Lawn grass very coarse & weedy

Ciarrai76

This years grass seems to be very coarse & the lawn is very weedy. It also has a lot of moss. The lawn has never been perfect, we don't have great soil as it's quite a marshy area, but the lawn has been in a lot better condition in previous years than it is now. Is there anything we can use to help better grass grow through? Is it worth spraying some sort of feed?

mikeybrennan

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

This years grass seems to be very coarse & the lawn is very weedy. It also has a lot of moss. The lawn has never been perfect, we don't have great soil as it's quite a marshy area, but the lawn has been in a lot better condition in previous years than it is now. Is there anything we can use to help better grass grow through? Is it worth spraying some sort of feed?

Bag of 3 in 1

Weedkiller,lawnfeed and mosskiller

_Brian

Lawns need feeding.

We mow and mow them all spring, summer and autumn drawing all the nutrients out of the soil and so many people never put anything back.

As mentioned above, a weed n feed is a good start.

Also don't skin the lawn too low, grass is a plant and if you shave it low there is no leaf left to feed the plant through, plants need green leaf to process their feed, repeatedly cutting the whole green leaf off weakens it terribly.

casscass4444

Go to your local coop and buy a bag of 7-6-17.its 25 euro for a big bag.one bag of this will do a big lawn or keep left over for next year dry in the shed.throw it out broadcast by hand.cut the grass short enough and lash out this stuff on it.leave it 2 weeks or so then until you cut again.
Do this twice a year and anyone who tells you it will make the grass grow mad hasn't a clue what they are on about.
It's a great feed for grass and well balanced plus your not paying woodies rip off prices.you will notice huge difference using this

casscass4444

I used the weed and feed before and on a big lawn it's a waste of time and pure sh1te.the only way to kill off moss properly is by using a scarrifier which you can hire and by removing the full thatch and applying grass seed and granular fertiliser to barren spots afterwards.this should be done once every 2 years in our climate if you want a golf course lawn.
For the time being try the 7-6-17 at small money and see are you happy with results.from all the cutting your soil is probably starving

Ciarrai76

Great, thanks for the advice!

mikeybrennan

casscass4444 wrote: »

I used the weed and feed before and on a big lawn it's a waste of time and pure sh1te.the only way to kill off moss properly is by using a scarrifier which you can hire and by removing the full thatch and applying grass seed and granular fertiliser to barren spots afterwards.this should be done once every 2 years in our climate if you want a golf course lawn.
For the time being try the 7-6-17 at small money and see are you happy with results.from all the cutting your soil is probably starving

Does the 7-6-17 have an affect on weeds

Someone told me it does ?

_Brian

mikeybrennan wrote: »

Does the 7-6-17 have an affect on weeds

Someone told me it does ?

No.

I actually use 10-10-20 myself, it's a good balanced feed for lawns and you can use it on shrubs, beds and hedges too.

The high unit of K (potassium) definitely weakens moss considerably but not other weeds.

If it's not a big lawn just stick with the weed n feed, don't buy it in woodies though, try and get to a decent hardware store where you will get a better deal.

Mooooo

A bit of lime may do no harm either, granucal would be one name dunno can you get it smaller than 50 kg bags tho it's not expensive

aujopimur

_Brian wrote: »

No.

I actually use 10-10-20 myself, it's a good balanced feed for lawns and you can use it on shrubs, beds and hedges too.

The high unit of K (potassium) definitely weakens moss considerably but not other weeds.

If it's not a big lawn just stick with the weed n feed, don't buy it in woodies though, try and get to a decent hardware store where you will get a better deal.

10 10 20 is for silage.

_Brian

aujopimur wrote: »

10 10 20 is for silage.

Not at all, would be way too low in N for silage.
18:6:12 or 27% Can is for silage.

10:10:20 is for reseds and often used on potato crops.

lazybones32

OP: assuming it's a handy sized town garden, you could nearly ignore most of what is written above about getting agri fertilisers.

Cut the lawn a bit lower than usual.
Get either a spring-tine rake or hire a scarifier if 1or 2 people raking would take too long.
Rake the moss out of the lawn (there will be a lot!) Rake in a straight line, for example, parallel to the wall towards the drive and then rake at a right-angle to the direction you just did...from front wall towards the front of the house. Run the mower over the lawn to suck up leftover loose moss. Grass will come away too, so don't fret.
Then get a garden fork and drive it into the lawn every foot or two, to allow air into the soil which will help the lawn in time. Woodies sell horticultural grit at €5-7 for 25kg- use this to fill the holes made by the fork.
Then apply your 3 in 1. This will feed the grass, kill the remaining moss and the weeds. No need to buy agricultural fertilisers.

Ciarrai76

lazybones32 wrote: »

OP: assuming it's a handy sized town garden, you could nearly ignore most of what is written above about getting agri fertilisers.

Cut the lawn a bit lower than usual.
Get either a spring-tine rake or hire a scarifier if 1or 2 people raking would take too long.
Rake the moss out of the lawn (there will be a lot!) Rake in a straight line, for example, parallel to the wall towards the drive and then rake at a right-angle to the direction you just did...from front wall towards the front of the house. Run the mower over the lawn to suck up leftover loose moss. Grass will come away too, so don't fret.
Then get a garden fork and drive it into the lawn every foot or two, to allow air into the soil which will help the lawn in time. Woodies sell horticultural grit at €5-7 for 25kg- use this to fill the holes made by the fork.
Then apply your 3 in 1. This will feed the grass, kill the remaining moss and the weeds. No need to buy agricultural fertilisers.

Great thanks! Time allowing, I will try it (a small baby in the house tends to make things like this hard to do these days! lol). Fingers crossed we can get the grass back to health again. I've only cut it about 3 times so far since April. Its having the baby crawling on it that made me think about how rough it seemed in comparison to other years. Will let you know how I get on!

lazybones32

Ciarrai76 wrote: »

Great thanks! Time allowing, I will try it (a small baby in the house tends to make things like this hard to do these days! lol). Fingers crossed we can get the grass back to health again. I've only cut it about 3 times so far since April. Its having the baby crawling on it that made me think about how rough it seemed in comparison to other years. Will let you know how I get on!

It can be done over time; doesn't have to be done in one go. 15 minutes of work every second evening will make a massive difference by the end of the week. You could even draft in some help from family/friends, with the promise of grub or a few cold beers.

Only warning is that you shouldn't let the baby on the lawn for 2 weeks after putting on the 3 in 1.

Ciarrai76

lazybones32 wrote: »

It can be done over time; doesn't have to be done in one go. 15 minutes of work every second evening will make a massive difference by the end of the week. You could even draft in some help from family/friends, with the promise of grub or a few cold beers.

Only warning is that you shouldn't let the baby on the lawn for 2 weeks after putting on the 3 in 1.

Thanks for the tip! He tends to like to eat the grass so Will be sure to keep to that in mind!