Where do I start?

Hi, thought I would come onto this forum for some advice as I have just started to sort out my lawn but don't know what I should/should not be doing.

The photo below should give you an idea of how it looked yesterday after 3 1/2 years of being left to its own devices:



I have now managed to get rid of the brambles and dig up the roots plus strimming back the top layer a couple of times and this is where I am up to:





OK, I need to strim it a couple more times and then go over it with the mower but what else should I be doing i.e. lawn feed, weed killer etc Or do you have other ideas e.g. rip it all up and sow some lawn seed or lay new turf.

Ideally I would like to get some nice green grass but realise this will not happen overnight. I'm not in a rush and the lawn doesn't get used at the minute and there are no pets.

Cheers for any ideas as i'm sure they will be better than it is now.

 

Hello and welcome to the forum.

 

If it were mine, I'd be tempted to rotivate it and lay turf but hard to say without a closer inspection.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner Ellisium.

I agree with Walter. You've made a good job of clearing it so far, but to be honest I think you would be better rotovating it and starting afresh with a new lawn. It will also give you the opportunity to level it.

I prefer to seed a new lawn, I think you get a better finish. Obviously doing it now as we're heading towards summer will mean that you need to keep it watered until it's established.

 

Thanks for the welcome and replies.

I kind of agree, I need to sow or lay a new lawn but just needed others to push me in that direction. Which websites are best for guidance and products to do this?

After a quick search I came across lawnuk.com. Are the products available from B
&Q good enough or are there other/better options.

Also, from your experience what would be the best way forward for me now i.e. dig up the top layer of existing grass, rotavate the ground and level it, add a turf & seed fertiliser then sow the new seeds etc

Again, i'm not in a hurry to complete this as I understand that it will take a while but just want a nice result.

Cheers

 

Cheers Andy, just what I wanted to know.

I'll crack on with the strimming and then mow it over as planned and see what stage I am at after that. What sort of timeframes am I looking at before applying the Glyphosphate and where would be the best place to get it from or would any do?

Your right about the shaded section which covers about 20% of the garden and that is an area I am going to have to look at.

 

You can buy Round-Up which is glyphosate based from any diy centre or garden centre. It's a systemic killer which works it's way throught the plant killing roots as well, be aware it kills just about anything it touches, so use on a calm day with no wind to make it drift. The Glyphosate can be used now and you will see the effects of it starting within a couple of days, it will turn everything brown (dead) and then you can rotovate.

 

Thanks for that Sheal, sounds like a job for the weekend.

Enjoy the TT this week

 

Your welcome Ellisium.

I don't think there'll be much if any racing this week, the weather forecast is dreadful. I should have spent more time out during last week which was practice week, but there you go, there's always next year.

 

OK, just digging up my thread from a couple of months ago.

I'm about to progress on with my garden this weekend while we have some good weather. It has been strimmed a couple of times and i've also used some glyphosphate.

What I want to know is should I be hiring a mechanical rotovator or could I do it by hand using a cultivator from B&Q. The garden is only about 20 - 25m2 but i'm not sure whether the hand cultivator would go deep enough.

Also, is the grass seed from B&Q any good?

Thanks

 

I think you might find it hard work doing it by hand. I'd be inclined to hire one, it will be quicker too.

Sorry, I've not used seed from B & Q. Have you got a local Nursery where you can buy, they will advise you on what type to use.

 

Definately hire one, it'll be much quicker and a better finish. Not a bad price, and you'll get it done in a morning or afternoon.

As for seed, not used any for a full lawn except for patches so can't recommend. I went for turf and although dearer, it's instant but needs constant watering for it to establish properly.

 

Cheers guys, going to make a start this morning and try and hire a rotovator at short notice.

Can I just check what is the correct procedure for the preparation of the ground before I add the grass seed?

I was going to dig up and remove the old turf, rotovate the soil, rake it so that it is even, walk over it to compact it and then add the grass seed. Does this seem about right and should I also be adding any other items such as fertiliser?

Thanks

 

You've got it just about right Ellisium. When you've trodden it down make sure it's level, then loosen off the top surface with the rake before you lay the seed. There's no need to add anything to the ground, it won't need fertiliser at this point, but think about that next year when it's established.

Don't forget to water every day if it doesn't rain until it's established.