Help!!!

Hello All
I have joined today and would be grateful of any help of any experienced and knowledgeable gardeners out there. The problem is as follows:
I cut my lawn on Monday 22/8/11, then fed it with B&Q lawnfeeder/weedkiller, then left it as I was expecting rain to fall that evening. Alas no rain came until Friday 26/8/11, by which time the lawnfeeder/weedkiller had starting to kill off the grass on my lawn!
I am now left with lots of big black patches where the grass has been killed off and died.
Has anyone got any advice/solutions/ideas etc to help me restore the grass?
I was thinking of reseeding the lawn?
I am an inexperienced gardener and would would be grateful of any advice.
Cheers
The Duke

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner.

Blimey, thats a bit of bad luck, re seeding would be the cheapest way to do it, i'd loosen the soil where the seed is going and water it in. The birds will think you are feeding them though.

 

Hi Duke,

If it was a granular weed/feed it should really be watered in if there's no rain within a couple of days. Also you shouldn't weed or feed within three days of cutting, before or after. Having said that, did it have a moss killer in it too, if you're lucky this will be what has turned black and will need to be scarified (raked out).

If you are absolutely sure it's grass you have killed, I would rake it out anyway, but it looks like you will have to re-seed. You could wait a couple of weeks to see if it recovers, but it's late in the season now and will be slowing down in growth anyway.

 

Thank you for the advice. What time of year is best to reseed? Should I wait until next year and if so which month is best?

 

Thank you for the advice. Should I reseed at this time of year or wait until next year? If so which month would be best?

 

Your a bit keen there Duke:D

Go for it now, you should be ok

 

You can re-seed anytime of year as long as the temperature is not too low. I think the minimum is around 50 to 55 fahrenheit, not sure what that is translated to centigrade. It will tell you on the seed instructions.

 

Hello
Before I reseed, do I need to do use any top soil in the areas where the black patches are? Do you recommend any techniques, tips etc...
Where is the best place to buy new seeds from?
Cheers
Duke

 

I'd put the seed down and give a fine covering of top soil, that's all it will need to get it going. Water of course.

I buy my seed from a local garden centre. Evergreen General Purpose. Hasn't failed me yet!

 

Lawn problems.

Hello Duke;
I live in South Manchester and so have similar weather conditions.
You should never put on lawn food and weedkiller just after you have cut the lawn. Leave it to "re-seal" the cuts for a week, then put on the feed and weedkiller and water it in with a hosepipe.
Also, you should not cut the grass in the sunshine. Cut it in the evening when it is cooler.
You will now have to loosen the bald areas, seed it, cover it with a thin layer of good compost and water it. To keep birds off, you can put thin string across it and hang something shiny on it.
I hope this helps.