Lawncare again, with new issues!
Gn0me
Posts: 82
Had this turf put down at the beginning of March.
In a previous thread I was getting paranoid about the grass drying out but was put at ease by you guys. However, almost 3 months on, it's now looking like this
I have been trying to water it regularly and cutting it frequently as many parts grow quickly. The problem is that it is becoming patchy where certain areas grow far more quickly than others and I'm getting weeds now.
I'm trying to read about caring for a lawn but I'm getting conflicting advice and bear in mind, this lawn is less than 3 months old which seems to change things.
Why is it growing in a patchy fashion?
Am I doing something wrong? What can I do to improve it?
I haven't fed it with anything yet, should I have done so?
Is this normal and expected?
I'm getting mushrooms now as well as weeds! How do I get rid of them?
Can I now cut the lawn to my lawnmowers lowest setting so it can start looking like it was when first put down?
Thanks very much.
Posts
Mushrooms don't do well in nutrient rush soils, so a lawn feed will help. An all in one will also help reduce the weeds.
New lawns often get patchy because the soil is a mixture of materials, dry zones, rocks, clay lumps etc..
I'd go with a lawn feed. I also wouldn't cut it super low because there's dry weather ahead. Summer lawns should be cut mid height. Early spring and autumn in5happy cutting shorter. But remember, grass plants don't want to be cut super short as it reduces their ability to photosynthesise.
You dont use weed and feed on new lawns, so read the label before buying.
Do you have a dog?
Did you dig the soil out well before putting the grass down? Stones under grass can cause the grass to dry out hense the patchy.
like PP do you have a dog?
Thanks.
I don't have a dog and I didn't put the lawn down myself but used someone who also did my patio and fence, so I'm 'assuming' they did a good job.
Do you think 3 months is enough time to treat the lawn as normal, thus putting down feed and weed controller? It would be nice but that's one of the conflicts I was reading. Maybe some are stronger than others or different?
With patchy lawns like this, does it mean it's always going to be like this? I'm now concerned they didn't do a good job.
Finally, if I don't keep watering it, will the patchy areas become worse and die? With the weather being dry I'm watering it nearly everyday.
Thanks again.
after 3 months you can treat it like a lawn that's been there for 3 years, the roots of the grass will be getting nicely established now, I'd give it a feed (not weed and feed - just a standard lawn fertilizer) and don't cut it too short this year.
it does look like something might be under the ground causing the patches however some exploratory holes may be required, just to see if it's something a simple as buried rocks.
you might be overwatering, reduce it to watering once a week at the most, this will encourage the roots of the grass to go looking for water - and therefore deeper, once we get to the end of September you can stop watering the lawn, forever if you want, grass goes brown during really hot, dry summer but the roots are still alive so there's no need to water a fully established (more than a year) lawn, unless its for cosmetic reasons.
Last edited: 25 May 2017 11:49:28
Thank you very much again for all your advice.
To be honest, I don't think there were rocks of any kind, maybe a few pebbles which I hope they removed before putting the top soil on.
How deep are we talking here?
Could this be due to over-watering then? If so then you might be right, I and my wife have this mindset that if we don't water it regularly then it will just die. In fact she thinks the reason why we have these patches is because we're not watering it enough!
I'm finding that I have to cut the lawn almost each weekend so most of the lawn is growing. I have been using my lawnmower on the highest (high grass) setting so I was about to cut it on a medium setting so that I don't have to keep cutting it so much! Maybe it's because of the watering that the grass is growing so quickly or is that normal?
Is there a particular lawn feed that is recommended?
Thanks again.
Possibly there was spent mushroom compost used in the turf or in the preparation for turfing ... there's no need to do anything about them ... they'll stop growing when whatever they're feeding on runs out. Just brush them off before mowing.
If it was mushroom compost they would be edible mushrooms .......... but don't eat them unless you're sure
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Personally, I don't think the lawn looks too bad considering how young it is. But, it's not unusual to have patchy areas.. The area must be even, so if the contractors didn't tamp down evenly at the time, then it's all possible, certain areas didn't make proper contact with the base soil. Even watering cannot sort this out. However, if you don't have dogs and the lawn is over 3 months old, it's fine to put a layer of good topsoil/topdress in areas that look to dip or work on areas that have lost colour.
Depending on the weather, it's best to not have blades low at this moment in time. Keep the mowing at consistent intervals. Weekly should be fine. After a few weeks, try raking up lightly any thatch build up.
I suggest a weed and feed because householders often dose lawn weedkillers wrongly and kill off patches of their lawns. With a spreader it's hard to get a granular product wrong. But personally I use mainly granular feeds, and if a client wants the weeds killed it's done with a liquid product with a knapsack.
At 3 months, this well-watered lawn will cope fine with an all in one granular product.
This time next year I'm sure it'll be much better anyway, whatever the cause.