Best lawn solution

DanDare999

danrv said:

twopenny said:

I'd go for turf. Seed takes ages to grow, spring breeding birds love the seed and it's already getting very dry. It will also be a lot of hard work getting the surface just right.

I'd also get some weed and feed on the current grass and use a border fork to stab in at 6" intervals to get some air into it.

I'd be inclined to wait to returf the older stuff. It will need watering through the summer. A small area not so bad but the whole lawn it's going to be time consuming unless you get a sprinkler and we don't get a hose pipe ban.

Thanks. Turf looks a good idea and agree, the birds will be scoffing the seeds.
Looking at the B&Q video guide, I’ll need to wait a few weeks after digging over. No rush though.
Just need to get a decent border fork.

I wouldn't go for turf it'll be full of weeds. 

danrv

Mistral001 said:

I would just pick up the stones that are on the suface.  There seems to be a lot, so you need to do it by kneeling down and picking them up  by hand square foot by square foot.  What you are trying to do is to make sure that there are no stones that would hurt a kids knee if they fell on the lawn while playing, or one that could be thrown up by a lawnmower.  It will probably require raking the ground after picking up the stones and then picking up any stones that are brought up by the rake and repeating as necessary.

Yes. I’m scooping them up with a spade at the moment, together with earth.

Eldi_Dos

danrv said:

Mistral001 said:

I would just pick up the stones that are on the suface.  There seems to be a lot, so you need to do it by kneeling down and picking them up  by hand square foot by square foot.  What you are trying to do is to make sure that there are no stones that would hurt a kids knee if they fell on the lawn while playing, or one that could be thrown up by a lawnmower.  It will probably require raking the ground after picking up the stones and then picking up any stones that are brought up by the rake and repeating as necessary.

Yes. I’m scooping them up with a spade at the moment, together with earth.

A garden sieve will make that work easier, you can get a 3/8" mesh one at Screwfix for around £11.

danrv

Eldi_Dos said:

danrv said:

twopenny said:

Are you going to lay some soil on there before the turf?

Will lay topsoil down before turf or seed.
Was hoping to use seed as turf’s a bit pricey. 

A lawn lute/ lawn leveller would help get topsoil spread and with de-stoning.

I’d probably hire or borrow one as they’re quite expensive.

Eldi_Dos

danrv said:

Eldi_Dos said:

danrv said:

twopenny said:

Are you going to lay some soil on there before the turf?

Will lay topsoil down before turf or seed.
Was hoping to use seed as turf’s a bit pricey. 

A lawn lute/ lawn leveller would help get topsoil spread and with de-stoning.

I’d probably hire or borrow one as they’re quite expensive.

£40 or £45 ,on Ebay. Leeds company and british made.

FaceHead

I'm going to advocate for grass seed, but agree with the consensus that you can't do it until the autumn.

I seeded my lawn with this in June - not the best time, but probably the last possible moment before it got too hot. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grass-Seed-Covers-sqm-380/dp/B00YB4YPKC

Nothing happened for 10 days and I was a bit worried, but after 20 days it was looking great. 

If you're having a party in the next two weeks, get turf. But if you can afford to wait, seed. It is way cheaper, but it is also way easier. You just chuck the seed that arrives in the post on - five minute job while the tea is brewing. Turf mean having to go to a shop, buy turf, bring it home, lay it same day while it is fresh, cut it etc. etc - probably a whole day's work for a turf novice like me. 

I also believe (rightly or wrongly) that a plant that is grown in situ is going to be more resilient, with less root damage than one that has been dug up and transplanted.  I struggle to see why anyone would by turf - it seems like with a little planning you can just grow seed - a grass emergency that needs turf now sounds like poor planning. 

danrv

Eldi_Dos said:

danrv said:

Mistral001 said:

I would just pick up the stones that are on the suface.  There seems to be a lot, so you need to do it by kneeling down and picking them up  by hand square foot by square foot.  What you are trying to do is to make sure that there are no stones that would hurt a kids knee if they fell on the lawn while playing, or one that could be thrown up by a lawnmower.  It will probably require raking the ground after picking up the stones and then picking up any stones that are brought up by the rake and repeating as necessary.

Yes. I’m scooping them up with a spade at the moment, together with earth.

A garden sieve will make that work easier, you can get a 3/8" mesh one at Screwfix for around £11.

Got one today from Toolstation £11. Good idea. 
Just leaves a fine gravel/dust that I can mix in. Cheap rake from Homebase helps too.

danrv

Bit of an improvement.

danrv

FaceHead said:

I struggle to see why anyone would by turf - it seems like with a little planning you can just grow seed 

Maybe weeds could be a problem. 

Eldi_Dos

Whether you choose seed or turf you will almost certainly have to deal with weeds. The usual advice is let the new lawn establish by letting new grass out compete the weeds, keeping it at a height of 70mm will help it do this. You hand weed any that pop above that until new grass crowds out weed seedlings.
Cut often and never more than 1/3 of height is the  adage most often quoted.