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Q. I want to lay new turf but the base is blue clay what preparation do I need to lay the turf. Its a new lawn and no top soil what's so ever. Do I lay a sand and top soil mix to a dept of 2 inches? before laying the turf or just sand to help the drainage. Drainage is going to be problem as the clay is solid. A. I'd tend to go for as thick a layer as you can manage, 4-6" of topsoil if possible. 2" of sand/soil mix would help, or even 1" of sand under the 4-6" of topsoil. Q. You say that it is best to find a lawn fertilizer that is high in Nitrogen. With so many fertilizers on the market could you please recommend the best one? Maybe its just possible to buy Nitrogen on its own? If so I would be grateful to know where. A. Lawn fertilisers by definition are high in nitrogen, so anything that is described specifically as "lawn fertiliser" will be suitable. Which to go for makes little difference and price has more to do with convenience of application than with the feed content. Personally I prefer a blue-coloured granular fertiliser that I scatter on by hand in a damp period. The blue colour lets you see where you've been and prevents you adding too much in one go. I wouldn't recommend this method for the beginner though unless you do a few tests with canes and weighed amounts first. Do take care with application as in a couple of months time I'll get a few emails where people tell me they have over fertilized and killed patches of the lawn and want advice on what to do next! Soluble fertilisers are easier to apply in the recommended amount, but you still need to measure the garden out with some canes first, it's more time consuming though. Q. I recently put Scott's Bonus-S on my lawn to fertilize as well as kill the weeds. I watered consecutively for two days in a row. I noticed within a week that in the spots where the weeds were, the grass had died also. I know that I probably over applied the fertilizer. I have continued to water regularly, we have also had several good rains. I was told to put Mr. Peter's 20-20-20 on with a sprayer attached to my hose, that the lawn needs Nitrogen. I cannot find Mr. Peter's anywhere. Is there something comparable? Will that burn the grass further? How about Epsom Salt dissolved in warm water and applied to the burned areas? A. Sounds like you over did it to me. I'd carry on as you are and DON'T add anything else until the grass shows signs of recovery. Water as normal if it doesn't rain for at least a month, two would be better. When the grass looks like it's recovering add a high nitrogen LAWN fertiliser in the autumn (fall) at 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended rate. It doesn't much matter about the brand as long as it's high nitrogen and you apply it evenly. If the grass is growing strongly, you may not even need to add anything at all as there may be enough of your original fertiliser left around, it depends on your soil and how well drained or retentive of nutrients it is.
A. What you have is a very impressive case of turf thatch fungal mycelium. The cause is fungi that are living on the thatch - the dead grass and other debris just below the living leaves and above the soil. The most susceptible lawns are those that have not been maintained very thoroughly or sometimes, newly laid lawns from turf. The solution is to carry out all of the heavy-duty Lawncare chores such as scarifying and spiking to aerate. Collect your lawn mowings rather than let them lie of the grass and add to the thatch. It's not a disease as such, but a case of opportunist fungi making the most of an abundant source of food. Our damp summer would have made it worse. You may need to dig up very badly affected areas and re-seed or re-turf. A. Leave it at least a month, 6 weeks if possible after laying before mowing it. Set the mower on the highest setting for the first couple of times. Don't mow it as closely as you would like until next spring - and then only by the 2nd cut (question received in October, normally, the required mowing length can be set at the 3rd cut). Q. In the summer we laid a new lawn. I have not cut it since August and want to cut it now. When is the best time to cut a slightly overgrown lawn in November. Not when it is wet I presume? A. When is the best time to cut a slightly
overgrown lawn in November. A. Get a hollow-tine aerator and fill the plugs removed with a mix of sharp sand and peat. Not perfect, but better than nothing. Q. I have a large patch of lawn damaged by my boys playing football in wet weather. I am going to put down some astro turf in one corner to keep them off it. I am taking up some turf - circa 12m sq in a different part of the garden. Do you have any thoughts and tips on how to go about digging up the existing lawn to enable me to relay this. A. If you don't have access to a turf stripping machine, and I presume you don't, then dig it up, chuck it away and buy new for the new area. You could try re-using it, but you'll probably end up just putting in a lot of effort to make a big mess. Tool hire centres often have machines that will strip, but not ones that are good enough to give you something you can lay again. Those tend to be tractor attachments that I've only ever seen at turf farms. Depends how energetic you're feeling, the strippers tool hire firms do save a lot of time and effort, but it's a bit like stripping wallpaper as to what you get from them. |
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Q.
I have a problem with my lawn and I was hoping that you
could give me some advice on how to get rid of it.