Help! Grass advice needed

HBC08

Im trying to get my grass back in decent condition.
I dont have a huge area,a small patch at the front of the house and a larger side garden.
Both are in need of help,i used 3in1 a few weeks ago to kill the moss and help exisisting grass and then aeriated it with a pitchfork.Yesterday i raked up all the moss.
Im looking for advice on what to do next,i have been told to mix seed and compost and to spread that lightly then sprinkle some more seed on top and stomp it down,does this sound correct?
Any other ideas?
I have attached pics of current situation.

HBC08

Front garden 1st pic

HBC08

Side garden

Apologies for having to do seperate post but its the only way it would let me upload pics!

HBC08

Anybody at at all?!

Would be be a good idea to wait til after next weeks predicted cold snap?

Car99

HBC08 wrote: »

Anybody at at all?!

Would be be a good idea to wait til after next weeks predicted cold snap?

I'm no expert but I'll tell you what I'm doing. I spread sulphate of Iron yesterday to kill the moss. In about a weeks time I'm going to take out the dead moss and give the lawn a feed of 7 6 17 fertiliser and then I'll wait 6 weeks to see how the lawn is doing befor I consider overseeding. I will spot treat any noticeable weeds with dicophar during the 6 weeks. My lawn is too big to use any expensive all in one lawn treatments.

I dont think you can seed for at least 6 weeks after putting one of those all in 1 lawn feed weed treatments because the weed killer in the treatment will stop the new lawn seed germinating.

HBC08

Car99 wrote: »

I'm no expert but I'll tell you what I'm doing. I spread sulphate of Iron yesterday to kill the moss. In about a weeks time I'm going to take out the dead moss and give the lawn a feed of 7 6 17 fertiliser and then I'll wait 6 weeks to see how the lawn is doing befor I consider overseeding. I will spot treat any noticeable weeds with dicophar during the 6 weeks. My lawn is too big to use any expensive all in one lawn treatments.

I dont think you can seed for at least 6 weeks after putting one of those all in 1 lawn feed weed treatments because the weed killer in the treatment will stop the new lawn seed germinating.

Great thanks for advice!
I put the 3 in 1 mix down 3 weeks or maybe a month ago,all moss it dead and removed now.
I think ill wait til after the cold snap comingon sunday before seeding.

garv123

Doesnt look too bad in the pic, overseeding should make a big difference.

you dont want to compact the soil too much when you put the seed down (they say you should be able to lift the roller easly)
I'd give it a rake to loosen the soil a small bit, and then spread the seed and compost followed by a light roll

HBC08

garv123 wrote: »

Doesnt look too bad in the pic, overseeding should make a big difference.

you dont want to compact the soil too much when you put the seed down (they say you should be able to lift the roller easly)
I'd give it a rake to loosen the soil a small bit, and then spread the seed and compost followed by a light roll

Perfect,sounds very doable.
Im going to give that a try,thanks!

HBC08

Still havent started this as a real cold snap was promised,it was cold a few nights but nothing too bad and theres been good sunshine everyday.
My question is,is it too cold to seed grass at the moment?
I never intended to have waited till halfway through April!

GreeBo

I'd go ahead and start, its mostly warm enough now.

Cut the grass down low and either rake up the existing soil to break it up, or better yet spread some compost/top soil mix over the whole area.
You want about half in inch depth if you can.
Spread grass seed over this area and then lightly rake it in to mix it up. finally you can roll if you have a roller or just press it down with you heels. You are just trying to ensure that the seeds are all in contact with soil, so dont go mad.

Then lightly water once a day, just to keep the soil moist but you dont want standing water (it will wash the seeds into clumps)
if you get hot dry weather then you will need to water more frequently.

Give it a light mow in 10-14 days.

Steve_hooo

I did a patch late March and it appears the cold snap did not interfere

HBC08

Great folks thanks,im really regretting not doing it in expectation of over exaggerated artic weather!

legend99

Steve_hooo wrote: »

I did a patch late March and it appears the cold snap did not interfere

Any idea what seed you used?

Steve_hooo

legend99 wrote: »

Any idea what seed you used?

I've thrown already away the box but it was the B&Q brand for shaded garden

HBC08

HBC08 wrote: »

Front garden 1st pic

3.5 weeks later

HBC08

HBC08 wrote: »

Side garden

Apologies for having to do seperate post but its the only way it would let me upload pics!

Side garden 3.5 weeks later

HBC08

Some patches didnt grow but not a bad attempt for my first time putting down grass.I mowed it yesterday which was probably a bit early but had it on a high setting.
Im wondering is it too early to put fertiliser on?

MonkieSocks

HBC08 wrote: »

Some patches didnt grow but not a bad attempt for my first time putting down grass.I mowed it yesterday which was probably a bit early but had it on a high setting.
Im wondering is it too early to put fertiliser on?

Try mixing water with some "Tomato Food Concentrate" in a watering can and give it a good spread onto the patches

GreeBo

HBC08 wrote: »

Some patches didnt grow but not a bad attempt for my first time putting down grass.I mowed it yesterday which was probably a bit early but had it on a high setting.
Im wondering is it too early to put fertiliser on?

I wouldnt fertilize new grass just yet, you want it to grow roots now, not leaves.

Just overseed the bare patches and continue to water daily if it doesnt rain or its very hot/sunny.

SocialSpud

HBC08 wrote: »

Great thanks for advice!
I put the 3 in 1 mix down 3 weeks or maybe a month ago,all moss it dead and removed now.
I think ill wait til after the cold snap comingon sunday before seeding.

What 3 in 1 mix did you use? I have moss I'd like to get rid of too.

JPup

That front patch. Do you sit out there much? Are you wedded to the idea of it bring grass? I’d be ditching the grass personally and putting in a mix of shrubs, bulbs. Maybe a small tree or two. Would look much better that way and be lower maintenance. Better for local wildlife too.

Car99

SocialSpud wrote: »

What 3 in 1 mix did you use? I have moss I'd like to get rid of too.

I had alot of moss on my lawn and I mean alot. I got a bag of sulphate of iron powder from my local agri store and spread it liberally by hand after a week the moss was dead and as a bonus it seemed to really stunt if not kill any broad leaf weeds that were growing in the lawn , three weeks later I used a scarifier in the lawn . Two weeks later and the lawn is doing well with virtually no moss visible. €15 for the big bag of sulphate of iron to cover 700 sqm of lawn was much better value than than the 3 in one . I'm going to feed the lawn with 7 6 17 plus sulphur this week another cheap option and I'm hoping that will see the lawn through to the end of the summer. I'll spot treat any larger weeds with dicophar if needed during the growing season.

HBC08

JPup wrote: »

That front patch. Do you sit out there much? Are you wedded to the idea of it bring grass? I’d be ditching the grass personally and putting in a mix of shrubs, bulbs. Maybe a small tree or two. Would look much better that way and be lower maintenance. Better for local wildlife too.

Sorry only seeing this now.
No never sit out the front (We usually sit out the side and that's where we have an awning,garden furniture,patio heater,hedge etc.
Never thought of that idea,interesting, Thanks for that.

HBC08

This is at 5 weeks,much better now.

HBC08

Side Garden.
There's some patches that aren't going to grow at this stage so I think I'll throw some seed down with a bit of compost and hope for the best,it's looks decent as is I think.

GreeBo

looks good, but I'd be cutting it soon otherwise its going to be a right pain.
Remember you can/should only take off 1/3 of the length on each cut to not stress the grass.

Also, regular cutting will help to fill in the bare patches.

HBC08

GreeBo wrote: »

looks good, but I'd be cutting it soon otherwise its going to be a right pain.
Remember you can/should only take off 1/3 of the length on each cut to not stress the grass.

Also, regular cutting will help to fill in the bare patches.

I've cut it a few times,the last being 3/4 days ago.I put some tomato feed on (some good advise I took from boards)
I also put some 10 10 20 on it about 2 weeks ago and it went mental!

GreeBo

HBC08 wrote: »

I've cut it a few times,the last being 3/4 days ago.I put some tomato feed on (some good advise I took from boards)
I also put some 10 10 20 on it about 2 weeks ago and it went mental!

After a feed (or two!) and the recent warm and wet weather you need to be cutting it more frequently if you want it to stay healthy, green and to fill in.