Lawn Repair

The border round my lawn is getting wider every year.
This is due to my other half slicing off about an inch now and again to make a nice straight edge.
I would like to cut about an 8in strip out of the lawn and move it to the edge, then prepare the space in the middle and plant new grass seed.
Could I do this now or would it be better to wait until the next growing season.?
Would also be grateful if anyone could recommend a good edging for lawns which might prevent a repeat next year.
Also do I scurrify the lawn now or in the spring?

 

Hi Laburnum,

1) There's no reason why you can't repair the border edge now, as you'd essentially be turf laying. October / November is the ideal time for turfing, especially when you are doing only a small strip, as the lack of air temperature, and (usual) abundance of rain will prevent shrinkage.

I'm a bit confused about digging a strip out of the middle of the lawn though - I can see the reasoning if you want to keep the repaired border edge looking similar to the rest of the lawn, but remember you'll still have to repair the middle strip, and that will stand out a bit even if you use a similar mix of grass seed. If you really want to use turf from your own lawn, I'd suggest digging a strip from the rear of the lawn, and at 90 degrees to the angle you'll be viewing the lawn in the winter - ie from the house. That won't be half as obvious as a mohican running straight up the middle

2) Edging really comes down to your personal preference - board is unobtrusive but only lasts a few years, whereas brick / stone / slate etc is more obvious, more permanent, but can be used to make a feature. Either way, adding edging is the only way to keep a sharp edge between the lawn and the borders without removing a chunk of turf each time.

3) Scarify now - autumn is a much better time than spring, as the soil temperature will be much higher (soil temperatures are like sea temperatures - slow to warm up in spring and slow to cool in autumn). This means you'll get better and faster recovery. You can also be more confident of rain in the autumn, whereas in the spring you can go from cold, frosty conditions, straight into an April / May drought.

If you have moss, apply some lawn sand, and leave for 10-14 days for it to take effect, then take the sacrifier to it. After that, you can over seed with a similar species mix to fill in any bare patches. And most important of all, add some fertiliser after you have done the rest of it. People tend to forget about their lawns during the winter, which means they get hungry, thin, and sparse. This puts you on the back foot in spring, so that you have to spend the first couple of months getting the lawn back to the standard it was at in the autumn before you can start to improve it again - and during the difficult spring months as well.

For fertiliser, go for a low N, high K content, preferably with some Magnesium in it as well - and if finances permit, go for a slow release one - I promise you won't regret it

I'd try to get the renovation work done as soon as possible, but as long as the grass is actively growing you'll get recovery - I don't know what the temperatures are like in Dumfries at the moment, but hopefully there should still be time.

 

This year I laid blue bricks as edging,this was really done so I could mow with my rotary mower without it chewing the grass edges but the effect is very nice. Must add they are quite expensive but I work in the building trade and was lucky enough to "win" about 300 :rolleyes:

 

Thanks Will and Paladin. Lots of great informaion which is much appreciated.
What I should have said Will was I would like to cut an eight inch strip (Just big enough to handle without breaking up) from edge of grass and turn it and move it nearer the border so that I get a nice straight edge. I then wanted to fill in the gap of about about 4 inches which is about how much I have lost from the lawn with grass seed but was not sure if it was too late to seed. I am talking about a long strip of lawn down the side of the house about five foot wide.
If I am not making much sense I will post photo tomorrow.

 

Laburnum
Your grass seed should be okay - we've just this week sown 17 acres on reclaimed land up here and the boss seems fairly confident it will come away okay. We have sown grass seed later than this but it lay dormant til spring then came away when it decided it was good and ready. If you want to assist it this year, you can sow it then peg a strip of polythene loosely over it - after watering it of course.
Rat

 

Hi Will, This is the photo of lawn and border.The border at the bottom end just gets wider and wider. Would like to move grass over about 4 inches all the way down.
Thanks Sewer Rat I will do the deed tomorrow if dry. Maybe I could put some fleece on top of seed.