to flymo or not to flymo

I have a very small lawn (20 ft x 20 ft approx) and I have to say that using a flymo is very quick - but, does it cause thatch?

I would love a nice verdant stiped lawn, but as it is so small, it does get heavy wear, and I'm not sure that it would be possible, what with the kids and their (hated) paddling pool!

So, is there any point in a roller mower?

 

original flymo s have no grassbox and are ideal for small areas if you want to rake off the clippings ..... they cope reasonably well with slopes and uneven lawns, partly cos height of cut is quite high: since the original flymo, rotary mowers have been designed with 4 wheels , these are easier to use, and if they have a rear roller will give a stripe, of sorts.
when you say a roller mower do you mean a cylinder mower ..... rotary mowers with a rear roller will give a stripe, but not as good a finish as a well set up cylinder mower on a well laid lawn sown with fine grasses
A family fun lawn will not be ideal lawn for your stripes, and tho you can get the same grass mixture as used on premium pitches this is unlikely to produce professional footballers in your family!
There is also a grass seed mixture which grows with stripes, requires carefull sowing [in stripes]
In general, tho most people accept that a perfect lawn is beyond their reach, because everything needs to be done perfectly, including top dressing with topsoil and fresh seed every year
PS you could lay Astro Turf!

[ 28. March 2006, 07:28 AM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

re thatch, on such a small lawn use a spring tine fork every time you remove clippings and the thatch should disappear, use spring fertiliser and autumn fertiliser too, if deciding to top dress with lawn seed and/or topsoil every spring, make sure you use bird scarers [perhaps the children could make a few scary things with cd s and old kites?

 

We have two very small lawns & use a cheap, lightweight electric hover, with a plastic cutter which gives good results if used regularly. (no stripes though) We find that we rarely need to rake as only short bits are cut off each time & these tend to blow into the borders. Although as LG says it wouldn't be a problem to rake such a small area.

Paddling pool goes on the paved area with some carpet underlay beneath it to prevent punctures & bruises.(kick the kids out, invite some friends round, pool party! )

 

I meant a cylinder mower!

The lawn was laid last Easter (turf) and looked lovely all year until about September when brown patches began to spread across it from one corner. I raked it, but the grass seemed to just come out in lumps, it looked awful, and I had a severe ticking off about it!

Now it's sort of recovering, but I'm afraid I trampled it when I built my greenhouse and now its worse than ever!

I shall feed it soon, and just keep my fingers crossed that it will be back to its old self!

 

when you laid the turf did you prepare the undersoil with good drainage and did it get enuff watering to allow roots to grow downwards,,,,,,,, then did it get fed in autumn?
i would tend to aerate it now esp if you have been trampling on it!
ps there are some pests and disease that could cause brown patches too ........ i bet your glad you ve only got a little bit of grass!

[ 28. March 2006, 09:03 PM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

The whole garden had been neglected for 30 yrs before we moved in and was full of brambles, ivy, overgrown shrubs, stingers, etc... I cleared it all away and dug it over three times before I raked it and prepared it for turf. I must admit I didn't feed it before I laid the turf, but I gave it growmore in the autumn.

I suppose I shall just have to aerate it now. Is it worth scarifying it now? I'm not sure if thatch can build up enough in one season to warrant it! (I hope not, anyway!)

 

yes, scarify now, but keep off if things are too wet - it won't do any good. If it's a small area, just use a springbok (very bouncy metal or plastic rake) - no need for expensive machinery! And a very good workout!