Advice
Here you will find advice ranging from how to sow a new lawn, to moving your lawn, and lots more...
Professional Tips on Establishing a First Class Lawn
Whatever you need to use your lawn for, the basic preparation is always the same. Get this right, and the rest is simple.
Grass roots absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil - it must not be too dry or too wet. If the soil is too wet, drain it if possible and add sharp sand. If too dry, add peat or compost.
Seed bed preparation
If bought in soil is used, allow a month for it to settle. Use a roller to firm up soil, fill in any hollows and rake away bumps.
If you are looking to replace an old lawn with a new one:
- You will need around 1-3 months of preparation time
- Use a herbicide to control grass and weeds, such as Glyphosate (Roundup)
- Allow the herbicide to work for 3 weeks and then dig or cultivate to achieve a soil depth of 5 inches or more
- Add fertiliser to the seed bed and work in with a rake
- Sow grass seed from 35g per m2 to 50g per m2 depending on the grass mixture
- Save some grass seed in reserve and hold so that if there are any non-sown spots or poorly germinating areas you can attend to them
Mowing
Grass can survive being cut, grazed and trodden on by sending fresh shoots upward from its base to replace leaves that have been lost. It also needs an adequate amount of leaf area to produce its energy from the sun. It obtains water and other nutrients from soil.
- If you cut the grass too short you will stop it from obtaining energy.
- If you cut the grass too long you will stop it from sending fresh new shoots up from the base.
The first 2 cuts of your lawn should be set high, at about 1.5 inches, to enable the new grass to grow properly. Gradually over 5 or 6 months bring the height down to the correct height for the type of lawn you have sown.
If you use a mower which collects the cuttings, a lack of fertility will eventually develop and enable weeds to grow. Use a broad based fertiliser to replace the nutrients you have lost in the grass clipping.