Lawn help please - stuck on what to do

Righty. So my garden has transformed amazingly from what it was.
I have laid some new fresh seeds, that have become rather luscious green grass.
But as you can see, the old lawn has a lot to be desired.
It has a lot of clover, weeds.. and yeah, as you can see a bit blah.
(Patches are the result of dog fostering lately, but good news with the lawn it will now be having a break from dog pee!)

I have tried to use B&Q's own 'lawn feed + weed killer' with the idea to maybe kill all the clover and dandelions etc.etc. and put some more seeds down and try to get it looking as luscious as the rest, but it is just not working. Maybe it's the cheap 'lawn weed killer'?
I don't know. I am very impatient and want rid of the weeds and some lovely green grass!

Any suggestions on what my options are? Preferably fast and effective!
Maybe just re-seed the old stuff? Or would that make the weeds worse or just not work?

Here's a pic of the lawn in it's current state:

 

Thanks!

Is there any weed killer for lawns you would recommend?
This one doesn't seem to do anything.. But it is a cheapo value one!

 

Yes, we watered the grass directly after dog-peeing but now the dogs have been rehomed and we're having a break from the fostering - so the grass is going to have some well deserved TLC and a break!

I seeded all the sides and back of the garden (as you may be able to tell) so i'm quite confident with seeding the lawn and all the watering concerned, so that part should be quite successful i hope!
Will the clover stop the seeds from growing though? As in, taking up all the floor so-to-speak? Will the seeds be able to grow past/through it?

I only have a little cheap electric lawn-mower.. I don't think you can set it to a height, but i will try and not take too much off the top. It is a pain though because you have to rake up the grass cuttings afterwards

 

I'm afraid I disagree with the weedkiller idea for now.

I'd start with the lawn mower. Give it a good short haircut. Cutting it regularly (at least once a week) will weaken the weeds while helping the grass.

If the grass is well established, take a rake to it and give it a good scrub, that will dislodge much of the clover and will also pull out dead grass.

The next bit is just what I did, I don't know if its right but it has worked well for me in the past. Get some sacks of sharp sand (or silver sand) and some rotted farmyard manure (which some big shops are calling 'soil conditioner' these days). Mix it together about two parts sand to one part manure, and spread it all over the lawn. Try to work it into the grass, so the grass is showing through it.

Spread some more lawn seed over the bald or sparse patches and trample it in. A bit more sand over the top (a dusting) will help hide the seeds from the birds.

Keep it watered and mow it regularly and the grass will soon dominate over the weeds, which will gradually just die off.

Maybe speed things along by feeding it with a high nitrogen feed.

 

sometimes it works out cheaper to get the experts to sort out a problem

contact Greenthumb .... from what I have heard, they are very cheap and sort out the problem in quick time ...

and they have maintenance plans where they visit on a regular basis (4 times a year) and from what I have read, it costs as little as £16 a visit for a small garden (will cost you a lot more to do the treatments yourself)

GreenThumb: Lawn Care, Lawn Maintenance, Lawn Treatment, Lawn Advice Service

suppose it's like steamcleaning your carpets .... you can hire a steam cleaning machine, buy a bottle of carpet cleaning chemical .... at the end of the day, you end up buying loads of extra bottles of chemicals, spend hrs trying to clean the carpets .... whereas you call the experts and it works out cheaper in the long run (and they get rid of all the stains)

 

the bloke at work told me this he pays £15 every three month and he has no weeds at all but what a try telling him is i want to learn to do it my self i have took a keen interest in gardening as i have bought my first home and i want the land and property looking as presentable as i can get it. i see his point but he thinks i am mad but each to there own lol

 

I have been in the sports turf industry for over 30 years. Recently my attention has turned to amenity turf which includes home owned lawns and I have come across a few of these franchises and Greenthumb being the biggest, that one in particular. Some of the stories I have heard and the practises I have seen has made me chuckle and swear at the same time.

I am still learning my trade even after 30 years but the franchisors give their franchisees 2 weeks training, a new van and uniform and send them out into the world branded as lawn care experts.

I would be very aware of getting into bed with one of these companies as I know for a fact they are encouraged to sell you treatments your lawn probably does not need.

As with any tradesman look for a reccomendation from a satisfied customer and take a look at their work otherwise you could find yourself out of pocket and your lawn will be no better.

 

so, share some secrets with us?

if we had to do the same 4 basic application per year as what greenthumb does, what do you recommend and what is the price of the fertilzer/weedkiller per 100 square meters of lawn

and which months do we apply?

 

I am only too happy to help but first let's get one thing straight. No 2 pieces of turf are the same, I have had wildy differing patches on the same cricket outfield. The weather also plays a major role. These lawn experts will roll up in their sign written van look what's in their manual and go out and do it whatever the condition of the turf.

As a groundsman/greenkeeper however you have to be able to see what is going on, what is the probable cause and the best way to deal with it.

I was asked to look at a lawn which was losing all its grass, the local guy from Greenthumb had looked at the lawn the week before and said it needed a feed which he preceeded to do. Under the turf it was crawling with leatherjackets which proved to be the problem but the manual told this lawn expert if in doubt feed.

Spring/summer feed use mastergreen spring 9:7:7. 25KG treats 714m, thats 7 treatments for your 100m lawn. Costs £20.40. The choice of weedkiller will depend entirely on the weeds you have. If you have dandelion, daisy, plantain, happy days. If you have yarrow, speedwell, trefoil you need something totally different.

It all depends on the condition of your turf what you have to use.I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

Hi everyone

Well i did try that greenthumb as recommended, and i believe someone came round however they have failed to contact me back (they said they could assess without me being there, but it doesn't help when they don't tell me the results!).

After what hypnum said about the lack of training and minimal knowledge, i am quite reluctant to proceed further with them, particularly because i am not interested in them coming from now on - would rather have it sorted or have the lawn checked out once by an expert, maybe have a treatment, and then carry on doing it myself.. Not have them keep coming back.

I have uploaded some photos of my lawn, please see this photobucket album: http://s10.photobucket.com/albums/a122/bethicus/Other/



This was a photo of the lawn prior to it's cut.. Makes it a bit more obvious i think to see?


The general middle section was original stuff, the sides and back is B&Q value lawn seeds that i popped down and grew (as some places were borders, and others were just bare earth that was hidden by rubbish).
I know there is patches of no lawn.. It is from foster doggies pee burning the grass! I will get around to re-seeding those area's at some point.
The lawn has recently had a good trim as you can tell, but the middle area is the area I am concerned needs some work.. It seems to be mainly weeds.

Any advice now I have some photos of what i am working with??

 

Well i am feeling quite disheartened.
My lawn - the majority of it - seems to be just dandelions, more dandelions and clover.
I have tried the feed & weed from B&Q and it doesn't seem to do anything.

Someone help me please :(

 

Scotts Cleanrun Pro 10+2+4 Weed & Feed Fertiliser 25kg - Turf Weed & Feeds - Pitchcare Shop

I have not used this, so check it out further ... also check which months it can be used ... contact the company in the link, and I am sure they will advise accordingly

 

might be best to remove all the grass, re-work the soil and re-seed? ... reason being is that you have different types of grass, and it will always look odd

.... the area is not large, so will not cost much if you do it yourself

 

Thanks.
I have thought about that (more lately than before) but it would just be a shame to lose the lawn during that period. (My parents visit with their dogs quite often).

I will have a good think, thank you *dim*, and i will decide either to try another weed and feed like you have suggested or go for a complete re-seed.