Gardening Thread

[Ronnie the Rep]

Fuck the lawn off Ronnie and plant wildflowers. The soil is begging you to do that. Lawns are an energy sink.

I did try creating a meadow in part of it last year. Wasn't a great success. I am tempted to fuck it all off and put down AstroTurf

 

[johnny on the spot]

Fuck the lawn off Ronnie and plant wildflowers. The soil is begging you to do that. Lawns are an energy sink.

I did try creating a meadow in part of it last year. Wasn't a great success. I am tempted to fuck it all off and put down AstroTurf

Native wildflowers should thrive in poor soil but do need plenty of water. A good median alternative is lawn camomile.

 

[Ronnie the Rep]

Fuck the lawn off Ronnie and plant wildflowers. The soil is begging you to do that. Lawns are an energy sink.

I did try creating a meadow in part of it last year. Wasn't a great success. I am tempted to fuck it all off and put down AstroTurf

Native wildflowers should thrive in poor soil but do need plenty of water. A good median alternative is lawn camomile.

Isn't that weak though and not hard wearing enough to walk on?

 

[johnny on the spot]

I did try creating a meadow in part of it last year. Wasn't a great success. I am tempted to fuck it all off and put down AstroTurf

Native wildflowers should thrive in poor soil but do need plenty of water. A good median alternative is lawn camomile.

Isn't that weak though and not hard wearing enough to walk on?

That's true, but if you're looking for somewhere hardwearing simply to walk then perhaps a hard landscaping solution might be an idea. The first place to start thinking is how you and others use the garden space and the yield you wish to gain from it, be that recreation, food, biodiversity, whatever. What I'm trying to say is that your lawn space isn't working for you at the moment. I mulched out my failing back lawn and turned it into a forest garden because I wanted to maximise biodiversity and grow food. Why chuck more money after bad money to make it like a putting green, if all you're going to do is walk on it? I'd advise against astro, as it kills biodiversity and in my view all gardens have a responsibility to nature.

 

[BillyBonds]

Hi Billy,

How large are the patches, is the ground used by the dog often ?. Is the affected areas in extreme shade ?, do you cut your grass very low often ?

A good routine i find is this...

1, Use a good lawn feed, i recommend this <a class="postlink" href="http://tinyurl.com/omkj76k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://tinyurl.com/omkj76k</a>

2, If soil is compacted fork it deeply but only gentle twisting motions (you just want oxygen to the roots and to gently break the soil)

3, Keep it clean, and check for slabs of rock just under the surface of affected areas. (slabs just under the surface encourage moss)
A gentle forking will suffice.

4, Do not let it get boggy or far to dry. Drainage could be the issue (this relates to the slabs issue)

5, Always rake before mowing and yes rake often, great way for kids to do stuff without destroying everything and earn pocket money.



Post pics and mark south please.
Moss is a fucker but no hassle when you have a good raking and mowing routine in the warmer months.

Hi TCIB,
Sorry for late reply. Just been to get lawn feed and remembered I'd posted this.

Firstly, I've bought Evergreen 4-1 and now seen your recommendation. Should I change and get yours?

Secondly, as requested a couples of pics of some of the lawn. First pic is facing N, second facing S.
Grass is growing OK and I'm thinking, as last year, of cutting, using a elec' rake and feeding?
The grass looks more like the first pic tbh, the other pic looks worse because of the light.
I think some of the moss is naturally dying in the sun? No dog.
Thanks for your help. Billy.

 

[ONTHERUNWITHTHAKSIN]

Hi Billy,

How large are the patches, is the ground used by the dog often ?. Is the affected areas in extreme shade ?, do you cut your grass very low often ?

A good routine i find is this...

1, Use a good lawn feed, i recommend this <a class="postlink" href="http://tinyurl.com/omkj76k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://tinyurl.com/omkj76k</a>

2, If soil is compacted fork it deeply but only gentle twisting motions (you just want oxygen to the roots and to gently break the soil)

3, Keep it clean, and check for slabs of rock just under the surface of affected areas. (slabs just under the surface encourage moss)
A gentle forking will suffice.

4, Do not let it get boggy or far to dry. Drainage could be the issue (this relates to the slabs issue)

5, Always rake before mowing and yes rake often, great way for kids to do stuff without destroying everything and earn pocket money.



Post pics and mark south please.
Moss is a fucker but no hassle when you have a good raking and mowing routine in the warmer months.

Hi TCIB,
Sorry for late reply. Just been to get lawn feed and remembered I'd posted this.

Firstly, I've bought Evergreen 4-1 and now seen your recommendation. Should I change and get yours?

Secondly, as requested a couples of pics of some of the lawn. First pic is facing N, second facing S.
Grass is growing OK and I'm thinking, as last year, of cutting, using a elec' rake and feeding?
The grass looks more like the first pic tbh, the other pic looks worse because of the light.
I think some of the moss is naturally dying in the sun? No dog.
Thanks for your help. Billy.

Try fish blood and bone or sequestrene feed as this will green up your lawns.

 

[Ronnie the Rep]

Native wildflowers should thrive in poor soil but do need plenty of water. A good median alternative is lawn camomile.

Isn't that weak though and not hard wearing enough to walk on?

That's true, but if you're looking for somewhere hardwearing simply to walk then perhaps a hard landscaping solution might be an idea. The first place to start thinking is how you and others use the garden space and the yield you wish to gain from it, be that recreation, food, biodiversity, whatever. What I'm trying to say is that your lawn space isn't working for you at the moment. I mulched out my failing back lawn and turned it into a forest garden because I wanted to maximise biodiversity and grow food. Why chuck more money after bad money to make it like a putting green, if all you're going to do is walk on it? I'd advise against astro, as it kills biodiversity and in my view all gardens have a responsibility to nature.

Only joking about the AstroTurf. I have put some weed and feed on so I will see how it goes for now.

Thanks to you and TCIB for the advice, it's much appreciated

 

[TCIB]

The patches are getting scorched i think. I know it sounds daft in winter but if you get a bit of direct sun the grass can't wake fast enough to drink.
I would raise your mower by a notch and yeah really grind up some fish blood and bone. It is by far the best fertilizer outside of making your own tea.

Beyond that a light forking should be fine. Evergreen should be ok but some of these famous companies use low quality nitrates.
I'll have to look into this product but it should be fine.

Longer grass during rest (winter) promotes a damp top layer which in turn gives a softer medium for roots to get through in spring.

 

[Ronnie the Rep]

The patches are getting scorched i think. I know it sounds daft in winter but if you get a bit of direct sun the grass can't wake fast enough to drink.
I would raise your mower by a notch and yeah really grind up some fish blood and bone. It is by far the best fertilizer outside of making your own tea.

Beyond that a light forking should be fine. Evergreen should be ok but some of these famous companies use low quality nitrates.
I'll have to look into this product but it should be fine.

As we have a dog, I use mobacter on our back lawn. I used it last year and it greens up slowly and the moss eats itself. It works fine but smells suspiciously like chicken manure :-0

 

[johnny on the spot]

some of these famous companies use low quality nitrates.

Never a truer word spoken. The big companies thrive on flashy ads, bogus science and consumer lack of knowledge, much like shampoo adverts.