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Lawns care order: what to do first?

#1 · 10th March 2022, 10:07 pm

hi would love some advice to improve my lawn please.

it’s a play area for my boys so it’ll never be perfect but definitely want to get rid of the weeds and make it thicker.

I’ve decided to scarify in the autumn but for now have ordered:

grass weed spot spray stuff
grass sand and moss killer
liquid lawn feed
grass seed (as we are extending)

what order shall I do everything?!
thank you!

#2 · 20th March 2022, 10:59 am

Quote from bob on 20th March 2022, 10:59 am
Hello Mrs B,
May I suggest first off, forget about doing anything in the hot summer months, the recommended times are March, April into early May and Mid-August to September.
I have taken the liberty of including a picture of my front garden, as you can see it is not a Bowling Green, nor a Golf Green, but it does me as an ordinary front lawn, needs a bit of a cut and a strim around the edges, and if you look closely there is a strange semi-circle of darker grass between the two beds?
I started this garden in July 2020, it is a piece of land in front of my home, the area looked after by the local council, 95% weeds 5% patchy grass, the tending of the patch involved 3 minutes mowing on a sit on mower, 1 minute blowing the cut weeds all over the place, job done, I received a letter from the land owner, as this piece of land is directly in front of my home would I wish to purchase it? (Yes Please)
Hopefully what I carried out here will be of interest to your good self.
Dig out the deep- rooted weeds, make sure you get all the root out otherwise they will grow back, dig up the lumps of couch grass, look for creeping buttercup find the main growing area as this normally is a distance away from creeping stems, so any weeds you can dig out go for it, the more the better, stinging nettles are not bad as they are not deep rooted, wear gloves !
I looked at hiring a Scarifier £ 33.00 a day to hire, now if I really want to spend the time and make a really nice lush lawn, how much would I spend on hire costs? No brainer purchased one for under a hundred pounds, I made sure I got one that not only had tines, these being made of wire and are used to remove old grass thatch etc, but also had metal blades that could cut well into the soil.
I spent a lot of time scarifying using the “Metal Blades” really churning up the soil, up and down the area, criss-cross, and diagonally, used it many times over a period of days, therefore purchasing the scarifier was the best way to go, just under the surface of the soil and deeper were the normal finds after builders left the site, concrete blocks house bricks etc, so hand digging was the only way to remove these, this causing a really uneven surface, so back to scarifying once again to make it sort of level ?
I then left the area alone, just to see if any weeds started to show again, I was not going to sow any grass seed until after the days cooled slightly but the soil was still warm, I think I started to spread seed the middle of August, I would definitely recommend a grass seed spreader, if your really into the expert stuff as in so many grams of seed per square metre fine, for me, I filled my spreader up with seed, started walking up and down the soil, when the seed ran out, filled it again, and started walking where I left off.
Kept up with watering, luckily when my seed was down we had some nice showery days, low and behold, the old patch of dirt started to look green, I did not touch it until the following spring, yep I had grass in front of my home, to break up the expanse of green I put in 2 beds which have a standard bottle brush in each, made a couple of flower beds to the rear, and I decided my garden boundary must end where the soil meets the tarmac of the path, as there were no kerb stones defining an edge. Therefore, I put some boundary sets in. Another tip if it will be of help to anyone, the soil was a bit clay like, and the wife wanted Lavender as a border plant, Lavender likes a well- drained soil, so in the edge bed area, I dug in compost along with horticultural grit, and mounded up the soil, and planted the Lavender on top, therefore enabling the Lavender roots to be higher than ground level which is drier, and enabling excess water to run off the mound.
Back to the part where I mentioned a “dark green semi-circle” in my lawn, shown in the picture, I used the same grass seed all over, I did put a little top soil over the whole area to give it a bit more body, I don’t recommend using sand on lawns, then the semi-circle became a complete circle of dark green grass, this in turn became a circle of Fungi, could it be that some spores from the chipped bark got into the soil and created this, I tend to believe the little people are using my lawn as a meeting place ? so does their dark green circle bother me, not one bit, some folks require a pristine lawn and there is absolutely nothing wrong in that, you require something a little better, less weeds and strong enough to cope with lads playing on it, I opted for a standard lawn, looks fair and tidy, one thing I am pleased with, there are a fair amount of worm castings on the grass, so there is a bit of life below the surface as well.
So Mrs B,
If your going to extend your lawn, can you remember the seed used on the original area, use the same if you can, If the lawn is very thin overseed it to boost the plant population. Use the appropriate grass species for your lifestyle (Boys) and the soil/light conditions
If your existing lawn has taken a battering, have you considered removing it, and starting afresh, with a new seed that will give you a hard-wearing lawn, there are different seeds for different grasses and uses.
When extending your lawn, will the area be under any trees, therefore not getting the light required?
I would in Autumn cut the grass low, dig out as many weeds as you possibly can, place soil back in these holes, scarify using tines to remove old dead thatch and surface weeds, go over the lawn a few times in different directions. Make sure the area for the new grass is weed free as possible, after all the digging and scarifying your lawn will look a bit of a mess don’t worry, if you desire cover the complete area with a “Lawn Seeding Topsoil” if your existing lawn is quite large, consider one ton bags, they work out cheaper in the long run than the 30Ltr bags, once you have spread this over the whole area, a very light rolling (Plastic Roller) will help compress the new soil onto the existing lawn, then apply your seed using a spreader, in my opinion don’t spare the seed, some will not germinate, some will blow away, birds will eat some, once seeded a light roll again, and water in.
The following spring, after the frosts, and the grass is dry, go for your first cut, not to low because the new grass is still growing and getting stronger, as the year goes on, and depending upon growth, you can cut lower and I suggest twice a week mowing, just so that you are taking the tips off the grass and not chopping 50 to 60% off. Mowing regularly and at the right height will encourage your lawn to thicken up and grow more vigorously
I would be very wary about using any weed killers to start with, if not used correctly some will burn the grass, you can use a feed at a later date.
Please keep the forum informed of what you’re going to do, and how its going, also please have a look at Lee’s You Tube Video’s he has one on Turf Removal, Scarifying, Laying Turf.
Hope all goes well.

Bob

Hello Mrs B,

May I suggest first off, forget about doing anything in the hot summer months, the recommended times are March, April into early May and Mid-August to September.

I have taken the liberty of including a picture of my front garden, as you can see it is not a Bowling Green, nor a Golf Green, but it does me as an ordinary front lawn, needs a bit of a cut and a strim around the edges, and if you look closely there is a strange semi-circle of darker grass between the two beds?

I started this garden in July 2020, it is a piece of land in front of my home, the area looked after by the local council, 95% weeds 5% patchy grass, the tending of the patch involved 3 minutes mowing on a sit on mower, 1 minute blowing the cut weeds all over the place, job done, I received a letter from the land owner, as this piece of land is directly in front of my home would I wish to purchase it? (Yes Please)

Hopefully what I carried out here will be of interest to your good self.

Dig out the deep- rooted weeds, make sure you get all the root out otherwise they will grow back, dig up the lumps of couch grass, look for creeping buttercup find the main growing area as this normally is a distance away from creeping stems, so any weeds you can dig out go for it, the more the better, stinging nettles are not bad as they are not deep rooted, wear gloves !

I looked at hiring a Scarifier £ 33.00 a day to hire, now if I really want to spend the time and make a really nice lush lawn, how much would I spend on hire costs? No brainer purchased one for under a hundred pounds, I made sure I got one that not only had tines, these being made of wire and are used to remove old grass thatch etc, but also had metal blades that could cut well into the soil.

I spent a lot of time scarifying using the “Metal Blades” really churning up the soil, up and down the area, criss-cross, and diagonally, used it many times over a period of days, therefore purchasing the scarifier was the best way to go, just under the surface of the soil and deeper were the normal finds after builders left the site, concrete blocks house bricks etc, so hand digging was the only way to remove these, this causing a really uneven surface, so back to scarifying once again to make it sort of level ?

I then left the area alone, just to see if any weeds started to show again, I was not going to sow any grass seed until after the days cooled slightly but the soil was still warm, I think I started to spread seed the middle of August, I would definitely recommend a grass seed spreader, if your really into the expert stuff as in so many grams of seed per square metre fine, for me, I filled my spreader up with seed, started walking up and down the soil, when the seed ran out, filled it again, and started walking where I left off.

Kept up with watering, luckily when my seed was down we had some nice showery days, low and behold, the old patch of dirt started to look green, I did not touch it until the following spring, yep I had grass in front of my home, to break up the expanse of green I put in 2 beds which have a standard bottle brush in each, made a couple of flower beds to the rear, and I decided my garden boundary must end where the soil meets the tarmac of the path, as there were no kerb stones defining an edge. Therefore, I put some boundary sets in. Another tip if it will be of help to anyone, the soil was a bit clay like, and the wife wanted Lavender as a border plant, Lavender likes a well- drained soil, so in the edge bed area, I dug in compost along with horticultural grit, and mounded up the soil, and planted the Lavender on top, therefore enabling the Lavender roots to be higher than ground level which is drier, and enabling excess water to run off the mound.

Back to the part where I mentioned a “dark green semi-circle” in my lawn, shown in the picture, I used the same grass seed all over, I did put a little top soil over the whole area to give it a bit more body, I don’t recommend using sand on lawns, then the semi-circle became a complete circle of dark green grass, this in turn became a circle of Fungi, could it be that some spores from the chipped bark got into the soil and created this, I tend to believe the little people are using my lawn as a meeting place ? so does their dark green circle bother me, not one bit, some folks require a pristine lawn and there is absolutely nothing wrong in that, you require something a little better, less weeds and strong enough to cope with lads playing on it, I opted for a standard lawn, looks fair and tidy, one thing I am pleased with, there are a fair amount of worm castings on the grass, so there is a bit of life below the surface as well.

So Mrs B,

If your going to extend your lawn, can you remember the seed used on the original area, use the same if you can, If the lawn is very thin overseed it to boost the plant population. Use the appropriate grass species for your lifestyle (Boys) and the soil/light conditions

If your existing lawn has taken a battering, have you considered removing it, and starting afresh, with a new seed that will give you a hard-wearing lawn, there are different seeds for different grasses and uses.

When extending your lawn, will the area be under any trees, therefore not getting the light required?

I would in Autumn cut the grass low, dig out as many weeds as you possibly can, place soil back in these holes, scarify using tines to remove old dead thatch and surface weeds, go over the lawn a few times in different directions. Make sure the area for the new grass is weed free as possible, after all the digging and scarifying your lawn will look a bit of a mess don’t worry, if you desire cover the complete area with a “Lawn Seeding Topsoil” if your existing lawn is quite large, consider one ton bags, they work out cheaper in the long run than the 30Ltr bags, once you have spread this over the whole area, a very light rolling (Plastic Roller) will help compress the new soil onto the existing lawn, then apply your seed using a spreader, in my opinion don’t spare the seed, some will not germinate, some will blow away, birds will eat some, once seeded a light roll again, and water in.

The following spring, after the frosts, and the grass is dry, go for your first cut, not to low because the new grass is still growing and getting stronger, as the year goes on, and depending upon growth, you can cut lower and I suggest twice a week mowing, just so that you are taking the tips off the grass and not chopping 50 to 60% off. Mowing regularly and at the right height will encourage your lawn to thicken up and grow more vigorously

I would be very wary about using any weed killers to start with, if not used correctly some will burn the grass, you can use a feed at a later date.

Please keep the forum informed of what you’re going to do, and how its going, also please have a look at Lee’s You Tube Video’s he has one on Turf Removal, Scarifying, Laying Turf.

Hope all goes well.

Bob

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Lee Garden Ninja and MrsB have reacted to this post.

#3 · 22nd March 2022, 7:19 pm

Hi Bob

wow thank you so much for taking the time to reply and all your advice. It’s very very helpful thank you!

your lawn & garden looks lovely. You can certainly see all the hard work you put in to it.

I certainly will keep you posted on my lawn journey! I managed to pick up an aerator on market place, just want to go round with my weeding tool very soon!

#4 · 24th March 2022, 8:46 am

Many thanks Bob for this comprehensive answer! It's also lovely to finally see your garden Bob. A soft formal layout and mix. Very nicely done, so you have the Garden Ninja thumbs up. Are those Calistemon standards in the two rectangle beds?

I echo Bob's advice and too keep a relatively low fuss lawn looking healthy via scarification every few years and some light touch weeding. Scarification looks brutal but is the best way to renovate a lawn. You'll be amazed at how lush and green the grass comes back.

I rarely use liquid feeds as I find them quite wasteful and only bring about short term lawn changes. A light top dress with some well sieved compost does more good in my opinion. The video below will show you how you can reuse spent compost or fresh to top dress your lawn easily.

I hope that helps and do give us an update with your lawn!

Lee

leesapollo has reacted to this post.

#5 · 28th October 2022, 8:37 am

Generally, the consensus among professionals is that you should mow the lawn first. Some people choose Weedeater first, but most prefer to mow first. The rationale behind this order is that this method allows you to clean up any areas you missed when mowing when you Weedeater. Additionally, hop over to this site to see the various grass types.

#6 · 3rd November 2022, 3:01 am

Lawn need a lot of care. First, make sure there are no unnecessary grasses. If there are immediately remove.

#7 · 3rd November 2022, 3:02 am

Lawn mowers are very helpful in removing unnecessary grasses and they can help you clean your lawn more effectively.

#8 · 3rd November 2022, 10:16 am

Quote from cristienj23 on 28th October 2022, 8:37 am
Generally, the consensus among professionals is that you should mow the lawn first. Some people choose Weedeater first, but most prefer to mow first. The rationale behind this order is that this method allows you to clean up any areas you missed when mowing when you Weedeater. Additionally, hop over to this site to see the various grass types.

I'm not sure you would ever use a weedeater ie lawn strimmer to remove weeds without ruining the lawn. You may use this to edge the lawn but not easily tackle spot weeding.

The best method for spot weeding organically is either a weeder or hori-hori.

Happy gardening!

#9 · 3rd November 2022, 10:19 am

Quote from [email protected] on 3rd November 2022, 3:01 am
Lawn need a lot of care. First, make sure there are no unnecessary grasses. If there are immediately remove.

Actually I disagree. Lawns don't need huge amounts of care, feed or tools. This is a marketing myth that companies use to sell you things.

The essential items for lawn care are:

Lawnmower
Scarifications (every couple of years)
Rake for leaves (non-essential)
Feed - reuse spent compost to make this pretty much cost and carbon neutral

That's it.

Please Garden Ninjas don't fall for the hundreds of products and sales articles that insist you need all sorts of expensive feeds tools and equipment.

Remember: as Garden Ninjas we are light touch, eco-conscious and lazy when nature benefits!

Happy gardening!

#10 · 5th June 2023, 2:04 pm

Hello everyone

Currently, I want to remove the weeds from my lawn, and I would like to ask if anyone here has ever used weed-killer for this purpose. Does this kind of product really work, and does it not affect the health of the grass? I don't want to do it manually as it requires a lot of time, and I also don't want to take any risks with my lawn. Thank you in advance.