Cheap way to resurrect a balding, weedy lawn

annaS_2

Hi all :-)

I've not long moved into a rented house and now things have started growing I have discovered the lawn is actually a weed patch.

The only place the grass is growing well is in the border :mad: The lawn is very patchy, too lumpy to mow (I've strimmed) and covered in dandelions and nettles. The grass is so sparse it looks like a baldy-heid.

I'm not likely to be here very long so don't want to spend much. On top of that, since I will be handing the garden back by the end of the summer I don't want to lose my deposit by ripping it apart to start again.

Other than a comb-over what suggestions do you have?

waterwatereverywhere

Hi

Your lawn sounds just like ours!!

Whilst in Wilko the other day I spotted they have a new product made by Miracle Gro called "Patch Magic - grass seed, feed and coir".

The blurb says "new one stop patching mix - grows anywhere guaranteed".

I've no idea if it works but having spent lots of money last year on grass seed which didn't germinate and various other lawn treatments I've decided to give this one a go.

It is pretty expensive (in my opinion) - £15 a bag - but if it does the job as it says it will it will be money well spent for us. Best bit is it says it is guaranteed to work and on the pack it says if you're not "completely satisfied" after using you can ask for a refund - just post them proof of purchase.

If anyone has tried this I'd be glad to know if it worked for them.

There's a website on the back of the pack which is "www.lovethegarden.com".

If you have weeds too though you'll probably still need a weed treatment of some kind?

Hope this helps.

EmptyPockets

Your reply certainly helped me, thank you waterwatereverywhere. Our lawn is just like the one OP describes, and we had no idea how to try and revive it short of ripping up and re-laying We have a Wilko close by so will definitely look for this.

Painkiller

I've just bought one of the Miracle Gro Patch Magic Bottle Dispensers for £9.99 to use on the front lawn where 2 rolls of turf didn't quite take last year. You don't get much for the money as it barely covered the bald spots around 3 sides of a small lawn.

In the back garden I've put down a mixture of Soil, Cocopeat, Grass Seed & a crushed feed pellet - it will be interesting to see how the miracle gro mix compares.

annaS_2

Thanks everyone - I'll have a look into the Miracle Grow to see if it's a feasible option for the size of lawn.

Painkiller - could you come back and post the results of your experiment in a few weeks, please? I'd love to hear which fared better!

Any advice on a decent weedkiller that will not destroy the environment or what little there is of the lawn? How long would I have to wait after applying weedkiller before I can reseed?

conradmum

Well, my money-saving solution would be to just strim it regularly, by which I mean at least once a week. You'll probably be surprised at how quickly the condition of the lawn improves. The reason is that only grass and low lying weeds will survive constant cutting. Cutting every week will kill off the nettles very quickly.

It's an interesting point that the reason neglected lawns grow lumpy is because coarse, fast growing grass grows in clumps. Left uncut, this grass out-competes the other lawn grasses and you end up with tussocks.

annaS_2

Thanks, Conradmum - that is really interesting! So, if I get the lawn back into some semblance of condition, would the lumps even out or is it too late for that?

Strimming once a week might be too infrequent, though - the dandelions are back already and I strimmed them all down on Sunday afternoon!

conradmum

annaS wrote: »

Thanks, Conradmum - that is really interesting! So, if I get the lawn back into some semblance of condition, would the lumps even out or is it too late for that?

Strimming once a week might be too infrequent, though - the dandelions are back already and I strimmed them all down on Sunday afternoon!

The lumps would even out a bit. Whether you could eradicate them would depend on how big and established they are, whether the underlying soil is raised at the base of the plant. You'd need to work on them, cutting them as low as possible.

The dandelions won't be killed by this regime unfortunately as their leaves grow low to the ground. They're a lawn weed, like daisies, buttercups, self-heal, plaintain and clover. The weed and feed preparations are designed to kill these. I prefer to leave them in as the flowers feed bees and butterflies, and the lawn is still green and flat as long as I cut it every week.

Mowing every week will kill tall growing plants though such as nettles and thistle, though.

laurel7172

Some cheap grass seed from Lidl. A bag of nice fine compost. Mix, patch and water.

For some reason I've actually had better results just dumping grass seed and compost on bald patches, than if I dig it out and do it properly.

Oh, and if you think the problem could be ant-related, keep the grass cut short and encourage birds into your garden...

[Deleted User]

Find the book 'The lawn expert' from the D G Hessayon series. Trying to save a lawn is a complex business.

Getting a little late now for seeding in this hot weather. If it cools down again you might get away with it, but first you need to deal with the weeds and the drainage.

Basically,

1. Use the most powerful weedkiller that you are happy with.
2. Rake out ALL the dead stuff.
3. Aerate ( push fork in and lift soil up) to ease off compaction of soil.
4. Top dress( will improve drainage) and add seed.

I've been trying a more complicated version of this with my lawn, and progress is slow.

Once you've lost a lawn to weeds, you could well be better off returfing it. In the long run it will be cheaper than all the back ache, chemicals and top dressing.

Try and establish what the cause of the problem is too. My front lawn is dreadful because it was sewn over the builders rubble about 30 years ago.

Good luck with the dedicated hard work.

Spooneroonie

annaS wrote: »

Thanks everyone - I'll have a look into the Miracle Grow to see if it's a feasible option for the size of lawn.

I have tried the patch magic, which at £9.99 for a dispenser's-worth in Homebase was my attempt to 'throw money at the problem' rather than a frugal effort, and so far (after four weeks) the patch magic is still sitting on the lawn mocking me for the decision to waste £20. I may be being premature (I really hope so), but on my experience I would steer clear.