Please help fix my lawn :-/

Sam, you have NOT messed up. You are being confused by too much, so called, expert advice. Do not worry which grass seed you use. Forget about reseeding for this year, let the winter leach the fertiliser from the soil. Next spring, rake the areas that need reseeding, spread whatever grass seed you like. Then, lightly rake it in. After that, gently tap the back of the rake over the area to settle the soil around the seed.

 

I agree with your mention of conflicting advice. Maybe Sam didn't mess up and the rain is to blame.

Although I'm nowhere near as experienced as you, I still stand by my point of re-seeding/ even over-seeeding the lawn soon, while the soil temperature is high enough to allow the seeds to germinate before the cold sets in.

There are lots of perrenial weed seeds floating around now - thistles, dandelions, fox and cubs, cats ears etc.. well at least when it's not raining

I say go for it... seed the lawn and let the grass take hold before the weeds and moss do, otherwise it's a messy job feeding and weeding, then scarifying in Spring when dandelions are landing all over the shop and would welcome a spring tine rake to do the planting work for them. Now is the time of year for the serious sowing and scarifying.

 

If he sows now, any seeds, young grass plants, will be killed by the winter weather. Mowerman, if you know what you are talking about, you will advise that the best time for sowing grass seed is early April or August.

 

Sam, what fertiliser did you apply?
As with all chemicals it's best to read the label instructions as they contain advice and cautions as well as dosage amounts.
Weather is always awkward to predict and sometimes it's best to stand back and think about what's best.
At the end of the day your lawn can be repaired and it's a case of just thinking about what steps to take to avoid spending out money and not achieving the required results.
Without knowing the fertiliser you used and I'm guessing it was a run of the mill summer feed with a high N and a straight fertiliser so it's going to last about 6 weeks. If it is I would let it run its span and just see what happens as it also sounds like you applied to much. A good wet spell will aid removal of excessive amounts of chemicals in the soil.
Whatever happens though your lawn can be repaired if not this year then next year. We all make mistakes, it's how we learn. I've made some good ones in the past

 

It's not often I take exception to a post but yours deserves somewhat of a negative response.

Yes, there are certain times of the year when grass seed is best sown but the soil will hold sufficient temperature for a few weeks to come, allowing grass roots of most types of grass to establish before the winter weather kicks in.

I've sown even fine lawns composed of bents and fescues in late-September/early October (due to being too busy to fit it in beforehand) and they have turned out as magnificent lawns.

Im my garden, through desperation, I dug the grass up in november and installed grass grids so that it would be possible to turn a car around in it (without getting stuck about 6 inches into the soil) if it was not not possible to reverse down the shared access driveway. Put some topsoil in the grids and some loam over them top and low and behold, the ryegrass seed germiated within a couple of weeks, despite frosts.

If you had sewn seed in August in this part of the country and the customer had not watered it sufficiently (as many don't seem too enthusuatic in doing) then it would have not taken hold. A loam covering would have been pulled down by worms and the seeds would have baked in the sun.

I don't profess to being a true lawn expert but know enough to establish a lawn, maintaining and keeping it looking superb, so please spare me from your BS or desire to start an unecessary fight that I'll gladly blow the dust off the 'gloves of Brawlhall.com' that have been hanging over the fireplace for several years. Spent years in the good old days of Brawl Hall, verbally putting down people who like to pick on people.

Best of luck, old chap!

 

We shall see who`s right in the New Year then.lol

 

Dai, stop talking small balls please. There is nothing wrong with grass seed putting on root growth over the winter.

How do you think grass reproduces it's self in the wild for glod's sake

 

Ooo, what HAVE I started Diddnt realise the gloves had come off in my absence. I'll gladly post images of my new lawn come the spring. I re-seeded using the same seed from Boston Seeds - nice people - and waited. Looks great, it took nicely with a bit of top soil to keep the birds off. So I'm just left with a few small bald spots that I seeded last weekend and just raked in, no topsoil. So now I wait, but I can tell from the thickness and depth of root that it will weather just fine over winter.
Job done, many thanks all for your advice, really appreciated

 

So, its turned out ok, I have a few patches, the largest no more than 3 inch square. So do I just go over again with my remaining seed or just allow it to fill out ? Shall I use a fertiliser, a natural one ? And lastly, how should i cut this tree back please ? Thanks again folks

 

Just go at the tree any way you like, you won't kill it. Might be nice to expose some trunk so trim the low branches right to the collar at the trunk, and the others just snip off so the tree gets shaped in a way you like the look of.

The tiny patches that are left - I'm a fan of trying to keep weeds from getting in, but to be honest, lawns are so easy to treat for weeds I wouldn't worry about it. Just leave it to fill out itself, don't cut too short or too often this season. Every 3 weeks at a medium height will really give the lawn a good chance to settle, grow and take proper hold of the ground.