Is it better to start a new lawn from seed or turf?
Seed is cheaper but slower to establish; and you will have the difficulty of controlling weeds until it is well grown. The soil preparation is similar for both. We have a range of lawn grass seeds in our catalogue.
You may still see cheap turf offered at very appealing prices. Avoid it because it will almost certainly contain a large weed population - the designation 'weed treated' or 'treated with weed-killer' in the advertisement means absolutely nothing; it is certainly no guarantee that any weeds have actually been killed. It will also, almost certainly comprise a blend of grasses that may be satisfactory for grazing cattle but will be of little merit for a lawn. It cannot be said too often that, with lawns, as with everything else in life, you will get what you pay for and as your lawn will be with you for a very long time and be a very important feature of your garden, always go to a reputable supplier and ensure that you can actually see the turf before you buy it.
Some packets of lawn seed contain rye grass, whereas some don't. What is rye grass and why is it important?
Rye grass is a hard wearing type of grass, suitable for average domestic lawns that will receive a fair amount of use. A mixture without rye grass should only be used for fine lawns that will receive little wear.
How can I prevent humps and hollows from appearing in a new lawn?
Great care well in advance therefore to ensure that all stones have been removed and all large clods broken down. Rake carefully before the new lawn is laid and always rake in alternating directions. And don't use a roller.
Which is the best type of lawnmower - rotary or cylinder; petrol, electric or hand propelled?
For average domestic use, an electric rotary is probably the best all round choice.
A cylinder mower will always give the finest cut and the best finish on a fine lawn. Given, therefore, a large, fine lawn, I would choose the best cylinder petrol mower that I could afford. With a large lawn of moderate quality that will be walked and played on, I would choose, similarly, the best petrol driven rotary that I could afford. Whilst I accept that modern electric machines have many built-in safety features, I am still uneasy about long lengths of cable draped over the lawn, and battery powered machines are very heavy. I confine electric machines to smaller areas therefore. If the lawn was flat, I would choose a wheeled rotary but if any slopes and other tricky areas had to be negotiated, a hover machine would probably be a wiser choice. The final decision to make would then relate to width of cut. Allowing an operating speed of 3 m.p.h. and an overlap between cuts of 2 inches (5 cm), the approximate areas that will be cut in one hour of continuous mowing by machines of different widths are:
Width of cut Area mown in one hour
12 inches (30 cm) 1470 square yards (1230 square metres)
16 inches (40 cm) 2000 square yards (1670 square metres)
20 inches (50 cm) 2640 square yards (2205 square metres)
24 inches (60 cm) 2930 square yards (2450 square metres)
How do I obtain a striped effect on my lawn?
By using a cylinder mower, although you will obtain some striping if you use a rotary mower with a rear roller.
The striping is caused by the blades of grass being pushed in opposite directions by the mower blades and by the small roller at the rear of the mower. Provided the mower is turned round at the end of each run, you will produce stripes; but do ensure that you have a good eye for a straight line. For the most attractive effect of all (and the best cut), mow again at right angles to your first mowing; it won't take long as most of the grass will already have been removed.
Should I keep the grass box on my mower?
My advice is yes, unless you are able to mow the lawn at least a week or you have a special "mulching mower".
The argument in favour of keeping the grass box on and so removing the clippings is that otherwise they will form a compacted mat on top of the turf that prevents air, water and fertiliser from penetrating properly. They also make very good compost and are collected most efficiently during mowing; raking them up afterwards is extremely hard word. The counter argument says that if grass cuttings make such good compost and are a source of plant nutrient, why go to the trouble of carrying them across the garden to the compost heap when they could be feeding the lawn itself and, even more importantly, could be mulching the turf and helping to prevent it from drying out in summer? I find that only when the clippings are very short (as they are when you mow very frequently or when you use a mulching mower) is it safe to let them lie on the surface without any risk of clogging the lawn surface..
Is spiking a lawn worthwhile?
Yes, but only really beneficial on very heavy soils or lawns that are subject to a great deal of heavy "traffic" and when you use a proper spiking tool.
Even the best managed and most carefully used lawn will suffer some degree of surface compaction during the summer. Even if no human ever went near the lawn, the effects of rain would compress the surface to some degree. Using a fork to spike a lawn isn't very effective as it will simply smear the soil in the sides of the hole. You need a tool that will remove a plug of soil.
What are the pros and cons of having earthworms in a lawn?
Earthworms are beneficial. they provide aeration and help carry down organic matter into the soil. And they do it all for nothing. Worm casts are a minor seasonal irritation and cab be brushed away.
Although worms most obviously produce casts; small piles of soil expelled onto the surface, most of the twenty five or so British species of worm are unable to form casts. Casts are annoying - they make the surface slippery and unsightly when it is wet, they can bring weed seeds to the surface and they can also be the starting points for some of the diseases of turf grasses. Perhaps most annoying of all, on fine, closely mown lawns, is that the grit contained in the casts will significantly blunt the blades of cylinder mowers. But all of this is more than balanced by the worms' aerating, draining and nutritional activities which I believe more than compensate for their cast forming.
Why does my lawn have bare patches?
There are four main possible reasons: 1. Something noxious has been spilled onto the grass; 2. The grass has suffered locally during a period of drought. 3. Leatherjackets (the larvae of crane flies) have been feeding on the roots and stems. 4. Fungal diseases.
1. Something noxious has been spilled onto the grass - petrol slopped out carelessly when filling a lawn-mower; a household chemical or even boiling water tipped onto the turf; an injudicious over-dosing of lawn fertiliser; or a dog, or more seriously, a bitch, has been allowed to urinate on the grass (urine is a powerful grass killer). Although a mild dose with any of these substances may only scorch the foliage, the chances are that a persisting bare patch indicates root death when relaying or re-sowing the affected area will be needed. The simplest plan is probably to dig out the dead turf and so eliminate any chemical that may remain in the soil. Then use one of the modern 'lawn repair kits' which contain treated grass seed in an organic growing medium with added fertiliser.
2. The grass has suffered locally during a period of drought - if the soil is very shallow or compacted, prolonged dryness will cause the turf to die, either above ground only, in which case it will regenerate, or, more exceptionally, below ground too when the roots die also. Even if the entire patch of turf isn't killed, it may be so weakened that lawn weeds will be able to establish themselves on the area before the grass has chance to re-grow. These areas may be treated similarly to those described above.
3. Leatherjackets (the larvae of crane flies) have been feeding on the roots and stems. These effects are seen most commonly early in the season on new lawns and are rendered worse if a period of drought places the grass under further stress. Regular watering of the turf will help minimise the effects and the simplest way to control the pests is to place a plastic sheet over the well-soaked patches late in the evening. Any larvae in the soil will work their way to the surface where they may be swept up in the morning.
4. Fungal diseases. Several different types of soil fungi can rot the roots and stem bases of turf grasses, bringing about localised death. Sometimes, the mould growth itself may be seen on the grass leaves. Drenching the affected areas with a proprietary lawn fungicide immediately after mowing will often cure the problem but any soil compaction should also be corrected by spiking. The use of lawn feeds containing a high level of nitrogen (usually called Spring and Summer feeds), should be stopped after the end of August and an Autumn and Winter feed used instead, for the high dose of nitrogen promotes disease-prone lush growth during the cold winter weather.
How can I eradicate toadstools from my lawn?
You can't; and nor should you worry because in most instances, they do no harm.
Toadstools are merely the reproductive structures of certain types of fungi; they are the means of producing and dispersing the spores which play a similar role in fungi to seeds in flowering plants. But they represent a very small fraction of the whole organism, for beneath the lawn surface is a vast number of microscopic threads weaving and threading their way through the soil. You can pull up, mow off or even dig out toadstools to your heart's content but you will make no impact on the subterranean fungal growth which will simply produce more toadstools again next year. With the concentrated growth of toadstools such as occurs in fairy rings, there may be some localised poor growth of the turf, but even here, there is no point in trying to eradicate them; compensate by giving the lawn additional feed.
How can I do to eradicate lawn moss and improve the turf?
Proprietary moss killers will clear most of the moss growth but you must also correct the underlying causes - shade, poor drainage, close mowing, inadequate lawn feeding.
To remove moss, a combination of chemical and physical methods should be used. First, apply a proprietary moss killer - either one of the modern products or one of the more traditional lawn-sand types based on ferrous sulphate. Once the moss has been killed and blackened by the chemical treatment, it should be raked up thoroughly, either with a spring-tine rake or with one of the modern wheeled or powered devices. Then put right as many as possible of the predisposing factors - a poorly drained or compacted soil should be spiked to improve drainage and aeration; an under-fed lawn should be treated with a programme of Spring and Autumn fertilisers ; a heavily shaded lawn should be lightened as far as possible by the removal of over-hanging branches; and, above all, the lawn-mower should not be set so low as to shave the grass - not less than 1.25 cm for an average garden lawn and 2 - 2.5 cm is better.
Is it possible to eradicate weed grasses from a lawn?
No, not by weedkillers. The only way is by digging them out or chopping them.
A weed grass is a grass species growing in your lawn other than the ones you have chosen. They give rise to conspicuous areas of differently coloured growth and tend to be of a low creeping habit that causes them to smother the lawn grasses. The commonest are probably the grass known as Yorkshire Fog and its close relative Creeping Soft Grass. Unfortunately no chemical can distinguish between plants that are closely related. Commercial groundsmen use a motorised scarifier that has rotating vertical blades and slashes the turf, cutting the crowns and/or stolons (creeping stems) of the weed species. The best that can be done in gardens is repeatedly to slash the crowns with a very sharp knife and to dig out as much of the growth as possible.
There are blobs of slime on my lawn; what are they and do they do any harm?
This is algal growth - primitive plants related to seaweeds. They are an indication that the lawn in generally in poor condition
The commonest slimy growths are the green, jelly-like masses that are found in wet weather, especially on shaded lawns, those on shallow soils or on those that are poorly drained. Although proprietary algicides are available and are quite effective on paths, they are of limited value on lawns where, as with moss, the underlying conditions must be corrected first.
How good are lawns made from low-growing plants other than grass?
Given perfect growing conditions, lawns made from camomile, thyme and similar plants are attractive for small areas but they aren't durable enough to walk on extensively.
To be used for a lawn, a plant must tolerate being mown and walked on. It dies this by having its growing point at the base of the stem rather than the tip, or by adopting a sunken, rosette habit. Few plants do this and the best is camomile. It has attractive, feathery foliage and a most appealing aroma - it is used quite widely as a herb. To a limited extent, it will tolerate being walked on and can even be mown if the mower is set very high. The variety to choose for a lawn is the non-flowering form known as 'Treneague', which is propagated by cuttings. It should be planted in March on a well-drained site prepared as for a normal lawn, and the cuttings spaced about 20 cm apart. But it will tolerate little wear and tear, it will look decidedly miserable and brown during the winter, it is highly intolerant of any shade and of wet, cold soil and, perhaps above all, it will create enormous problems in respect of weed control. Whilst you can readily use a selective weedkiller on grass to kill broad-leaved weeds, there is nothing you can do about broad-leaved weeds in a broad-leaved lawn; except pull them out one by one.
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