Garden Advice for Noobie

Irish Gunner

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y2sBchBBw1J1sJDb9

Okay in new house picture above (hopefully viewable) and previous owner not attended garden at least 6 months. Borrowed lawn mower and cut grass at high level and then down to 40.Cut it again today. Pulled up some dandelions and nettles cut some with a shears. Still plenty around. Also grass looks kinda scorched or faded.

Attached a few pictures. Just looking at suggestions to improve lawn and kill weeds there. Then I can look at maintaining it. Also any suggestions for the perimeter around garden. Is it case of getting shovel and digging everything up. I have the time just not the tools

It's our first garden as last house was paved

All suggestions welcome

Thanks

GrumpyMe

A Weed & Feed should work on the grass about now! Lots are hard sell but most just work the same way from the same chemicals. Whether liquid or pellet when applying, do half up and down the lawn then the other half across and back - you will get a better coverage and less likely to get stripes. Might have to let it grow for a couple of days before and after. Don't cut grass too short. It might look neat but a little longer means it out competes the weeds. Could do with a bit of a raking too to remove thatch.

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

A Weed & Feed should work on the grass about now! Lots are hard sell but most just work the same way from the same chemicals. Whether liquid or pellet when applying, do half up and down the lawn then the other half across and back - you will get a better coverage and less likely to get stripes. Might have to let it grow for a couple of days before and after. Don't cut grass too short. It might look neat but a little longer means it out competes the weeds. Could do with a bit of a raking too to remove thatch.

Cheers

Okay weed and feed just googling that any recommendations that I can get locally if open or online. That used on lawn and perimeter around to get rid of nettle and weeds

I've no rake that is one tool I need. I cut it last weekend for the first time and again this weekend

Irish Gunner

Can anyone recommend a good weed and feed that I can get online

Cheers

magicbastarder

you might not need it. there's no obvious signs of weed infestation, and the grass will look yellow if you've taken it back from being unkempt anyway - the bottom of long grass stalks will yellow due to there not being as much light available to photosynthesise.
just keep cutting it on a high setting for a while and it'll recover.

Irish Gunner

magicbastarder wrote: »

you might not need it. there's no obvious signs of weed infestation, and the grass will look yellow if you've taken it back from being unkempt anyway - the bottom of long grass stalks will yellow due to there not being as much light available to photosynthesise.
just keep cutting it on a high setting for a while and it'll recover.

Some weeds in the grass maybe not evident in pictures

Also plenty of weeds including nettles around the ages

If I do apply weed and feed to these that kill them

Thanks

GrumpyMe

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Also plenty of weeds including nettles around the ages. If I do apply weed and feed to these that kill them.

It is likely the weed and feed will kill or negatively affect everything except grass. Thats what it is supposed to do. You could just hoe the boarders - looks like they could do with it and a couple of cms of topsoil/compost.

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

It is likely the weed and feed will kill or negatively affect everything except grass. Thats what it is supposed to do. You could just hoe the boarders - looks like they could do with it and a couple of cms of topsoil/compost.

Cheers

Okay didn't know that weed and feed was only for grass.

So saying get a hoe and get up the weeds and nettles in the boarders. Some of them roots firmly set in as was trying to get them up with a hand trowel

GrumpyMe

You don't need a full sized hoe for the few beds you have - one the size of your hand trowel will be easier to control around the plants in the beds. If you keep taking the growing tip off weeds they will eventually succumb and die.

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

You don't need a full sized hoe for the few beds you have - one the size of your hand trowel will be easier to control around the plants in the beds. If you keep taking the growing tip off weeds they will eventually succumb and die.

Cut weeds with shears and used hands to pick them up. Have a small shovel going to dig up what I can. Some weeds amongst plants that we like to keep. Once I dig out the weeds I just replace soil with compost. Nettles are sore. Any way of killing weeds first and make easier to pull up

Thanks

GrumpyMe

There are other weedkillers, anything with Glyphosate will kill everything - weeds, roots, plants, bees, insects and humans allegedly. To be honest you have such small area in beds, a quick till of the soil once or twice a month will keep most weeds under control.

GrumpyMe

You need to till the soil to aerate the beds - that will disturb and probably kill most weeds. If you plant more wanted plants that will smother new growth. It is not like you have an acre of planting area. You don't need to dig out weeds just stop/interrupt their growth cycle by depriving them of sun/food. Removing the "green" tops starves them and they die.

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

You need to till the soil to aerate the beds - that will disturb and probably kill most weeds. If you plant more wanted plants that will smother new growth. It is not like you have an acre of planting area. You don't need to dig out weeds just stop/interrupt their growth cycle by depriving them of sun/food. Removing the "green" tops starves them and they die.

Okay I scarifyed the lawn today think that what it's called. Grass bit patchy and faded. Going to try weed and feed if I can find it anywhere

Started to dig around the ages trying to get weeds up and using our hands to pull off leaves.

Hoping to get this done soon depending on supplies

Irish Gunner

Going to try and get weed and feed online try to get it done soon enough. Take it if I do it and doesn't rain soon after I need to spray garden myself?

Going to try dig out the weeds in the perimeter also. Is it best to dig everything up including soil and throw it into bio degradable bags and replace it with compost?

Thanks

GrumpyMe

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Going to try and get weed and feed online try to get it done soon enough. Take it if I do it and doesn't rain soon after I need to spray garden myself?

Follow the instructions on the container.

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Going to try dig out the weeds in the perimeter also. Is it best to dig everything up including soil and throw it into bio degradable bags and replace it with compost?

Don't do more than is necessary. Take the top off the weeds - they wont thrive if they don't gave a green presence above ground.

Irish Gunner wrote: »

Is it best to dig everything up including soil and throw it into bio degradable bags and replace it with compost?

That's a bit of overkill.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=665

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

Follow the instructions on the container.

Don't do more than is necessary. Take the top off the weeds - they wont thrive if they don't gave a green presence above ground.

That's a bit of overkill.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=665

Cheers

After doing the weed and feed what would be the next step?

Do I need to put down grass seed to get lawn back to good standard and then maintain it.

Still searching online for decent lawnmower also

GrumpyMe

The "weed" will kill off the weeds for the most part - and the "feed" will green up and get the grass looking healthy. Don't cut grass too short or the weeds will compete again. You might need to rake up the grass thatch but your grass should sprout again and fill any spaces.
Thatch = https://tinyurl.com/ybq58au3

A push cylinder mower will cut that in about ten minutes and give you a good workout. Get it sharpened once a year and it will produce fine results. Go East / West one cut then North / South next cut. Alternate directions will give you stripy lawn!

Irish Gunner

GrumpyMe wrote: »

The "weed" will kill off the weeds for the most part - and the "feed" will green up and get the grass looking healthy. Don't cut grass too short or the weeds will compete again. You might need to rake up the grass thatch but your grass should sprout again and fill any spaces.
Thatch = https://tinyurl.com/ybq58au3

A push cylinder mower will cut that in about ten minutes and give you a good workout. Get it sharpened once a year and it will produce fine results. Go East / West one cut then North / South next cut. Alternate directions will give you stripy lawn!

Thanks weed and feed to arrive this week sometime so possible next weekend start on it. Pulling up dandelions left right and centre

Have a rake like this https://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alamy.com%2Fstock-photo-scarifying-garden-lawn-to-remove-moss-using-leaf-rake-102354195.html&psig=AOvVaw3_Jt1wGloig-T11_-Vl3g6&ust=1587461020030000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCPjK56PX9ugCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAF

So used that after cutting grass or do I have to use it more ?

Borrowed an electric lawnmower 1800w and works grand. The days as a teenager cutting parents lawn with a push mower haunt me so electric lawnmower I will get in the near future:)

Need to get some peatmoss for the borders and try to dig up the weeds. Was looking at a blank canvas first but will try to turn the weeds and bin them and put some moss down

Hopefully post an update soon but any suggestions tips please let me know as then I have to start on the front. But not much grass out there

Thanks