Taking on the lawn but clueless!!!

NurseMoneySaver1122 · 4 July 2017 at 3:12PM

Hi everyone

So I'm not sure if anyone can help but here goes.

I'm taking on my parents lawn to help them out, however I'm more than clueless about what I'm doing!

So a few years ago they literally threw a load of sand over the grass to assist the dog they had at the time (long story!). Since the dog passed away, about 4 or so years ago now, they've pretty much left the lawn and over time, the sand has kind of gone and grass, weeds and all sorts of rubbish grows through. My mum tends to deal with this by literally pulling it out by hand! :eek:

So basically I want to sort it out and get the small area back to nicely growing grass, but I'm literally clueless where I need to start!

I don't know if I need to just dig it up and put soil down etc or dig it up and throw grass seed down!

A photo would probably help you guys to answer my question, but I don't know how to (if it's even possible in this forum) to add a pic!?

So does anyone have any advice, or can point me to a good website that isn't simply trying to sell products?? Also, any recommendations for actual products based on success you may have had yourselves would also be appreciated

Thanks in advance

martinthebandit · 4 July 2017 at 3:20PM

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=438

mysterymurdoch · 4 July 2017 at 10:35PM

Start cutting it and see how it looks then

Laz123 · 5 July 2017 at 8:59AM

I'd advise re-turfing it. Once grass is neglected for too long it's had its day and no amount of repairing will resurrect it. You can hire a rotavator for less than £50 per day and depending on the size turn won't be too expensive.

Ebe_Scrooge · 5 July 2017 at 10:09AM

In addition to the good advice posted so far - depending on how far gone it is, it's worth trying an application of one of the many "weed and feed" products ( available at any garden centre or DIY shop ). Follow this with regular cutting throughout the growing season. Over the course of a few months, the cutting will weaken and eventually kill most of the weeds, allowing the grass to take over.

It's not an overnight fix, but it is very cheap and not too much work.

If this doesn't help then it may be a case of - as a previous poster mentioned - removing what's there and re-turfing. Turf is quick and fairly simple to lay, laying seed will be cheaper but take longer to establish - and will need some protection to stop the birds eating the seed until it's started to get going. In either case, preparation is everything. Time spent on making sure the soil is dug, well-drained, raked, levelled and firmed down properly will pay for itself many times over in the long run.

But re-laying a lawn is a lot more work, and more costly, than rescuing what's there, if it's in any way salvagable. So I'd be tempted to give the weed 'n' feed option a try first, and see how it goes.

Grenage · 5 July 2017 at 10:27AM

As above, it can be a lot of effort to rescue a lawn, especially if you want prompt results. A harsh cut and the aforementioned weed and seed is probably the most pragmatic approach.

For a very good lawn, you'd need to remove the old sod, re-level, and reseed - and this is far from the ideal time of year.

Alternatively, if you are in no rush, you could cover the lawn until rots (6+ months), then rake it even and reseed.

It depends on the size, and how much you like manual labour. Maybe just start with the weed and seed.

glasgowdan · 5 July 2017 at 5:36PM

I've turned awful looking fields into respectable amenity or hard wearing lawns with two seasons of regular mulch cutting and some weed control.

moxter · 17 July 2017 at 11:35PM

If this is a lawn that's had no love, then laying down new turf is likely to be an expensive mistake. Unless it gets serious love afterwards then it'll end up looking even worse than what you've got now, but you'll be hundreds of pounds poorer.

Grass is resilient stuff. Start by taking some photos of what you have now. In a few months time you might feel frustrated that the lawn isn't looking great, but with a bit of effort I guarantee it'll be looking a lot better than it is now.

Start with the basics. Mowing is essential if not sexy. It doesn't just keep the grass looking neat, it's actually a bit like pruning - the more the grass gets cut, the stronger it grows back. Weeds on the other hand don't like being sliced so they weaken. Actually that's not entirely true, some of the weeds slip underneath the mower blades so you'll have to tackle them by hand. But in time, when the grass learns to grow harder, the weeds will feel like they're trying to grow in a more hostile environment.

There are other things you can do. Get a wire rake and twice a year, in spring and autumn, give it a very very vigorous raking - this is called "scarifying" - to get rid of all the moss and dead grass that is accumulating. The ground will look pretty brown afterwsards and your lawn will look a mess for a few days, but again it's allowing the grass to grow more strongly. You can get hand scarifying tools as well, or even hire a motorised one, but a wire rake is cheaper if you don't mind getting a bit sweaty.

Fertilise it a couple of times a year as well - one with weedkiller if you must. You can also aerate the lawn, cheap option is a garden fork, just spike the ground to let some air in. You can also get tools which actually remove plugs of soil which allows it all to breathe that bit better. Afterwards mix some topsoil with some sharp sand and scatter it over the top, and mix in some more grass seed.

If it's online advice you're after, Lawnsmith is pretty good - and not pushy about the products he is trying to sell.

I'm actually in a similar position to you - my lawn was looking hopeless - but I've been happy with accepting it's not going to be a "great" lawn, I just want it to be OK.

NurseMoneySaver1122 · 27 October 2017 at 1:08AM

Thank you for all the great advice, it very appreciated, not to mention REALLY needed!

So we decided against trying to save what was there. We were considering the seed option but we are now passing (if not already passed) the ideal time. However, from my research, it seems an ideal time to turf!? I appreciate this is the pricier option, however the actual grass area is tiny, approximately 9m2 (the back half of the garden will be edged off and stones put in place as that's where the shed etc is).

So I dug up the mounds of sand that was put down years ago. It's not almost level with the adjacent path but still seems some sand is mixed in with the soil so I think I still need to take some more off yet too. My next step will be digging it to around 6" then adding some manure (so I've read!).

In the mean time, I've attempted pulling the weeds out, but in the process many weeds broke off leaving the root behind! I was going to buy a glyphosate weed killer but I saw they work by spraying the leaves which then kills down to the root. But I now have no leaves to spray...but I'm sure there are many roots lower down! And I don't want to lay turf only to have real problems with weeds after because I haven't completed this step fully.

So I basically need advice about my next best step?

sevenhills · 27 October 2017 at 9:12AM

You can buy bags of topsoil quite cheaply, add this to level things off.
I have repaired lawns cheaply using grass seed, which ever way you choose, you will still need to deal with weeds coming through. Turf is good, if you can spare the cash.
Weeds can be killed at any time. It is not too late to seed, so long as the weather does not turn frosty.
I have known grass seed grow in December, in a mild winter, that we seem to have more of.

Farway · 27 October 2017 at 3:13PM

Depending on the weds but a lot will not survive once you start mowing, others will, like dandelions, but a weed & feed weedkiller applied as per instructions will work, as will old fashioned on hands & knees just grubbing them out