Lawn care and advice

harry.hunt

Hi guys, 

Our lawn was laid fresh in January and so far so good. I waited until last weekend for its first cut so lots of time to embed so is in good condition. Just after some tips for long term care. 

I've noticed since the weather has turned recently and we are now getting hotter days and longer, drier periods, there are a couple of brown ish patches coming through. I have bought a hose and sprinkler gun and just wondering how often I should water and roughly how much? I've read watering at night is best as it means it has time to soak into the roots before drying out etc...

Also, I bought evergreen 4 in 1 lawn care and was quite excited to use it. However I've read the label and it says not for use on lawns younger than 6 months old. We're at 3 months so i assume I stick to this and avoid use for now?

Any other hints/tricks/tips would be great! Thanks!

Fairygirl

Hi @harry.hunt - how much you water is a bit like how long is a piece of string 
It really depends on the size of the browning areas. If they're only a couple of feet or so, about twenty minutes of water would probably do. Nothing beats some good rainfall to green it up. 
I personally wouldn't feed yet. If you aren't used to using these products, it's better to wait until the grass is really established and well rooted. It's very easy to over apply them, and if done in the wrong conditions, it can do a lot of unnecessary damage. We get more queries about black lawns at this time of year than almost any other when it comes to grass, because of those two scenarios!
They need damp conditions for application, and they need watered afterwards. It's easy enough in wetter parts of the country. A liquid feed based on seaweed might be better, rather than the all in one types too, especially if you're in a drier area, and the 6 month stage would put you right in the middle of summer, so that might be better. If you don't have any weeds at this stage, there's no need for a 4 in 1 product anyway. 
Others may disagree with me of course. 

Keep cutting the grass regularly, but never take too much off at one time - about a third of the overall height is ideal. Your climate/weather will dictate how often you cut, but little and often is best. 

Dave Humby

Watering in the evening, especially in humid conditions can lead to various lawn diseases, notably red thread. Early morning is recommended. A few soakings spread days apart is better than continually lightly watering. You want the grass roots to dive down in search of water and not be just under the surface. That's especially true for a newly laid lawn. 

The brownish patches are likely due to a lesser soil depth in that area (stones, old foundations etc) - unless you have a dog - so watering them a little more than the rest of the lawn to get the balance. Selective watering.

4 in 1 can be a disaster if not applied to the letter of the law and also in the right environmental conditions. A new lawn shouldn't require it and a quick search will show you many tales of woe. It's very easy to scorch / kill the grass. I would avoid it.

Keep off it where you can, for a few more weeks, as it's still relatively early days and keep the mowing height up. Normal recommendation is take no more than a third off in any one cut.

Enjoy it.

JennyJ

I would put away the 4-in-1 until this time next year (it should keep OK in a dry shed). It shouldn't need feeding or weed/mosskiller at this stage and could do more harm than good as the others have said, so if you do decide to use it next year be very careful to stick to the instructions. If in doubt under-apply. You can always add more but you can't take it away. I gave up using those products because I found it very difficult to apply evenly, either by hand or with a spreader.

harry.hunt

Thanks all! Very helpful!

@Dave Humby no dog as of yet but funnily enough we're just about to get one. I intend on walking it a few times a day to limit its garden use but obviously there will be times it will 'go' in the garden. I know from the past dog pee can stain the grass, any tips on how to avoid? thanks

Dave Humby

If you’re getting a pup @harry.hunt then you might be able to train it to pee on a set area (gravel etc). Otherwise the only real option, as I do, is run around like a lunatic with a watering can chasing the dogs latest present. There are products on the market (dog rocks or something) that you put in the dogs water bowl but they seem to be fairly ineffective from reviews I’ve read. 

It’s said that female dogs pee is more damaging which I believe is down to the ‘mechanics’ of the process (concentrated in direction) rather than any chemical reason.