Renovate or maybe start from scratch.

Four seeds in a row, one for the rook, one for the crow, one will wither and one will grow.

I did not have any issues with birds. I saw squirrels eating the seed though. Plus it is early days in the germination process. I will wait a few more days to see if there is any need for re-seed. Regardless, I will have enough seed and fertiliser left over after both gardens to seed any bare patches.

 

I need one for the rook, one for the crow, a thousand or so for sparrows and none for squirrels......there's none on the island.

 

I walked on the grass to put some more seed down today at the bare spots down the back and some in the middle where the seed washed down the slope.

I did notice some weeds growing as well. I think I will have to pull them out or kill them with weed killer next spring. Or maybe the next few mows will take care of them.

 

You should be able to pull the weeds out while they are still young, if you do it gently then all the roots should come out too.

It was a good idea to re-seed and if there's any really thin spots then you can over-seed those too.

 

Been working on the front garden. I need to add some sand, quite muddy. it is almost done though. Level it, roll it and plant seed.

I will try and pull the weeds out. I have been avoiding walking on the grass so I could not tell if there was anything growing at the back end. I was not sure if the grass would be able to handle walking. But I thought it has been 13 days so I should risk it and seed the patchy areas. So I seeded the area at the back and some areas that have not come up well.

To me it seems like the 50 gm/m2 is not enough. But maybe that is not accounting for the critters and other extenuating circumstances that have an effect on seed growth.

 

Your soil in your front garden actually looks very good Mosamahab and by the time you've finished you'll be a lawn expert.

There's no reason why you shouldn't walk on the grass for access to it's different areas, just take it gently while it's maturing.

I often put down a lot more seed than instructions on packaging suggest, in fact when I'm patching, the area is often white with seed and very little soil showing.

 

There are good areas and there are bad areas in the front garden. Some of it is very good texture. The front edge is where it is clay and compacted. I have put a bag of sand down. I will another tomorrow as I ran out of sharp sand.

I have learnt a lot about lawns in the past few months through research. Plus you have always given good advice.

I was also thinking that it is just the beginning as one seed is one blade of grass. It should spread out eventually with more growth and cover the sparse areas in a few weeks. I will probably mow it after two more weeks. Or maybe earlier ?

Our gardens do not get used mostly because they were full of weeds. I am the only one who does anything with them. The hedge cutting, the mowing etc. So only I walk on them probably once a day if that. I was avoiding for the first two weeks because I did not want to damage any new seedlings.

Now what I am trying to figure out is what to do with this little patch of grass growing in the following picture. Maybe scrape it off like sod and patch it in where grass coverage is thin ?

 

You're right using the sand, it's always good to help drainage with clay.

Yes, one seed is one blade, but when you walk on it - it snaps the blade and automatically encourages the grass to put out new shoots. It is the same with mowing and a bit like pruning a shrub. If you cut back branches on a shrub it encourages new and thicker growth. Adjust your mower blades to a fairly high setting for the first few cuts and just take the top off. As the lawn establishes and becomes stronger you can lower the blade, but not so low that you scalp it. If you feel it's long enough to cut now then go ahead.

The little patch that you want to move you could put elsewhere and see if it settles. Being young it may not survive but it's worth a try. If you intend to cut the lawn I'd move the patch after doing that so the mower doesn't rip it up again.

 

Either way that patch is wasted grass. I just wanted to experiment and see what would happen as it would be just like moving sod. Granted it is not mature grass as you said. I will move it after the first mow and see what it does.

It does not look long enough for mowing yet. I think I will wait ten more days till the grass is around 3-3.5'. I don't want the seed I put down today to vortex into the mower via rotary action into the clippings collector before it has had time to germinate. That would be a waste.

Plus I think I will keep the mower at the highest height as I don't plan on a bowling green or putting surface. Just wanted some decent grass instead of weeds everywhere.

 

It sounds like you've got it all in hand Mosamahab.

 

Today's update. Still some bare patches but I can see new grass coming up.

 

I think the rain hates my grass seed. Two days later I put it down. It again was washing it down in the front garden.

 

Have you mowed the lawn yet Mosamahab? It may be a good time to give it a cut on a high setting and then lay some seed again. Perhaps it would be a good idea to check your weather forecast to see when there will be a dry spell and lay the seed then.

If it looks like rain after you've sown the seed, try covering the area with a clear plastic sheet. The light and warmth will help it germinate and hopefully it will prevent the seed from being washed away. The sheet can be removed when the grass appears.

 

It's British weather. It is as unpredictable as it can be. You can never know what will happen two days later. Which is what happened to both gardens. Exactly two days later it decides to rain hard. Not too worried though.

I am going to cut the back garden if and when it stop raining for a day. The grass is constantly wet by rain. I thought it is not a good idea to cut wet grass ?

I was initially going to cut it after 4 weeks. It still looks quite patchy is some areas, I am hoping it will fill out over time. Or I'll just reseed next spring.

 

No, it's not good to cut the grass when it's wet. I've had similar issues, it's been a wet spring and summer here this year too and a nightmare for getting things done outside.

With the temperatures dropping, particularly overnight germination is going to be slow now, perhaps it may be better to seed again next spring and the grass that's growing at the moment will have a chance to establish itself over the winter months.