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Autumn turf deteriorating fast....Help!!!!

I re-turfed my front 'patch early in October with allegedly shade tolerant turf (large oaks along eastern boundary). I spent a lot of time prepping the site although not to the standard of a purist and I admit to not testing the soil.To be honest I wasn't expecting miracles and expected hassle because of the imminent 'leaf drop'.                              A few weeks on and it's a mess! The grass itself is very weak and 'flimsy' with loads of bare patches not helped by an excess of worm casts... it hasn't been dry enough to brush them out so they've 'pancaked' making it worse.    It's been too wet really, when I've mowed 'high setting' but It's been the only effective way of sucking up the infernal leaves before they compact down and do more damage than they have already.

Now it's less shaded,I wonder if it will recover and whether it is too late to water in a fertiliser? Could it be that years of oak leaves composting down have made the soil too acid? Any suggestions appreciated, I'm on my way right now to purchase a soil tester.

 

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  • I think I'd leave it alone for the winter - I wouldn't use a fertiliser at this time of year.  If more wormcasts appear scatter them by 'sweeping' them with a long bamboo cane.  Worm casts indicate lots of worms down there which is a good thing - they'll pull some of the remaining leaves down into the soil below the turf over the winter.

    In the spring some sunshine and a light feed, coupled with regular cutting (and a fair degree of patience) will work wonders image

    PS.  Try to avoid walking on it, particularly if wet, frosted or when covered with snow image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Thanks for the advice.Trouble with the worm casts is it's been constantly wet and the slimy stuff is very difficult to disperse.I'll keep off it but as I've got one of those rotary spikers ...Is there any point in aerating the area?

     

     

     

     

  • I'd be wary of spiking turf that was laid so recently.  If it's not been growing well I doubt that it's got its roots well down yet, so you may find your pulling the turves up when spiking.  I wouldn't do it unless you've got standing water on it, and even then I'd be very wary.

    Grass is pretty hard to kill - I'm sure that by next summer you'll be wondering what you were worrying about image


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Vegemight leave it alone for the winter. In spring it will be half settled and look a bit rough. Don't worry, in spring when it starts to grow again, leave it to get to about 4-5 inches before mowing on a high cut. Stand back and have a good look. If you need to reseed some patches then do so using a suitable seed and treat any newly sown area's as new lawn. Don't be in a hurry to close cut till almost the Autumn. Fill any gaps in the turf and seed them. Even turfed lawns take time to settle, they are a quick fix but good lawns take patience. I wouldn't worry about worm casts, it's normal and shows a healthy soil.

  • Thanks Dave. I think the turf is a bit more established than you think. All knitted together fine, (no 'tiling' effect) and appears to be settled down. All valuable advice but I still suspect root damage from the way it's 'thinned'. However, it does appear that my eagerness to suck up the pesky leaves may be a large part of the problem as I was on there too early with the mower and didn't set the cut as high as I should have. 

    One last? question..... It's been constantly wet and soft so a billiard table it is not! I was thinking of borrowing my mates roller before the frosts. Bad idea???

     

     

     

      

     

  • Dave MorganDave Morgan Posts: 3,123

    Leave rolling till it's drained in late spring, doing it now risks creating a bit of 'hard pan' which will make drainage an issue. Your'e more likely to end with a boggy mess if you do it now.

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