Friends lawn in York

Got a friend who's got a lawn (nr York) that's a mess and helped him with it but wondering if I've done right or what else can be done too.

The lawn had a lot of moss, clover and dandelions. I cut it first, put down weed and feed, watered it in and the forked it all over to get some air into it. The ground was REALLY hard and lots of worms came out while doing it.

I didn't remote any weeds nor use moss killers as that would have made it look horrible very quickly.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks

 

A picture or two really would be helpful please Chris.

You've said you put down a weed and feed and then said you didn't remove any weeds. I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here?

If the lawn has moss and weeds then a combined weed, feed and moss killer would be the thing to use, this would deal with everything. Once the moss turns black it can be raked out (scarified), the weeds will die and the feed promote grass growth.

Unfortunately the lawn is going to look bad before it gets better, but it will recover in a few weeks.

 

The combined weed, feed and iron fertilisers tend to have a low iron content and are more aimed at Harding the turf rather than killing off the moss.
Try not to apply a weed and feed straight after cutting as the weed leaf tends to get cut off and it's the leaf that is needed so that the herbicide is taken in.
Also it's best to keep of the grass after applying such a treatment as you can end up with scorch foot marks and if you water then walk on it iron will transfer to your foot and then if you walk on slabs, patios and so on it will leave a rather nasty stain that's not easy to remove.
As its well into August the weed and feed treatment will be the last this year if you used a combined product as they are straight fertilisers and so have around 6 to 8 weeks working ratio.
If however you don't want the moss to look black then perhaps next year year look at a product called MO Bacter. This is what's classed as a slow release fertiliser and pet friendly but it's make up in simple terms will eat away moss rather than turning it black and having to remove it.
It performs best in warm, wet conditions and you can't scorch with the product but it needs a heavy application which means it's a tad more expensive than others. You will however have to tackle weeds with liquid which is not hard but I've been impressed with this years results after using it on several lawns.

 

Thanks for both of your advice.

Here are some links to photos of the lawn:
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/gallery/albums/york-garden.424/

I am going back up this week and would like to apply/treat it in some way if possible in order to get it looking better.

What would you recommend?
Thanks again.

 

A lot depends on the weather, time scale and budget.
You could get away if the weather holds with one single application of say Renovator Pro which is a weed and feed and very good at hitting problem weeds.
You could spray the weed with a number of selective weed killers, you could apply an Autumn feed, you could scarify and feed.
It really depends on how long you are going to be there, weather and budget oh and the work you want to get enrolled in.
If it's on a budget just spray the weed to start with which is as cheap as you can go to start off. I can see some flower heads so spraying now is good.
Next step cost wise would be one application of Renovator Pro then leave it.
Normally many would shy away from a summer weed and feed at this time of year as I've suggested. Most go by month dates but in fact it's all day to weather so that's the gamble. Don't forget though the weed and feed I suggested does create a flush of growth that helps to fill in areas that were populated with weed.

 

Thanks for your help with this. When you say "spray the weeds" do you mean spray them lower heads/weed with weed killer? Once this has been done what would you do? How long would you leave it for? Should it then be dug out and replaced with top soil etc?

Thanks.

 

You normally leave the weed to die back, no need to remove it unless it's a complete covering of weed.
if we were say early summer and the lawn has a fair bit of weed and depending on the grass type you would treat the grass to a feed which helps the fill in the space where the weeds were or you feed the grass first and then apply a weed killer for best results as the weed also takes up the N and herbicides will have optimum performance.
Weed and feeds which are granular are fairly high N so they create a flush of growth over a short period to help fill in where the weeds were.
All you need to do is spray the weeds and leave well alone. You need a lawn based Herbicide and there's a few to pick from. That's the cheapest option to at least tidy up the lawn.
There are lots of options and it just depends on your budget and what time you really want to put into it.

 

To give you an idea on how a good granular weed and feed works I have a pic of a before and after lawn with a large oak in the middle. Customer works to a budget and I just do the basic treatment and cuts.
First pic is before, second is a few weeks down the line. Customer wishes to scarify so I can just about get a fair finish as the lawn was covered in weeds and moss.
Applied via a drop spreader so it's a nice even finish, no scorching, missed areas and the colour remains even throughout the period that the fertiliser is working its magic.

 

And here's a front pic showing the flush of growth before a cut. You can see how the treatment has managed to fill in the lawn compared to the before photo.

 

Hi Liz, thanks for your help. I bought weed killer off the shelf in a pump (the pressurised one) and sprayed every weed on the garden two weeks ago. Within a few hours and certainly by 24 hours it was covered in black patches.

As the front and back garden is full of black patches what would suggest doing now? Putting some topsoil and see mix down onto every black spot etc?

Thanks.

 

Did you get a lawn based herbicide ?
Normally lawn based ones can take upto 3 weeks to work where a total weed killer like roundup or other makes can have a much quicker kill effect. There are various forms of roundup, not all are the same but they are all total herbs.
If it's a lawn based one the grass should not be effected, if it's a total herbicide all green life will be killed.
I'm guessing through the speed of the herbicide it was a total one so you will need to rake up the areas that are dead and disturb the soil then seed over with some topsoil.
Do you know the name of the herbicide as some have a residue factor?

If you really wanted to go to town you would scarify hard the whole lawn and then seed and dress with soil. This would give you an even look with regards to the grass compared to doing just patches as the grass type you add may not match the grass on the lawn.

 

Thanks Liz. It was roundup. I'm guessing the black areas now need removing and topsoil with seed needs putting in? Like you said though, this will form some VERY green, nice looking areas but I guess over time it should blend in?

 

Thanks Chris for letting me know.
To be honest Roundup was not the preferred herbicide for your use but don't worry once seeded it will start to look better and yes over time the grass will match as long as you stick with the more regular seeds available from say your local DIY shops.
Roundup does have a small residue factor but nothing that will create problems for you now.

Next time use a lawn based herbicide which there are quite a few domestic ones available. This will save you seeding the areas as they only kill the targeted plants. If you do use roundup again try to use a hood or a pot if needed so that there is no drift onto the area which then results in a smaller area killed off. Normally you would use roundup if you wish to clear the area of growth or are targeting grass types not required.

Yes rake those areas hard and make sure it's clean loose soil ready for seeding and adding some soil.

Once seeded those areas will grow more rapidly to start with but will soon settle down. Don't cut them too short to start with. Keep the lawn a little on the high side so that the new grass can get a grip and with more leaf the more carbohydrates are produced which is the energy that keeps the turf strong.
The weed will still be an issue so next year I would consider a good weed and feed which when spread correctly should help to create a thicker, denser lawn. Then it's just setting up a nice easy program where the lawn can be kept to a pretty good standard.

Shame you are not local, I would have popped along and scarified it for you ready to be dressed.

 

Liz that's really helpful and I really you kind offer if I was nearer. I'm going to start a new post god my own lawn soon and would love your advice on it too if that's ok? I'm really pleased with mine and get people in the street commenting on my grass! Just a few tips I've picked up from here so I'd like to keep it looking nice when it stops growing too and the moss decends.

Thanks again.