new member,new lawn!

hello all!i'm a complete novice gardener but with our first child on the way i've finally got to sort our lawn out!so far i've removed all the old concrete paths and killed everything off with round-up.what i'm left with is an extremely uneven surface thanks to about FIFTY ants nests!i was thinking of rotavating next and levveling it all out,am i on the right track?or am i being stoopid?any advice will help loads!!

 

Hi daveyp,

No you're not being stpid at all - and very much on the right track Rotavating will still be a tough job because of the grass roots in the soil, but it's well worth doing.

Then you need to rake the surface level, and firm it with the heels of your boots. After that, you can either rake in new seed or lay turf on top.

It's worth spending a few pounds on a bag of pre-seed fertiliser, and adding that to the soil surface. If you are turfing, put the fertiliser down before you lay the turf - that way the nutrients will be lower in the soil profile and will encourage quicker rooting.

Whichever you go for, you'll need to be on hand with a hosepipe though

 

thanks!itsgood to know i'm not doing it all wrong,as i said,i'm a complete novice!was thinking of using seed as its quite a large area and i need to watch the pennies!how long would you sugest i leave the levelled/raked soil before seeding?if at all?

 

Well, you don't need to leave the soil after you've prepared it - you can just sow the seed and spread the fertiliser, rake it in, and let it do its stuff.

As I said though, the weather may work against you a bit if we go into a continued dry spell like we've got here in the SW. Another option might be to leave the ground until autumn - that would give you the chance to let the all the weeds come through so you can spray them off a few times before you put your seed down.

Most people just want to get on with it though, so be ready to get watering, and expect a few weeds to come through along with the grass seedlings. Don't be too worried about them - the vast majority will mow out once you start cutting, and the rest you can treat next spring if daisies and dandelions really wreck your day

 

cheers matey,just finishing digging out the old paths.bloody builders 60 years ago thought it would be a good idea to bury all there broken bricks and rubble under em' and then pour cement in!

 

Hi Daveyp,
I too am a novice gardener and am getting a great deal from this site,Sorry I dont know much about lawns but good luck with your first child.I might be able to offer advice on kids. Mine is now 9yrs old.All I can say if its a boy don't spend too much on the garden Mine likes a hosepipe mud and as many holes as he can dig. I must admit he is now interested in gardening and is getting alot better especially now he gets to eat produce.He also enjoys the greenhouse. All the best with the lawn I am sure you will get lots of the right advice here.
Jacqui

 

bloody ungrateful kids!if i slog my guts out doing the garden and some little urchin wrecks it,theres gonna be trouble!!

 

Just a tip on starting off a new lawn which I have done on previous occasion. I normally mix my grass seeds with a good multi purpose compost in a wheelbarrow. I leave it for about five days in the garden shed, turning it once a day, whereby it will start to sprout, I then sow it on the prepared ground, no need for raking as the compost normally covers a percentage of it. It really takes off and there is less chance of the birds making a feast of it.

As an example, I sowed some seeds on the 17th May (my daughter's birthday) it's now the 23rd the lawn area is showing green already!!

Its worth a try, just keep the area watered. I should have a lawn of sorts up and running by August

GA