Why are lawns so difficult?

[Covenant]

The grass at the front of my house is not grass-it's just moss and clover. The rear garden is a bit better but there is a horrible patch of fungus stuff that won't go away.:steam:
Why is it all so complicated?:doh: I just want to mow the damn grass once every two weeks and be done with it. Every now and again I buy stuff to sprinkle on it and end up with bald patches.:mental:
What's the secret to a nice lawn?

[snuffbox]

Clovers a pain to get rid of.Bad drainage and compacted earth contribute to moss.
I've just started using a treatment called MoBacter,this feeds the grass,kills the moss and releases bacteria that then get rid of the dead moss.
Going over the lawn with a coring machine then brushing sand in would help the drainage.
A perfect lawn takes time and effort to produce and maintain.
I don't think you can get anything effective from garden centres that controls clover,all the stuff that worked has been banned so you may have to get in touch with one of the lawncare companys that has acces to these chemicals or have a word with a friendly groundsman.

Check out www.djturfcare.co.uk for Mobacter.Delivery is free.
Hope this helps.:)

[snuffbox]

http://garden.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Clover_Weed_Killer

[Marco]

Apparently, if you train cats to 'go' on the lawn, it helps the grass to grow, no end! ;)

Marco.

[snuffbox]

Apparently, if you train cats to 'go' on the lawn, it helps the grass to grow, no end! ;)

Marco.


Bitches as well.
Trouble is you end up with a lawn that has dead looking grass that then turns into patches where it grows greener and longer than the surrounding grass.

[goraman]

The grass at the front of my house is not grass-it's just moss and clover. The rear garden is a bit better but there is a horrible patch of fungus stuff that won't go away.:steam:
Why is it all so complicated?:doh: I just want to mow the damn grass once every two weeks and be done with it. Every now and again I buy stuff to sprinkle on it and end up with bald patches.:mental:
What's the secret to a nice lawn?

So go with what works.
In a house I grew up in there was alot of trees and shade so the front lawn would never stay green for long,not a problem in the back yard grass did fine.
So Dad got an Idea,he added a little more top soil and leveled it and then planted clover evenly,after spring it really looked nice,he added a couple gnomes and a deer laying in the clover and people loved it.
The neighbor next to us then did the same thing.
If you are getting mold add some sand to the soil and till it in,this will speed evaporation so the ground will dry faster.
We lived where there was a lot of trees and granite.
Be creative and choose plants that thrive in the conditions of your yard and life will be way easier. READ under clover http://www.lawnreform.org/better-types-of-lawn.html

http://www.gsheller.com/2010/06/in-defense-of-the-clover-lawn.html

[Macca]

Dig the lot up, flame it and plant a whole new lawn from seed. It is the right time of year it will shoot up just don't skimp on the seed, it is still a lot cheaper than buying turf. The modern grass varieties are fast growing and hard wearing and they don't give intruding weeds an easy time to get established. After that a couple of minutes a week on maintainance and you will have a bowling green not a lawn.

I've not had a garden in 18 years. Did have an allotment for a bit though.

[snuffbox]

So there you go,opinions from start from scratch to making the best of what you've got.
A lot depends on the site itself,some sites will never sustain a good looking lawn whatever you do.
Try having a look at the Be Your Own Lawn Expert book but bear in mind that when originally printed a lot of advice was based on garden practices from many years ago when we had proper seasons.
If I had a small area I wanted to be green with no hassle I would consider one of the new artificial lawns that are available,they still require a bit of maintenance though but are very good.
By the way,I do this sort of thing for a living.

[Dominic Harper]

Not that we are posh or anything, but we use a gardener. Apparently, cats pee has something in it that kills the lawn, so it's not good for you cat to pee on your grass. Fortunately, my 4 don't pee on my lawn, but I don't think they pee on any of the neighbors either. Not sure were they pee lol. Our lawn at the moment is full of weeds. So the gardener is coming next week thank goodness, but he has said one of the best thing to use on your lawn is weed and feed.

Natalie;)

[ursus262]

We have a gardener too, and he's about due as our bush needs a good seeing to.

[Macca]

We have a gardener too, and he's about due as our bush needs a good seeing to.

Oh Er missus - look, they're making up their own jokes at the back there...:eek:

[snuffbox]

I often have to tidyup bushes ovegrowing a clematis,then sometimes I've had to deal with fungus in the back passage;)

The cats piss doesn't kill the grass it just burns it as its high in nitrogen.
The grass then comes back very green and grows a lot more quickly.
See previous post.
A well fed lawn(little and often) is often able to outgrow the weeds.
Honestly some people obsess over their lawns worse than an audiophile with a mistracking cartridge;)

Bloody anoraks.

[Covenant]

Front garden view showing a large bush which needs trimming, sometimes the cat gets stuck in it :lol:
The lighter green is all moss.

Digging up the grass is a good idea but if the problem is drainage (may well be as its clay under the soil) some land drainage may be an idea. What's the going rate for a labourer?

[Covenant]

And here is the rear garden showing my nasty fungus attack. Not reached my back passage yet.

[Martinh]

Hi all,

I too have (had) a problem with moss and dandelions - the grass was almost non existant.

two years ago I started periodically puttung weed and feed down and then later overseeding with "shady lawn" seed.

IMHO there's no point in getting rid of the weeds if you don't fill the holes with new grass.

I've also banned my 5 yr old from playing with the dandelion clocks!

Now it's looking much, much better. Not perfect, but good enough. It's not a 5 minute job - you need to do it regularly.

p.s. I use the shady lawn seed because i have a few trees around - shady lawn seed is also good if you use it where the sun doesn't shine i.e. north of Watford :lol:

Martin

[goraman]

The only thing that is going to survive in that clay is nut grass or possably clover and who the hell wants nut grass? A really nasty weed.
I would kill off the mess with Round up, put down a pre emergent then till in some fine sand and peat moss.
Then plant white clover, as clover stops growing after 4 inches lawn mowing is nearly a thing of the past.

[Covenant]

Hmmm, other people have nice grass on my estate Jeff. They just spend more time and money on it than me! There is about 4-6 inches of soil over the clay. If I dug it up and put a land drain surrounded in gravel down the centre of the lawn then a couple of inches of sand I am sure it would improve it.
But can I be bothered to keep up with the Jones?

[goraman]

Hmmm, other people have nice grass on my estate Jeff. They just spend more time and money on it than me! There is about 4-6 inches of soil over the clay. If I dug it up and put a land drain surrounded in gravel down the centre of the lawn then a couple of inches of sand I am sure it would improve it.
But can I be bothered to keep up with the Jones?

Your right that would help, but mold and to much water can sour the soil. http://www.managemylife.com/mmh/articles/authored/overwatering
This shouldn't be about keeping up with your neighbors,but getting the most from your yard with the least effort as my impression is you don't want to spend a lot of extra time controlling wees and mowing.

I live in a condo but wish I had a home with a yard,mostly for my son too play in.

[Covenant]

I am not that old that I need to control my wees Jeff, there is a toilet nearby:lol:

[Dominic Harper]

I often have to tidyup bushes ovegrowing a clematis,then sometimes I've had to deal with fungus in the back passage;)

The cats piss doesn't kill the grass it just burns it as its high in nitrogen.
The grass then comes back very green and grows a lot more quickly.
See previous post.
A well fed lawn(little and often) is often able to outgrow the weeds.
Honestly some people obsess over their lawns worse than an audiophile with a mistracking cartridge;)

Bloody anoraks.

I agree with the obsession thing, although it is nice have a healthy green lawn. I say get a gardener. Our gardener charges £15.00 an hour which I think is average, but he is only with us for about an hour and half, he get up all the weed mows the lawns obviously and treats the grass with weed and feed, job done. He comes round about every 2 months, but not in winter, costs £20.00. The irony of it is, that we bought a new lawn mower last year and I think Dom has used it once:scratch:. Anyway, It does look good after the gardener has finished with it, and he says the best way to get rid of anything nasty on your lawn is to dig it all out and put some new soil down with new grass. I suppose it depends on what the real problem is and whether any sort of treatment can be used without having to dig it all out, but maybe you should ask one of those neighbours of yours who has the nicest garden, as he might know how to treat your problem.

Natalie;)

[Covenant]

http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w500/jerry393/th_IMGP9093.jpg (http://s1078.photobucket.com/albums/w500/jerry393/?action=view&current=IMGP9093.jpg)
http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/w500/jerry393/th_IMGP9094.jpg (http://s1078.photobucket.com/albums/w500/jerry393/?action=view&current=IMGP9094.jpg)

Inspired by the advice I tidied up the rear garden this morning. Looking a bit more presentable.

[snapper]

I tidied up the rear garden this morning.




Garden? Up here they call that a park.

[aquapiranha]

Here in the land of eternal rain, I have real trouble with the lawn. this morning during a brief spell of sunshine I went out and mowed it. What is left looks like a victim of agent orange, since I used some 'weed and feed' that I got from the local farmers supplies place. I need to get rid of the old dead moss and weeds, so I will try to find a lawnraler, or scarifier. we struggle here because it is so wet, plus there is a fallow field opposite the house with all kinds of wierd and wonderful fauna growing in it that inevitably ends up in our lawn too!

[Covenant]

Here in the land of eternal rain, I have real trouble with the lawn. this morning during a brief spell of sunshine I went out and mowed it. What is left looks like a victim of agent orange, since I used some 'weed and feed' that I got from the local farmers supplies place. I need to get rid of the old dead moss and weeds, so I will try to find a lawnraler, or scarifier. we struggle here because it is so wet, plus there is a fallow field opposite the house with all kinds of wierd and wonderful fauna growing in it that inevitably ends up in our lawn too!
:worthless:

[aquapiranha]

Ok....

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/DSCF0083.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/DSCF0082.jpg

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/aquapiranha/DSCF0081.jpg


As you can see, it has seen better days! Oh, and ignore the date on the pics, I just took them with the 7 year olds digicam lol...

[Covenant]

At least you have grass not moss like me Steve. I am going to see if there is a local gardener who will take up my front turf for a few pennies and a cup of tea.

[aquapiranha]

Lol Jerry, there is not much grass I can tell you! I really need a lawnraker. I have seen several about, but a decent one costs about £100 so not sure if I can do that :rolleyes:

[goraman]

For the truly hopeless.
http://www.newgrass.com/