Best lawn-care sequence to proceed in?

Hello all,

I would appreciate some advice on what sequence / order to place my lawn care activities in.

For info, my lawns are on clay soil and so are often soaking wet and mossy, thanks to the Scottish weather. The larger rear lawn does OK as it drains (into the neighbours garden - haha!) and gets a lot of sun by our own standards - south facing. However, the smaller front lawn struggles as it is shaded by the house and slopes towards the house, meaning it cant drain as well.

I am not an experienced lawn-master, but I know how to rake/scarify/aerate and apply treatment (feed and moss/weed killer). These are my usual annual lawn activities, done usually around spring and autumn. This keeps things looking reasonably good.

The extra complication this time is that I want to put some grass seed down to fill some patches and also over-seed for general re-invigoration.

I used Evergreen 4-in-1 and it says not to put seed down for 8 weeks after using it.

Originally, my plan had been to put Evergreen down this week, then attack with the scarifier/rake next weekend and then seed after that.

But the Evergreen instruction would mean I cant seed till the start of June - is that too late?

So I am conflicted as to whether to do it all, and if so, in what order?!

I would have started earlier, but March was very cold this year. I know you can seed in Autumn too, but by that point I am usually sick of the garden and looking forward to a few months off over winter haha!

Thanks for any help.

 

Hiya Gabriel
I can offer advice but our expert here is liz the pot so hopefully your post will be noted

 

How much weed are we talking about?

On an average it’s 4 weeks after a weed and feed and less after using just a fertiliser. If after applying it’s wet for a long period it may be less or if we go through a dry spell a tad more. It’s the herbicide that harms new growth rather than the fertiliser in these 4 in 1 products.
If moss is the main issue it’s worth treating that with iron by its self then raking up or scarify then dress and seed the lawn.
You might be able to combat the moss to a degree throughout the winter if no frosts are due which will help with the spring work.
This cold weather means herbicides are less productive and if it’s too cold I would hold off from a high N feed.
You can get Autumn feeds in granular form that contain iron that are better to use in the cooler period but the iron content is low so it depends on how much moss you have.
Any chance of a photo as it helps others to see what condition your lawn is in.

 

Im going to be tackling the moss at the year end too. Ive done the iron ,scarify and feed already this spring. Looking rough but it should be fine by June.

Moss invasion is most active in my lawns in autumn it seems and the mistake i make is leaving the lawn to the following spring before treating it.

My thinking now is in Scotland we get 3 ish weeks less summer weather and more autumn weather,perefct for moss as our grass slows down earlier allowing the moss to thrive.

Thinking light iron treatment and light scarify ? My neighbour trimming the monster sycamores would help the most but thats not going to happen.

 

Hi there.

We tend to keep on top of the weeds - the problem is that many of the neighbours don't bother and so their lawns are breeding grounds for all kinds of weeds etc. The Evergreen is one layer of our anti-weed defence, others are plucking individual weeds and also spraying with lawn Resolva.

But its really the moss which is the problem.

Gotcha - thanks.

So, a chief difference between using Iron and Evergreen is that the former is a feed & moss killer, but the latter has weed-killer too? is that right?

I've seen Iron promoted as a "green up" product - how does that work, I thought Nitrogen was for greening?

If I just treat with Iron, do I need any delay before seeding (over and above waiting for moss to blacken, to then scarify)?

I've noticed my scarifier is pretty good at ripping out moss and thatch on its own - but I take it is still worth using a treatement?

Are iron treatments always done by dissolving it then applying with watering can?

If I did an Iron treatment and sacrified this month, do you think I could get away with seeding in early may?

Good idea - I will try: the back lawn doesn't look too bad, but the front is pretty ropey.

Many thanks for all your help and advice, much appreciated!

 

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! As you can see I have a lot to learn about lawns!

 

We tend to keep on top of the weeds - the problem is that many of the neighbours don't bother and so their lawns are breeding grounds for all kinds of weeds etc. The Evergreen is one layer of our anti-weed defence, others are plucking individual weeds and also spraying with lawn Resolva.

But its really the moss which is the problem.



Gotcha - thanks.

So, a chief difference between using Iron and Evergreen is that the former is a feed & moss killer, but the latter has weed-killer too? is that right?

Iron alone is not enough to simply feed a lawn, it’s a deterrent against moss. Iron is classed as a micronutrient and and is involved in the formation of chlorophyll hence the greening up when iron is applied.
Evergreen is a complete feed NPK with a weed killer and iron added.

I've seen Iron promoted as a "green up" product - how does that work, I thought Nitrogen was for greening?

Nitrogen also has a roll with chlorophyll, a deficiency will show as poor growth and yellowing.
There are many components that aid turf care but the by product of iron is it deters moss hence its use but it also plays an important part in the greening up of the plant as above.
This is why you need a balanced feed and to monitor the growth and colour. To little N leads to poor growth and reduced carbohydrate which creates poor roots below ground and too much leads to excessive top growth and poor root development. This is why watching your turf and giving it a well balanced feed is productive for getting the best turf.

If I just treat with Iron, do I need any delay before seeding (over and above waiting for moss to blacken, to then scarify)?

Once scarified you can seed.


I've noticed my scarifier is pretty good at ripping out moss and thatch on its own - but I take it is still worth using a treatement?

Iron in the soil helps to deter moss growth, applying iron before means less waste too. Iron can be applied before or afterwards, no set rules but scarifying will never remove all the moss and you want a percentage of thatch left too. Common mistake is to run over the area too many times trying to remove moss and thatch and then ending up seeding to correct the mistake.


Are iron treatments always done by dissolving it then applying with watering can?

No, iron can be found in both granular and liquid forms. Some granular forms can be applied via a spreader but it’s more common to use a granular which is dissolved with water.

If I did an Iron treatment and sacrified this month, do you think I could get away with seeding in early may?


Everything depends on the weather, a hot spell like last year means you need to keep the seed watered.



Good idea - I will try: the back lawn doesn't look too bad, but the front is pretty ropey.

Many thanks for all your help and advice, much appreciated!

Hope my answers help above. It’s all about keeping the turf to a good level through monitoring from watching for colour changes to the amount cut in relation to growth. Too much N and you get weak grass above and root growth is slowed. This problem is why in spring you should not apply a high N product but be looking at a lower level for our cool season grasses.
There’s also the issue of diseases, Red thread is more likely in grasses that have poor nutrients but other diseases can be seen in turf that has excessive feeding due to the outer layer of the plant being thin.
In the sports industry many grounds are built in mind of the turf but domestic is challenging as we see different situations all the time ie soil, type of grass and so on.