Help replacing grass/weeds with a lawn

NewBe

I am pretty good at DIY but am clueless at gardening. I've always lived at properties with paving/concrete both front and back. The new house has a part grassed area which I can either keep or pave over - but would prefer the first option.

The property had tenents who never bothered with the upkeep, so this area of the garden has become a mixture of uneven grass, tall prickly plants and weeds.

What would be the best way to prepare this area for the laying of the new lawn? My only worry is that the unwanted plants/weeds may come back through the new lawn!?!

Do I need to remove the existing grass/plants from their roots by digging/turning the soil?

Do I need to level the area and then cover with a landscaping material before I lay the new lawn? This would be to stop any weeds regrowing or is it not needed?

I would like to save some money by doing the preperations myself and get a professional to lay the lawn if need be.

Thanks.

Mojisola

It depends on how bad it is but frequent mowing can make a massive difference to a lawn.

Set the mower blades quite high and mow regularly. A Spring weed-and-feed mix will help knock the weeds out and give the grass a boost.

Bennifred

Have you considered GreenThumb? I expect they could sort it out for you.

NewBe

I think the weeds have taken over half the patch, and are slowly invading the other side. By the looks of it, it needs a fresh re-start.

I would like an area for the kids to sit/play so nothing too fancy or prestine.

My plan was to:

1. Uproot everything with a fork and remove as much green stuff and roots.

2. Level it all and add cover with plastic sheets to stop sunlight for a few weeks.

Would this kill the existing weeds without damaging the existing soil? Or is there a better way?

I suppose the only other option is to remove everything including soil, but would I then need to add new soil for the lawn? Or can I add some seeds for grass instead?

Mojisola

In that case, get a quote from a company like GreenThumb. My parents used them for lawn maintenance because it was cheaper than buying the stuff and doing it themselves.

I know they also do lawn renovations.

If you want to DIY, the RHS is a good place to start -
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Help-advice/Videos/Laying-a-lawn-from-seed-and-turf

browneyedbazzi

Some of the weeds will probably have quite deep roots and I'd think you're unlikely to completely kill them off by digging and turning it. Admittedly I'm not the greenest of people, but I would spray the whole area with a good weed killer, leave the stuff to die down, then dig it up and level it before seeding or putting new turf down.

NewBe

Will have a look at GreenThumb. The area is only around 6x2m so not sure if it would be cost efficient to get someone to do the whole process.

Does new lawn require existing soil to be present?

browneyedbazzi

You'll need soil to grow anything - whether you can get away with taking off the top layer will depend on what's underneath. Also be aware that if you lower the area by taking away the existing lawn/roots/attached soil you may end up with an area that water drains into creating a boggy patch rather than the nice new lawn you're hoping for.

NewBe

Thank you all.

I would prefer to tackle this myself for experience, its a small area at the back and will be well hidden if I do make a mess!

So I suppose the plan would be to:

1. Use a good quality weedkiller such as Roundup to kill all the existing grass/weed etc.

2. After about 2 weeks check for any signs of new weed growth, turn existing soil, and remove any roots etc.

3. Level the soil and rake it ready for the new lawn - following the instructions.

Mojisola

NewBe wrote: »

1. Use a good quality weedkiller such as Roundup to kill all the existing grass/weed etc.

2. After about 2 weeks check for any signs of new weed growth, turn existing soil, and remove any roots etc.

3. Level the soil and rake it ready for the new lawn - following the instructions.

If you use Roundup (or any own brand glyphosate weedkiller), there's not much point digging out roots - they should be killed by the weedkiller.

Plants need to be growing well to transport glyphosate around the plant and two applications might be needed if the weeds are well-established.

For a small area, I would use turf rather than seed.

sobie

If you intend on using grass seed why not use Verdone weedkiller. It kills weeds but not grass. then overseed afterwards.
http://www.lovethegarden.com/product-details/verdone-extra-concentrate-1litre Its available in all good garden centres.

Once the weeds have died just throw some top soil on the un-even places to roughly level the lawn and over seed the lot with a tough utility grass seed.