Trouble getting lawn to grow healthy-Please help?

Hi, my name is Buel and this is my first post.
My girlfriend and i recently moved into our first rented house together and have only recently started taking an interest in the garden. Unfortunately our lawn doesn't seem as green and healthy looking as our neighbours as it seems to contain some moss and general weeds. One week ago i bought some Wiko brand 'Feed, Weed and Mosskiller' and spread it out evenly as the box suggested. I left it the 4 days as advised and mowed the lawn and tonight i raked it and it gathered up quite a bit of moss but to be honest the lawn doesn't look much better, infact it looks burnt in some areas. I would like to know please do i have to add some seeds maybe? And am i able to post a picture of the lawn to help matters?
Thank you in advance- Buel

 

Hi Buel,

A picture would be great to have a look at the lawn. I think that your lawn may be suffering from a lack of water. Using a weed/feed product during a hot spell is not the best idea, but your lawn will recover and look better. (My neighbour decided that yesterday was a good idea to lay some turf!)

If you have a lot of moss, do you have a lot of over hanging trees? Is your lawn in shade for some of the day?

Don't worry about seeding the lawn at the moment, you may need to do this in the future. I would advise if possible (if you haven't had any rain) to water the lawn and give it a good soak. It will look better, I'm sure.

Hope this Helps!

 

HI BUEL. i moved into my present home 3 years ago. my lawn(FOR WANT OF A BETTER WORD)
was like a (JUNGLE).all the weeds you can name were growing amongst the rough grass.
i was like you, looked to the left,looked to the right ,and all the nieghbours lawns where green and lush.i started with a strimmer, ( HEAVY DUTY) cut the grass and weeds down to as low as i could get them. then i started to cut the lawn(VERY REGULAR ) ,and after every cut i gave it a good soaking with the garden hose. when the weeds started to grow i used the trowel to dig them out
i have persivered ,it was a lot of work ,but now, one of my nieghbours asked me last week
(HOW IS YOUR LAWN SO GREEN? ARE YOU USING SPECIAL CHEMICALS????).
i have never used anything on my lawn except,regular cutting,and hosing after every cut!!.
music.

 

Hi Plant1star and music and thank you so much for your help, i appreciate it! Ok, im going to try to post a few images now, i hope this come up ok....

Hmmmm...i tried using 'photobucket' but i cant seem to get the images on here, any help please?

 

Hi Buel

After you upload the photo, click on it. On the left hand side there is a box saying IMG code, copy and paste that code into your post here.

 

Ok, thanks for that:
Here they are(hopefully)

 

Pic 1 is my lawn after id put the weed killer/grass promoter granules down (it has improved since then with all the rain though)
Pic 2 is my bean plant leaves that i have since sprayed with bug+disease spray
Pic 3 is the grass by our shed that doesn't seem to get enough sun (although this, again, is improving with the rain)
Pic 4 is ?? Are these 'clovers' weeds? They seem to be overrunning the grass!
Pic 5- Please can anyone tell me what this plant is? the one with the green 'straddly' bits?
Thank you- Buel

 

A tip for your lawn, it needs regular cutting, but (the important bit) don't cut the grass too short. With the regular cutting it will discourage some of the weeds. I believe that clover is a nitrogen fixer, which if your garden is a relatively new one, then I don't see that as being a disadvantage at the moment. You can always deal with the clover in the coming years, once you have a regular routine for your lawn.

To me your lawn looks ok, it just needs some regular love and attention, and you will have something better than what you have now.

In your last picture, the plant with the thin grass type leaves, I think that is some kind of bulb that is dying back from flowering in the spring. The other plant is bridal wreath.

Hope this Helps!

 

Cut it shorter and remove all the thatch. Once cut shorter keep cutting it regular.
If it was me i would cut it as short as possible, dethatch it, spike it all over with fork, then overseed it and rake the seed in/rough the surface.

Then keep it watered until seed germinating and the cut at a shorter height regularly. Then add some liqiud feed.

Should get good results there.

 

hi again! Please can anyone tell me is it really that bad for lawns if they are mowed when damp(after rain)?

 

Dont know if its bad for the lawn, but I wouldnt want to use an electrical device on something thats wet.

 

Hi, im just going to post a few pictures and then ask a few questions on them, i do hope this is ok! Thank you

 

My questions are how do i get rid of the weeds in the first image? Shall i dig them up or use the Wilko brand 'Feed, weed and mosskiler' on them?
As for the second image, this may sound a naive question but how do i keep the gradd from growing onto the paving slabs? Ideally id like to get it 'squared off' how i imagine it used to be?
Thank you in advance for any answers!!

 

With the dandelions I would dig them out, I'd use something with a bit of a point on, to get to the root. A little hard work, and you'll see the difference. You may want to sprinkle a little grass seed into the gaps left by the weed.

Secondly you need to invest in a half moon, also known as an edging iron. This tool slots down the side of the slabs and cuts off the excess grass. Wilkos or similar and you'll be able to pick one up for about a fiver.

Hope this Helps!

 

Oh it does help very much!!
Thank you for that, i shall get down to it this week!
Ps- any particular type of grass seed you would recommend?