Dying lawn!

Hello everyone. I have a real problem with my lawn. We have been in the house for about 4 years and it is getting progressively worse. The only green parts left are under fruit trees, the rest is very yellow and appears to have died altogether in places. I feed it at least once a year and mow it once a week at high setting. The house was built in an old orchard and the topsoil was probably scraped off before the lawn was seeded. The soil is very clay, which I thought was regarded as quite rich in nutrients? It never seems to be waterlogged though.
I live in NE Scotland, so we aren't short of rain!
Any ideas on what to do? Should I rake out the dead grass and re-sow on top? It is a large area and would probably be too expensive to turf.
Thanks!

 

Hi Lester,

That's a bit of a tough one without seeing it - don't suppose you have any photos do you?

You'd have no problem re-seeding this time of year, especially in Scotland, but if there is an underlying problem, it might be wise to try and sort that out first so that the new seedlings don't die off as well.

 

Hi lester

Is it a new house? Do you know if there is any topsoil under your lawn? Do you have neighbours and do they have the same prob? Im also in NE Scotland so i can vouch for the fact that there is no lack of rain. Ir even sleet and hail this week :eek:

 

Hi Lester,

Been in my house 2 years. My lawn is dying rapidly too. It has been a bit bare in a shaded area of the front garden for a while, but has started dying fast over the past two or three weeks. The bare soil is covered in tiny holes 4-5 mm diameter. I saw a few daddy-long-legs on the wall of my house and wondered whether this could be related. There are one or two references to their larvae on various sites... Neigbours don't have this problem. Help!

 

Good call.

Try www.greemgardener.co.uk for info on a nematode that you can apply to your lawn. It is too late this year as the leatherjackets in your soil have already done the damage. It says to apply in september for best results. The deadly chemical that you used to get has been withdrawn so i think this may be the only option. Others may know different. Its pretty cheap so i guess its worth a try.

 

thats www.greengardener.co.uk

 

Our house is about 6 years old and is one of two which were built at similar times. The one next door has a nice lawn which looks at the same level as mine, so I assume the soil state is similar. They do have more shade and appear to have a lot of clover in their lawn, which will obviously aid nitrogen levels. The original lawn at the back of the old house next door is beautiful.
I looked into turf but it was seriously expensive and of course no guarantee it will take. So my plan is to scarify the surface to remove the dead grass, moss etc and reseed. Does anyone know of a good cheap supply of grass seed and have any tips for reseeding?
I'll take some photos and attach them tomorrow. Thanks for all your help.

 

I've just reseeded using strong Canadian seed. Not cheap, but seems to have done the trick.

I covered the seeded areas heavily with John Thingy No 2 [mental block on the surname at the mo, sorry] and that seems to have produced stronger, faster growth.

 

Innes, innit

 

No, Innes aint it.
Gotta get the grammer right.

 

You leave my grandma out of it!

 

I went for the petrol lawn scarifier from HSS. What a machine! I don't have much lawn left, but it certainly removed the dead grass and moss exceptionally easily. Looked like a hay field....

Now to fertilise and sow grass seed. Anyone know a good source of cheap seed?

 

Go to Homebase on one of their x% off everything days - usually just before a bank holiday.

 

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 Scotland, can you elaborate on your location (i.e Howe o' the Mearns or Banff coast). Check a neigbouring agricultural field for confirmation of what the soil texture should be. Try extra fertilser on a small part and check if that makes a difference (use a general 17-17-17 + Sulphur, Magnesium and Iron)