CC45 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 now would be good - you've opened up the sward with raking then mowing - as long as you get rain / can water it then go for it. Fescue is normally used for lawns - find a local agric merchant - farmers don't pay VAT on grass seed (agric grass is part of the food chain whereas amenity isn't so VAT is charged on it) - try your luck. You could put a bit of P&K on it - they help with cell division & root growth but don't put any N on. Keep mowing it to keep down competition from the existing lawn. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 Ours got mowed today. Its turned brown the last few days but rain is promised tomorrow. The other day I visited a friend at her new (new to her, house is Georgian) place and it has a fabulous garden been very nicely and professionally done for previous owners. 3 dogs happily scampering about on....yes you guessed it.... artificial grass! My friend loves it, says its brilliant, she has gone from acres to this and says the low maintenance lawn is a huge and unexpected bonus. I have to say in the context it did look very good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 31 minutes ago, CC45 said: You could put a bit of P&K on it - they help with cell division & root growth but don't put any N on P&K? N? I'm no gardner I'm afraid so very basic info needed please . Do I literally just sprinkle it into the grass? And then leave it to germinate? How long do I leave it before mowing it after seeding? I tried 2 ways last year. The first was to mix it into potting compost, water well and leave it somewhere warm so that the seeds germinated before I sprinkled it on the lawn. Not much of that took so I tried sprinking the seed directly onto the lawn but then nothing seemed to germinate. Green fingered I am clearly not! I don't really have an agricultural merchant near here without going on an hour's round trip so tend to buy at the garden centre or from Amazon. Is this any good (couldn't find pure fescue on there but this seems to be a mix)? I don't think I want huge amounts as my lawn area isn't enormous. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grass-Seed-Covers-sqm-380/dp/B00YB4YPKC/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=fescue&qid=1558816215&s=gateway&sr=8-2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 @newhome it fertiliser...... nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium if I remember correctly. How much have you got to do? If its not huge area try miracle gro patch magic ( can get at garden centre, amazon, b&q etc) The seed is ready mixed in a growing medium, just sprinkle straight from the carton water in and in two weeks the grass will be growing, guaranteed. I used it to sort out the lawn at the rental before we left, dog wee had not been kind to it. Great stuff. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 25, 2019 Author Share Posted May 25, 2019 @newhome If its just bulk seed by mail order you are after I have used this company several times, good selection of seed and quick delivery. https://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 NP&K as above. Don't pre germinate it. Just buy the seed (golf courses use fescue - so maybe look for grass seed aimed at them) and sprinkle on. Mixes include ryegrass because its dirt cheap, grows quickly and looks nice and green but its what they use on football pitches! Fescue will give you a fine, delicate looking lawn. Personally I don't stop mowing the lawn - you need to reduce competition from the established grass - and let light and moisture down to the soil level so the new seed has a chance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted May 25, 2019 Share Posted May 25, 2019 that web site looks just the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 I've got some 'Miracle-Gro 4 in 1' stuff here already. Is that any good (although it seems to contain nitrogen) and if so should I do this first (instructions say to scarify after 2 weeks to remove dead moss)? Or seed first, wait a while and then treat the lawn? How about this seed? https://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/supplier/lawn-seed/overseeding-repair-without-ryegrass/? I don't mind the grass not being putting green perfect but at present it appears that there are so many mixes of grass in it that it grows at different rates and looks crap. And the weeds keep coming ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 @newhome that seed looks fine to me. The miracle gro you have is not the one. The one I mentioned is patch magic and is specifically for doing ‘patches’ (large ones in my case). If you need to re seed whole lawn its not the thing. https://g.co/kgs/kSRexv patch magic link 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Yeah I know I still need to seed it. I was thinking of maybe feeding / treating the lawn before, during or after the seeding process. I think I’ll need to sprinkle seed everywhere tbh so more than a patch. Lawn currently looks like this. In fact it looks like there is still a ton of dead thatch in it so maybe I should go over it again with the electric rake? Looks like it needs more work before seeding to me. Can I seed it later in the year? I’m about to have a knee op in early June and can’t see me hopping round worrying about watering and mowing it for about a month after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 (edited) @newhome Looks like mine and mine is not a year old LOL. Give another go with thatch machine and aerator if you have one....it will look like hell for weeks but should be worth it. Feed yes but not until you have de thatched and aerated and left a week or so after that and use the right feed for time of year....will say on packet at garden centre. Do the seeding later in the year while its still warm and risk of summer heat(!) is over.....end August/early September might be good depending on your weather up there, hopefully will get rain then and grass will have good month or 6 week to get growing before colder weather sets in. I wont seed mine July/August here. Do you have lawn companies up there? I used to use one years ago....Green Thumb...a national franchise, came 4 or 5 times a year and did all the treatmentes etc, was not expensive and they did a better job than I ever did........hmmm maybe I should look then up again for here! Edited May 26, 2019 by lizzie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Thanks. I will get the thatch machine out again and aim to get it fed before I am on crutches and then wait until later to reseed it. I think I possibly did it too late last year which is maybe why the seed didn't germinate. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 @newhome Ive just looked at green thumb website and fb page now I have reminded myself about them - thank you! They are in Scotland too......might get them out here to diagnose my lawn, I suspected leatherjackets but cant find the grubs. Green thumb do a free lawn diagnosis consultation...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Had another go with the electric raker. Got another ton of thatch out and a lot more moss this time. I can see the earth in places now but that's better than a ton of moss hiding the earth I guess. Something else I remembered whilst I was pushing the rake up and down. I get rabbits on the lawn (lots of new piles of rabbit dung on the lawn since Friday when I cut it - they must have liked that I mowed it!). Does that influence the type of seed I should buy? And when I leave it uncut for a while it's clear that there is quite a lot of 'annual grass' in the lawn as it grow faster than the other grass and looks like this. The nicer looking grass is slow growing and a richer colour. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 @newhome wow you have been busy! Can you aerate to aid drainage that will help with moss. I’ve never had rabbits, the odd muntjac but no bunnies, think the ones around here dont like dog. I wouldn't worry about the faster growing stuff just keep it mown and reseed with the seed you looked at and will die down and the nicer stuff will take over. I meant to say sorry to hear crutches soon, hopefully op will be a success. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 Thanks. I don't have an aerator but I could possibly think of a way of using something that might work. Looks like they sell sandals that strap onto shoes! I'm getting a bone graft to fix a hole in my knee and I will be non weight bearing for a month that will be a complete pain, but there is a 70% chance it will fix the issue so I need to give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 @newhome ouch sounds painful hope it fixes it! You can aerate with a garden fork just stab it right down as far as you can and wiggle it a bit.... best done when ground is a bit soft, its hard work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 1 hour ago, lizzie said: You can aerate with a garden fork just stab it right down as far as you can and wiggle it a bit.... best done when ground is a bit soft, its hard work! How far apart do you need to do it? Sounds like hours of fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted May 26, 2019 Author Share Posted May 26, 2019 1 hour ago, newhome said: How far apart do you need to do it? Sounds like hours of fun about a foot or less if you can....its very tedious and tiring! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CC45 Posted May 27, 2019 Share Posted May 27, 2019 The more 'patchy' the lawn looks pre seeding then the better the seed will take. Get some of that free advice - it may be better / easier to start again? Guess it depends on the lawns size. Hope the op works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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