hidden gain