Content
Installing New Lawns
- Covering grass seed with peat - a good idea or not?
- Drought resistant grass
- Grass seed prices vary so much
- New lawn has weeds - when can I treat it?
- Turf not rooting
- Sowing grass seed at the correct depth
- Feeding a new lawn
- When can I mow new turf?
- Using top soil when laying a new lawn
- Uneven new lawn
Covering grass seed with peat - a good idea or not?
Mrs Goode – this depends on whom you ask!
I’m not in favour because it can draw moisture away from the grass seed if things start getting dry; exactly the opposite of what you want. However, it can add valuable protection from damaging rain or perhaps birds. If you can keep the seeded area moist (enough water to stop it drying out) then the lightest covering (no more than ¼”) of peat or preferably a peat alternative would be fine. Straw is a good alternative but not hay as it contains a lot of weed seeds.
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Drought resistant grass - how drought resistant is it?
Richard - Simple answer ....... pretty good!
It’s not so much that the grass is drought resistant but that it grows very deep roots. Deep roots means the grass taps into water much deeper down and in a typical summer can mean the difference between a green and a brown lawn. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how long it can keep going in dry weather but if you live in a dry county or have freely draining soil and don’t mind a utility type lawn then you won’t be disappointed. See STAYGREEN Lawn Grass Seed
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Grass seed prices vary so much - why?
Jonathan - There are perhaps five elements that affect seed price:
1/ The variety of grass; rye, bent, fescue etc. Not all cost the same.
2/ The cultivar. This will give improved characteristics e.g. greener, drought tolerant, disease resistant etc. Look for STRI (Sports Turf Research Institute) rated seed.
3/ Purity is another determinant if you don’t want weed seeds in your grass seed. Look for the HVS Certification.
4/ The pricing structure of the retailer. You often see the same can of beans priced differently from one supermarket to the next.
5/ Packaging affects price – You can have fancy packaging or simple. My bags are strong but not very pretty polypropylene. The contents, however, are very good indeed! See 
Seed Advice.pdf
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New lawn has weeds - when can I treat it?
Patrick – a very common situation
The answer is read the label on your weed killer. For Bayer Advanced give it 6 months before treating. For Verdone just 2 months is required.
Personally I’d treat around May for a lawn sown in autumn and I’d wait until August or September for a lawn sown in spring.
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Turf not rooting
Hello - found your lawn info very useful, especially watering - thanks.
Have recently (mid September) put down a new turf lawn which is all going fine except for a few areas (a few sq ft) that have not rooted. Some spare turf was laid provisionally over some gravel and that sent down roots about 3 in long over a couple of weeks!!
Any comments would be gratefully received.
Patrick
Though this is not uncommon the fact that turf laid on a gravel path seems to have faired OK does confuse the issue and without an inspection all I can do is give you the most common cause.
For localised poor rooting in 95% of instances it is caused by poor turf to soil contact. If the turf is not contacting the soil, perhaps due to a slight dip, then as roots are sent down they hit air then dry and shrivel. Alternatively there may be air pockets in the soil causing a very similar situation.
In addition, if by chance you live in the east or a part of the country that has been dry this year then even the slightest lack of water would exaggerate the problem. If you have had a dry summer then even if you have watered every day it still may not have been enough. Well firmed soil with no air pockets and good turf contact would more than likely not be too affected.
To remedy this, assuming the turf is still alive just requires you to tread up and down the affected patches to press the turf down and squeeze the air out of any air pockets. Soft soled shoes such as trainers will do and try not to twist or turn as you tread otherwise you'll move the turf. There is plenty of moisture around now so you shouldn't need to water.
Next time you come to turf you'll know to ensure good contact by treading and also adding a rooting fertiliser. These two treatments are rarely done but do ensure a much more successful result.
Hope that helps and thanks for your kind comments.
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Sowing grass seed at the correct depth
Whats the best tool besides a blec over seeder for grass germination as its must be at the correct depth of about 7mm? Many Thanks
Hi Leslie
Yes it would be nice to be able to do that but it's not critical and the chances are it's virtually impossible for the average gardener or Lawnsmith. Therefore, anything between zero and 15mm will give you good germination if the conditions are right - good seed to soil contact, pre-germination fertiliser, warmth and constant moisture.
You can also compensate for less than perfect germination by increasing the seeding rate up to an additional 100% - it's that simple!
Reading:
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Feeding a new lawn
I have just had a new lawn laid approximately 1½ - 2months ago. It grows at an incredible rate and always looks lovely as I don’t tend to cut it low, usually 25% of its full height is all I take off it, but it needs that at least twice a week. I also tend to make sure it is watered regularly.
I was wondering if I need to start thinking about Fertiliser for it now, and if so what type and how often. I would rather go with a spray fertiliser as this I have been told offers a more even spread.
Paul
New lawns whether seed or turf grow like crazy to begin with and if the turf was layed in the summer then the warmth and watering make it really shoot up.
You're doing the right thing with the mowing - high and frequent but perhaps have the wrong idea about fertilisers so read this section on Fertilising for Amateur Gardeners. You should also note that you can spray liquids as unevenly as spreading granular products. For really even coverage I'd use our Should Spreader with any of the granular Lawnsmith Fertilisers. The choice of spray or granular is more down to how often and what you want to feed the lawn.
Generally new lawns don't need anything for the first 6 months if it was layed with a starter feed. If not then consider a feed after 3 to 4 months.
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When can I mow new turf?
I had a new lawn laid down in early November 2010, when should I give it a first cut and at what height?
David, there is some information at the bottom of the page in the Creating a New Lawn topic. The following guidelines should also help:
- Mow when it gets to 6 to 8cm; in this case chances are April time
- Mow with newly sharpened blades on a dry day
- The first cut should be around 5cm high
- Keep the cut high for the next few cuts
- In the first year be prepared to keep the cut high if weather becomes dry
- First feed should be after about 6 months
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Using top soil when laying a new lawn
Hi, this is my first visit to your web site, and I'm impressed with the format/content of the site. I've checked FAQs, but am still not certain. My dogs have ruined my lawn (40ft x 80ft), and the recent snow turned it into a mud pit, with very little grass left. I am going to have new turf laid this month, is it okay to rotovate the soil and lay the turf, or do I need to rotovate, put fresh soil on top, and then turf? thanks, Julie
Hi Julie
Most of what you want can be found in the Creating a New Lawn section with the soil amendments page being the most important for you. Please note top soil is not required unless you need to raise levels or change the characteristics of the soil eg adding sandy soil to clay soil for additional drainage. Therefore, rotovating and laying turf on top is fine if soil is not required.
Unfortunately a lot of turfing companies lay sand on top of the rotovated soil to give a level surface upon which to lay the turf. This is not advisable though a heavy clay soil can be difficult to smooth so adding a fine loam soil to the surface (not sand) to help smooth is acceptable.
Finally, once you've spent all this money you'll want to safe guard your investment so keep the mower on a high setting, feed the lawn to help it wear better and if the dogs cause more damage over next winter then follow the scarifying and over seeding procedure to repair it starting at the page Using a Lawn Raker or Scarifier - it's a lot cheaper!
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Uneven new lawn
I had a professional firm to lay a new lawn last early November. They stripped up old turf and rotavated, but never firmed the ground, now it is uneven. I have had them back and they said they would either roll it or use a whacker plate. What is the best option?
This is the result of not preparing the ground correctly in the first place. Rolling won't level only firm, and a whacker plate is for builders and cowboy turfers! The lawn needs to be re-done - sorry.
This page on rolling the lawn may help your understanding.
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