A very HONEST chat about the state of my LAWN - did I really make a MISTAKE?
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- Опубликовано: 6 июн 2024
- In today's video, I explain the conundrum I'm currently in with regard to what I want to do with this lawn.
If you have any advice, drop it in the comments below. All advice is welcome and will shape my next steps.
If you'd like to follow along with the renovation of this lawn, consider subscribing! 
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I've seen a few of your videos when you first started out on your garden renovation a couple of years ago, I never carried on watching regularly (nothing to do with you), I just veered off onto other things but i did get a recommendation for this video, so i thought I'd add my know-how.
After a maintaining my lawn for 6 years to a high or high-ish standard I've learned a few things. Like you I had the same/similar questions as you were asking after the first couple winter seasons passing.
So my tips are....
It's not about dates when you renovate after winter... Its when you get good soil temperatures.
So see the sun hitting the lawn for a few day's? No frosts every night? Temp rising in late feb early march? See the grass growing qyicker? Get out scalp the lawn, scarify, and scalp/mow again to suck up all that stuff from the scarify, feed with iron (if you have moss). Then feed with a fert before you get a light to med rain.
Feed the lawn with slow release fertilizer's. Yes the quick release look good after a few days and can look good for 4-5 weeks, but they drop off as quick as they hit, and can leave you in the middle of BBQ season with guest's looking at a naff lawn (I've been there).
Feed around now March (if soil temps are 8°+), again in late June (after a scalp and scarify) and I'd do the same in mid October (again scalp and scarify and ill use an autumn feed this time).
Having an autumn feed is probably the most important feed of the year, it'll help keep the grass and roots stay strong over winter. It'll also give you a far better lawn to work off from in late winter or early spring... So easier to jump start the lawn in spring and get it looking good before everyone else's.
The way yourawn looks now is down to a few factors (in my opinion)...
The lawn is surrounded by 3-4 high walls, with little winter daylight (so any grass type will struggle in that scenario as will any other plant or weed). I'm guessing the lawn doesn't get much wind because of the high walls, so that will be a factor in grass recovery time.
I don't know this for sure as I don't watch all your video's, but I'm guessing an autimn feed wasn't done last year, or try a slower release one this autumn, one that lasts for 3-4 months so you lawn will look better at the start of the next growing season.
I wouldn't bother with aeration. But i would find a 8-10" metal spike/pole. Reason being your house looks like its a new build and gardens tend to be dumping grounds by builder's. So walk the lawn every step or two poke the pole in the lawn and see how far it goes in. If it goes in 8"+ great, if it goes in 3-5" you probably have some waste there, rocks, bricks or rubble underneath that section, which isn't really enough for healthy grass roots. So imo you'll need to dig that out first.
Which leaves me on to... I wouldn't bother with new delivery of top soil. Get the points above sorted first, see how this year and early next go before you spend and do unnecessary work.
You dont have to have a short golf like lawn you know, short grass only bakes the soil in the heat and when it rains it causes the water run off.
I have a tall fescue lawn I mow it at 4-5" sometimes 6" (in the hottest months) the longer it is the better it stripes, I get comments and people staring at it all the time. The length of grass protects the soil from the sun so it doesn't dry out, thus I dont need to water as soon as we have 7 hot days in a row, then when it does rain the water droplets get caught in the grass and slowly work there way down to the base of the plant causing very little run off.
Last but not least, everyone's lawn looks a bit sheeeite coming out of winter, so dont sweat it. Yes yours maybe on the more extreme side, but get the points above addressed and it'll fall into place and stop over thinking.
Good luck
A lot of food for thought here. Nice one for taking the time. I've got a few ideas as to what the next steps are going to be. But like you said, a lot of factors are at play, not just the grass type.
I really think its somthing to do with drainage , you shouldn't have foot prints in soil like that at this time , i dont think its becuase of not getting enough sunlight or grass seed it has to be about poor drainage, i have about 15sq that never gets sun and its looks like your front lawn, aerating should help a little but maybe hiring a petrol aerator machine probably do a better job , also making more trenches and mixing soil with rubber crum can help not compact the soil and clay beneath
I have considered this to be honest. Rubber crumb looks to work wonders on some lawns. Definitely food for thought!
maybe look into core arrating and topping the lawn with sand its what i would do
I have a new build with a lawn that looks like this, it's clay soil here too. My top terrace is in great nick, but the mid terrace behind the garage is terrible and mostly dead for the second year in a row, its soaking wet up there so I'm going to install a French drain.
Definitely a drainage issue
The fact that you are a novice, learning as you go along, makes your channel very appealing to me. I have started to watch your channel more than other similar ones. I have a new build and your videos are exactly what I need.
Your channel is brilliant mate. I’ve watched all your videos & found them really helpful & good to watch. Passion shines through massively so keep it up 👍🏻. I’m literally a novice myself so just learning as I go & found your page really useful.
That's sound! Cheers!
It's just so nice to see a lawn similar to mine and I look forward to joining you on the recovery journey
My back lawn has really suffered over the winter. It has more soil than grass now. I've decided to kill it off, till the soil and incorporate extra 70/30 sand to soil mix. Also, I'm changing from the general rye grass blend that most turf is supplied as and seeding a 90% fescue 10% bents mix.
I've done something similar. Killed this space off and reseeded from scratch with a 40/60 bent fescue mix last week. Looking forward to seeing the difference in the grass variety.
I love this channel. It is FOR ME!
I genuinely connect with it and I appreciate the authentic show and tell of lawncare... Helps me understand what I could do with mine and stops me from panicking that I've done something wrong.
Really resonate with this video. Keep it up dude and thank you!
Nice one!
Great video and an honest one. Atvthe end of the day its your garden and your lawn and your learning experience. No two lawns are the same so experimenting and trial is key to find what works. I myself just bought a house and experimenting with the lawn. Taking tips from everywhere.
Bang on and exactly my approach!
Nice one 👍🏻
I’ve no advice, as my lawn is horrific. But I love your videos.
Great channel. You inspired me to buy a sprayer, a bottle of seaweed fertilizer and a tub of iron sulphate. Then my flymo broke so a bought a wheeld rotary with adjustable height and am copying your lawncare and recovery strategy in part albeit a week behind. I have a shaded and slopey front patch of lawn that is mostly moss or bare soil and weeds. I even made a video myself hehe keep em comin!
Nice one!
Use a good quality compost and mix the seed into the compost when you are going to overseed worked wonders for me, and at the same time the compost will also improve the quality of the existing soil
Keep the passion going. I think you have a lot of additional challenges in your garden that mamy other people don't.
1. It's a new build, so the subsoil is heavily compacted from all the builders machinery and probably full of crap. (Appreciate you've got a good depth of topsoil though)
2. I presume the back garden is north facing
3. You have high walls on every side of the small garden
4. The retaining wall at the back, i assume means the level of the land is about 10ft higher, and all their water drains down your way.
So your challenge is much greater than most, and i think you are doing a great job by learning and experimenting.
I would suggest using this year to experiment as much as you can... Try a different grass seed, so you can compare it with the top lawn... Try top dressing half the lawn with 70 sand, 30 soil and the other half 30 sand and 70 soil... Try cutting the top lawn on a different frequency to the bottom lawn... Etc. Having something to compare again will let you prove whats works best, rather than a suvjective view. The challenge here is not having too many variables that you dont know what actually made the difference.
But overall, i think your biggest challenge is direct sunlight. Unless you rig up some expensive Wembley grade artificial lighting, im not sure what to recommend.
Appreciate your comment big time!
I think if this lawn got more sunlight and wasn't blocked by barriers on all sides, it would be a completely different kettle of fish. But like you said, experimenting will probably be key.
Nice one for taking the time to comment 👍🏻
Little tip, not all rye/fescue/bents are the same. A perennial rye from one grower will be different to another. Check out the BSPB turf guide as this may change your idea on supplier 👍🏻
I'll have a look, nice one
Top channel mate. Total novice here with a nightmare new build lawn. Looking forward to following your steps and seeing where i'm at in the summer!
Nice one!
i would suggest a mix, rye and fescue, i seed my lawn in the A1 shade and drought mix, its mostly made up of red fescue, but has rye and hard fescue in it as well as low amounts of others. it performs pretty well. i went for that mix initally as i too studied like you and decided that the fescues were the best bet for my lawn but your read in most places that its not ideal to have 1 grass type which is why most seeds will have a mix in.
Really love your channel by the way....I too want a lovely lawn but am stumbling along and learning all the time...keep it up mate.
Cheers, appreciate that 👍🏻
Good video mate, look forward to the outcome again 👍🏻
Nice one 👍🏻
Excellent video as usual, personally I've got more usable tips from you than most of the other lawn professionals as good as they are. Look forward to your next challenge with your lawn .
That's sound, cheers 👍🏻
Love the honesty of this video, you should definitely do what you want to do. I’ve struggled with ryegrass over the last few years because of shade and last year tried the Hurrels creeping ryegrass. Looked great initially but now my lawn looks like yours after a difficult winter. So this year I’m using more of the CSI Rye, but also including some shady mix in the overseed on the premise that what will thrive in different parts of the lawn maybe different types of grass. Some seed maybe wasted and I’ll go a bit heavy with the seed rates but I’ll see what nature does.
That's what I'm kind of thinking! What if I go with a different seed and then I end up in the same place - or it improves, but it's more because of nature than what I do 😅
My front and back are dwarf rye seed from barenbrug im no expert but scarifed and overseeded last spring on back and sept on front , mine has faired well even in the shady areas . Worm casts have been a pain but no die back only tiny amount were drips of tree hanging over , really is strange how yours has ended up . Good videos mate really enjoying them , oh im in liverpool too for weather comparison .
Hi mate great video. I would try a mixed fescue and bent this year then this time next year if you have the same problem then you can address the issue which is the drainage. Sand will help but it wont solve that area of your lawn. I would rather try a different seed mix and know than to stick to the same seed mix and not know what works. PS im a lawn nerd too.
I suffered from die back each year, So this year Im going to blend some shade tolerant Seed with my johnsons premier pitch to hopefully help it last better each year
Have you looked into whether you have Leatherjackets or chafer grubs or both? Normal signs of an infestation are thinning grass, spongy feeling under foot and coming into early spring, large bare patches usually from the edge of the lawn working inwards.
The leatherjackets and chafer grubs hatch around September and feed on your grass roots. As they mature coming into the spring they destroy your lawn until they hatch as daddy longlegs or chafer beetles.
To find out if you have either just dig up some turf and you should find them in the top 3 inches of soil. Leatherjackets are a grayish brown maggot looking thing about an inch long and chafer grubs are a fatter white maggot like thing with an orange head.
For years there has been no chemical treatment allowed in the UK and you could only treat them with nematodes which are a microscopic worm which borrows into the grubs and kills them. Although these do help they don't solve your problem. Good news though, as of last year a chemical has been approved for use by a licensed professional. Not for diy use. It's not cheap. Probably about 100 quid for your size of lawn.
If you've not investigated whether you have a grub problem then I would reccomend it before spending a fortune every year renovating you lawn. Hope that helps someone at least. The grub treatment by the way is called Acelepryn. Good luck
I've found a few of them recently by doing what you've recommended, but like you've said, there's no easy solution to it it seems. They are probably playing a huge part in the thinning. But I know one thing, I'll be killing any daddy longlegs I see this year!
I'll check the product out - nice one 👍🏻
@@NoviceGardener mate they're a son of a bitch. Been destroying my lawn for the past 4 years! I get it looking immaculate every summer just for them to devour it again. Anyway got the chemical guy coming Tuesday which will hopefully end those c###$ once and for all!
I wouldn't worry too much about what grass seed to use. A good quality ryegrass and a box of granular miracle grow once a month should make for a lovely lawn.
You can drive yourself mad looking at all the lawn bollocks out there!
My gut feel is its drainage / shade thats causing the problems, paired with the subsoil. I have the same issue so going to try for more aeration, getting some good nutrients into the soil and over seeding, then working hard on drainage as we head into winter but i reckon its just part of that soil base and something that will keep occurring until the drainage improves over time
What I remember whist growing-up, my late dad ALWAYS use 'creeping-fescue' seed and a rye grass mix, the lawns were ALWAYS Amazing, I kid you not. The WHOLE of our area was ALL CLAY, Crappy soil. My dad got a few ips from some of the older folks as to what seed to be using.
Kentucky bluegrass smooth stalked meadow grass takes a long time to get established but once it’s mature it will fill in bare patches as it spreads very well
Drainage issue I would suggest. Core aeration, use a composted fine soil to fill deep cores. Top dress and reseed. Seed your preference, just consider light and water 👊🏻
whatever you decide to go with, just stick with it for a few years. RUclips is full of renovation videos, but the best thing is just to stick with your lawn and grass type and keep feeding it and give it time to develop (years, not months)
This is the conclusion I feel like I'm coming to this week. Stick with it and see what happens. Slightly hesitant to start from square one again.
Mine looks exactly the same and 100s of worm casts. Just going to wait for the weather to get better. Happens every year
My lawn looked like yours when I bought my house.
Half of it is in the shade and is prone to waterlogging in that half, the other half is the opposite. Go with the fescue mixture, and don't cut really low, your lawn will adapt and will stay lush. Right now, for me it's minimum maintenanece. Fescue will fare well in drought and as well in wet conditions. Rye tends to thin out but I'd still like to have it in the mix as it grows very quickly compared to fescue. However fecue in my opinion is the most versatile of all grasses, just don't go with one type, the mix is the win.
you can put a small pond with a cascade water feature in the corner close to your house on the shade.
That's not a bad shout!
If your lawn doesn't receive a lot of sun, I would use the A1 Shade & Drought mix. The seeds aren't really different to mine, except mine receives a nice amount of sun mid-morning until mid-afteroon.
I actually bought my seeds and fertilisers from another youtuber called Garden Lawncare Guy. I used his Premium Hardwaring mix, which is very similar to the A1 Sahde and Droughts mix from A1.
The seeds in the bag I used was
30% Fancy dwarf perennial ryegrass
30% Maxima strong creeping red fescue
10% Samantha slender creeping red fescue
20% Fulmar chewings red fescue
5% Brooklawn smooth stalked meadow grass
5% Highland browntop bent
I have a spaniel just like yours. It's of course susceptible to lawn brun from dog wee, but from the whole mine has experienced traffic from the dog and a lot of water and had faired pretty well. I think it's due to the variety of grass seeds in my lawn which has helped. Maybe give his stuff a try, it seems top quality and has stayed a very dark green. Another thing Inused was a seed start, 6-9-6 mix of Nitrogen, Phosphorus pentoxide and Potassium Oxide. As well as seaweed and then obvious Autum/Spring fertiliser mix.
I used a 70-30% sand to topsoil mix in my lawn and seems to have helped a lot. Also, hollow tined aerated etc. It helped massively.
Look forward to seeing your lawns revival progress mate :)
I moved to my new house 2 years ago, and my rear lawn was in good good condition.
But after 12 months of the dog peeing on it, it was in a right state, so i divided it up into 2 scarifed it over seeded it & airated it, 12 months on the left side where the dog doesn't pee is looking really good.
I use the same grass seed as you, and i live in Manchester where it's rained pretty much none stop since last july.
I managed to get the first cut in last week because we've just had a dry week,
I was told that the first pee of the day for a dog is the most potent, so i take her out first thing in the morning to pee on the field where i live,
I also use adblue on my lawn which is high in nitrogen and it's looking green and lush.
Well said! I know exactly where you were going with that 😂. Personally, you should stick with what you’ve been already doing. But if it were me, I’d be addressing the drainage issues that comes with clay lawns. I’ve had the same issues as you for the last couple years, but this year mines faired better than before? Personally i think it’s because i spent some time getting drainage last year, airating putting in an aco drain in front of my patio etc also putting down soil amendments. However, i do have a ton of poa to deal with this year! So i may have to switch grass supplier this time round. Keep up the good work though, your Chanel is top notch
Rye grass is the best of the bunch and suited to the UK climate. Very fast germination periods, hardwearing, nice to walk on bare feet but most importantly for me is the deep green colour that's unmatched with anything else.
If you wanted to go down the route of the lateral spreading type (rhizomes) and repairs itself, then Kentucky Bluegrass is an option. It's a cool season grass like Rye so maintenance will be similar.
I've got a lawn that looks alot like that one. New Build house with fresh turf laid late last year (a touch too late really) and three big dogs. I've bought a bunch of Sprogs & Dogs from Lawn UK so very much a just buy it and hope kind of scenario ! (My lawn does get a decent amount of sun though). Going to be watching your progress alongside my own !
Buying and hoping is sometimes what I do! 😅 And when it pays off, win win!
Love the channel bud. If it was my lawn i'd go with a shaded mix. I've used Hurrells Shaded HM5 mix on a few clients lawns which are predominantly in the shade and its turned out well. My front lawn does suffer with some die back over winter but nothing a little renovation doesnt sort out. To help with any of your drainage issues as i also live on a clay soil area is to hollow tine Aerate your lawn and fill the holes with some decent compost. This has helped both my lawns with removing some of that sticky clay and replace it with nutrients from a decent bag of compost. Thats just my two pence worth anyway haha. Looking forward to whatever direction you go with.
Cheers, really helpful! With it being a clay subsoil, I'm worried that if I improve the drainage too much, it will suffer in the summer. But I guess that's the issue with clay! There's a short window in the year when it's actually decent - and then winter comes with a waterlogged lawn and the summer turns it to concrete! 😅
@NoviceGardener 2yrs ago i did a full scalp job on my front lawn and added a good 3 inches of compost then top soil with the Overseed. Now when i aerate my lawn in Spring you can see the level of compost mixed with the clay soil and its improved it no end
There's loads of factors here. I'm an amateur the same as you but have successfully removated a few lawns. In the areas it struggles excavate a foot and half down. Bet there is all sorts down there. Also as someone else has mentioned try a mixed sun shade seed mix. You def need a variety of seed. I don't think you're doing anything wrong with your maintenance. I would put money on the fact being a new build doesnt help. I guess ultimately its a root issue. Best of luck 🤞
Cheers 👍🏻
I had the same thing with my grass. 6 Year old new build (New to me) - Didnt realise the drainage was crap and didnt know about clay soil so overseeded with A1 Premiership pro same as you, fert and top soiled in August and it looked perfect in september/october, then as the rain got heavier and the garden repeatedly got boggy the grass started to die back and looks same as yours now and worse in patches.
Ive dug mini soak away areas in my garden about 1ft wide by 1 1-1.5ft deep and filled with gravel then about 20cm of compost on top. This seems to have helped the drainage. I have also added wood borders around the grass and the difference in height from the ground to them im planning to fill with compost/topsoil (So add about 2/3cm ontop of where the level is now) to help the drainage and seed. Im going to stick with premiership pro as I was very happy with it when it was fresh but was thinking about mixing maybe a clay master A1 lawn seed in with it (Not sure if this would be bad/good or make the lawn look weird with different grass types so if anyone has any advice that would be great!).
Will see how I go - will be interesting to see what you choose and how it turns out. If you have any advice about mixing seeds (espically the ones Ive mentioned) I'd love to hear it as ive looked at all of A1 Lawns seeds and premiership pro/clay master seem the best for me potentially
I'm currently considering their plantinum (without rye) mix. Thinking of of going full fescue instead this year. If it goes to pot, so be it! Can always go back to the premiership pro mix as it's looking great at the front lawn and always looks great in the back once it gets going.
My lawn is A1lawns prem pro. Honestly I’m sticking with it. Yes winter it don’t look great. However not many people in uk spend a lot of time in garden in the winter. Uk weather don’t help. For me fescue gives the best colour. If that means only from May to November then I’m sticking with prem pro.
Exactly what I think at times! No many lawns look decent at this time of year!
Doing a grand job my grass obsessed buddy. Soil, seed and water. Can’t really do it wrong. Mother nature has the final say without spending an arm and a leg 😂 ( finally another person )
have you considered putting a compost bin for your grass cutting and scarifying and Food waste ( eggshell and veggie off cuts) start making your own compost instead of buying it?
Just a thought, hope it helps
I've not, but it's a great idea! It's just where I'd put it in the garden 🤔
I'm no expert mate but love your videos, I find them very entertaining and enjoy you talking through your thought processes. Personally if that was my lawn and after seeing all the heavy clay in it I would target say a meter square area of the worst part and dig down 2 spade head depths. Fill the hole half with drainage stones and then the top half with a half sand half earth mix and resow with a strong shade type grass, even "cheat" in this area and put down turf and see how well this copes. I still think the main issue in your back garden is drainage due to the heavy clay. Chin up mate and keep at it. Good luck.
Cheers 👍🏻
I have considering doing something similar, but it does make me think it could become too stressed in the summer.
@@NoviceGardener oh something I watched the other night. Have you thought of putting in a herringbone draining system feeding into you current French drain. A guy done this as he couldn't dig down deep enough to get through his clay soil so he just moved the water off his land using this system. Looked like it worked amazingly well. Something to consider anyway.
Get yourself some tall fescue lad, it’s hard wearing, lush and can handle the shade too…plus we get to see you scarifying and taken care of it all year… also get yourself a bourgainvillea for that back wall nice flowers look sound in the summer…..love ya channel good luck
I’ve got my eye on a fescue mix at the moment. Was hoping to get some roundup on the lawn this weekend, but we’ve just had so much rain!
Switch it up - go with a fescue seed this year and re do this video this time next year and do a comparison- I’m like you a novice gardener and love the videos you do,
Mine is I’m sure is fescue / crap drainage
New build house.
Looks lush fertilised fresh cut deep green colour
Yes I scarify which takes the sponge out.
Nice one!
This is what I might go for. What's the worst that can happen!
I've commented before on your channel and think what you're doing is inspiring. My garden looks like yours right now and its gutting to see especially how much time and effort we put into trying to have the perfect lawn. Unfortunately the UK weather is currently the worst i can recall for this time of year. Never have i seen my grass dying out like yours at this time of year. I'd love to know what the fix is with regards to grass mixes as i'd like to be prepared come the end of the year so we dont face this again. With no proper sun for 6 months of the year it makes me think this is just how its going to be. It used to be a case of we'd have a cold winter with frosty icy mornings, now its just milder and we get rain instead. Even today, golf courses are shut up and down the country and gardens are just not draining the water. Even when there's promise of a few dry days, the heavy rains follow straight after literally batters things again. Maybe we move to Europe where they have a bright nearby planet. i think its called the Sun.
This is absolutely right! I just look at the difference between my front and back lawns and it's staggering! The difference a little bit of sun can make!
Maybe thats the answer. Buy a new house with a South facing garden@@NoviceGardener
I have two lawns, the front was there when I moved in 5 years ago, the back I put in 4 years ago. The back I went with rye because I fell for all the crap on youtube. The back dies back and needs loads of reseening and etc. The front needed a lot of moss removal but its alwasy fine, no die back always green. I have no idea what type of grass it is but it has been there for decades so I reckon its juts native british grasses. So I want to do that in the back this year. I aim for good, not perfect, perfect is stressful good is fun.
The deeper you can go with the drainage the better. Ideally you want to break through the clay barrier then fill with sand. You can try using a long auger bit on a drill to create lots of deep holes as a cost effective way of doing it which would save having to dig the whole thing up.
Good shout 👍🏻
Ive had decent results with masterline pm 50 in a similar situation
If you want a lawn that’s good all year round, in my opinion you need fescues in there to some capacity, but it seems on this lawn you need a blend of rye in there also. Have you ever considered overseeding with rye grasses in spring and fescues in late summer? Winters are becoming so wet in recent years that rye based lawns just struggle, so you need the fescues in there to give the winter coverage. Lawn care is all about opinions and what works for you, there’s no right and wrong way, just different ways of getting to the same outcome
I've not considered that before, but it's well worth considering. I'm considering going for a fescue mix. Debating whether I should kill the lawn off this weekend or just over seed when we get into April and see if the fescue takes over.
@@NoviceGardener great blank canvas to play with if you kill it off. The species is so crucial to the performance of the lawn. Fescues will give you a better lawn through the winter, and that’s when you should judge how good your lawn is - anyone can make a good lawn in the growing season 👍🏻 good luck
I’m enjoying your videos and content, very informative for myself as I’m very amateur and wouldn’t even say a hobbyist, but I do appreciate a nice lawn. I’m trying to keep my looking good. I have an abundance of clay soil and like you need better drainage. When you spoke about putting sand in the mix, which sand would this be, ie builders sand, sharp sand or just regular sand or does it not really matter too much as sand is sand
Cheers 👍🏻
I'm not sure of the exact sand, I just know that it's in a top dressing mix from agrigem.
A very honest review pal, but the main problem that you have is lack of sunlight from Dec-March coupled with a shed load of rain this year. Look at your front lawn, you have done nothing different with that one, it just gets more sun light simple as that. I am going to try a tall fescue on my lawn as its clay based and rye is quite shallow rooted and doesn't like being sat in wet soil, Tall fescue has much deeper roots and is ore tolerant to being wet through the winter. So im going 50/50 rye and tall fescue and see what that looks like through the winter.
I'm considering going fescue myself. Hope all goes well with your renovation 👍🏻
If I remember correctly Robbie at Premier Lawns covered something above grass seeds last year.
Looks like you have big patches of annual meadow grass. I would kill it off and start again using Baronbrug extreme dwarf rye.
You mentioned about 70/30 sand and top soil...im lookinhg at getting this too for my front lawn along with getting a1 multi purpose seeds as for the ryegrass and red fescue mix. Howeve, before i put down the new 70/30 mix, do you think another layer of top soil down first above the clay soil??
Ideally, you'd want to remove the clay, but if you can't hollow core aerating first might be a decent idea. It will enable the top dressing to break up the clay slightly.
Try an ornamental mix (e.g. Hurrells or Lawnsmith) which is typically 80% fescue and 20% bent, best of both worlds. My ryegrass lawn went the same way as yours in winter for 4 years running, but after switching to fescue/bent it has wintered way better this year. Hardly any die-back at all, despite sitting in a north-facing new build setting.
I've got my eye on a similar mix, may try it
Aeration for sure, the a1 shady mix, and overseed with that, now you never mentioned compost at all, the soil is an ecosystem in its own right it needs is own level of bacteria self petuating, needing air, water and food.
After over seeding potassium fertiliser increase the grow of healthy roots, over dress with good compost similar to potting compost, break it up with your hands and the nutrients will be more bio-available for the grass plants. After 4-6 weeks try to water once every 2-3 days heavy watering promotes deeper roots for more resilient plants. Some things to consider
Cheers 👍🏻
My lawn looked like yours and I put it down to it being a new build, loads of rain, no sun etc etc but on pulling out weed grass I’ve got an infestation of leather jackets, hope that’s not your issue!!
I think it could definitely be adding to it - it’s a a nightmare!
Personally I would build the flowerbed first, you'll end up wrecking your new part of the lawn doing it afterwards, especially if you're doing it in May anyway, it wont be fully established. Build your edging in, get the soil in the flowerbed turned over with some feed in it. Then its just ready for planting.
I’m gonna try A1 low maintenance seed this year - mixture of fescue and bent.
It will be great to know how you get on with this
@@NoviceGardener I will keep you posted. My rye grass lawn did exactly the same as yours…looks amazing may to September after renovation and reseeding but then dies off and goes really patchy October until March
Personally I'd kill off the lawn, improve soil like you were saying with hollow tine aerator etc, but also put down "envii Active Lawn" which they say is a "Lawn Soil Improver - Helps Break Up Clay and Improves Aeration". I'd then put down your grass seed of choice and cover it specifically with "Field No.4 Organic Fine Grade Lawn Dressing". In my opinion this is the best compost you can possibly buy. Yes delivery costs aren't cheap but it's worth it. All other bags always contain twigs, rocks and are just of questionable quality, whereas this stuff is 10/10.
we use barenbrug rpr on our lawns and upload on our channel
Revovated with 100% perennial rye grass in april last year,looked ace in summer but over winter alot of die back and bare patches,goin to scalp and reseed with traditional greens mix seed,dwarf rye,creeping fescue and bent for a low cut with cylinder mower,no way am i renovating with rye grass every spring
Well said fella, lawn care and gardening will always have those peeps who know everything - they don't. I've been in the business for over 30 yrs and everyday I learn something new. I always use a mix of dwarf rye and fescue on my own and my customers lawns and they are all ok - yeah the winter does hit all lawns hard but like you i don't need an excuse not to get out there and potter.
Keep the vids coming fella as I think all your subs enjoy the no nonsense & honest approach
Really appreciate that, cheers 👍🏻
As a matter of interest what level is the soil behind the rear wall , if its higher than yours it could be a drainage issue
Almost the height of the wall!
To be fair a lot of lawns are terrible at the moment it's been relentless rain which will make most lawns struggle, however I would suggest a seed thats a mix that way you can let the bents or fescue hold the lawn over the winter and the rye over the summer. Your less likely to have all three or four species die off compared to just one species.
Also look at drainage like you said too dress with a sandy mix will help 👍👍
I've got my eye on a fescue mix that I'm considering. May possibly take the plunge!
I'd definitely go for much easier for two out of four species to keep it going over winter and they all work well together when you buy the seed bag of a specific mix.
I'm not an expert, just a hobby lawist like yourself.
That said...'IF' you're changing grass type.....Id kill the lawn off before aerating, topdressing etc and give yourself a blank canvas to start with.
You can get a Perennial Ryegrass that regenerates and spreads by stolons to help fill in bare spots too.
Perennial ryegrass is a great type of grass to use as it grows extremely quickly and it is very durable, hence why most football pitches are PR grass. For a lawn maybe combine it with a creeping fescue
Would a soil test also be a good idea, so you then know what your soil is lacking and what kind of fertilizer programme you need. Make sure you spray pre-emergent at seeing to keep foreign grass and weeds at bay whilst the lawn establishes.
From what ive seen of your videos, I think drainage is a big issue. possibly causing fungal and other issues which makes you lawn struggle Maybe you could do what you've done with the french drain, but throughout the lawn and differing intervals. A little like this, but not as drastic ( ruclips.net/video/FBafy2Gcqm0/видео.html )
Look forward to see what you choose to do and how you go about doing it
It’s funny you’ve sent this as I’m planning something very similar. Got a video ready for this Saturday with my plan. Going to be a big job, but it will definitely be worth it!
I was considering this mix for my renovation this year.. What do you think? A1 LAWN - SHADE & DROUGHT GRASS SEED
I've look at that one, but there are a shed tonne of differnet seed mixes. I may possibly go for the platinum (without rye) mix instead.
In my humble opinion you should ditch that ryegrass. Go with a sod like zoysia like palisades or toro. If you can’t get those go with fescue. Rye isn’t thick enough and won’t spread plus herbicides ding it up. Hearing you have pets and a small lawn means watering that pee through constantly which is a major chore.
Try baronbrug extreme mate
Its clay like mine, I'd look more at drainage and possibly test soil pH.
Mate why don’t you plant Laurel hedges or similar along the brick wall sections. Not only will this improve the look of the garden, creat wildlife but help with excess dampness.
Since you commented the other, I've decided to go with this! Hoping to get them in the next few weeks.
Nice one for the idea 👍🏻
All that will happen here is grass will dye off in winter months cause its very shaded and wet soil quality best thing is skim off soil and put Sharpe sand down and returf the lawn this will give u best results 90 percent survive winter months due to sand and turf being established
You appear to have shade from almost every direction mate which will definitely not help....sun directly above but only for a limited time each day. On another subject, I have bought some Algon (your sleepers etc look ace now)....I have 3 Pugs who walk on/pee on all of the timber I want to treat....I assume I need to barrier off the entire area until 100% dry??
If I could push that garage back another 50 yards, I recon it would still have a half decent lawn! 😅
With regard to the Algon, I didn't with my dog. He did go an give everything a good sniff, but I think the vinegar smell put him off a bit. But if you can get it down on a dry day, letting it dry would probably be best.
Here is what I have found through trial and error and why I do not use ryes. Even with the best condidtion and most suitable grassess type it will never be perfect in full shade compared to full sun.
Rye = Dies off in shade no matter how good the drainage is. It's only in shady mixes so they can say the germination is faster and that it's hard wearing. I have tried test pots sowed in spring and left outside until the next spring. 50% was rye and 50% fine fescues. 90-95% of the rye died off with pretty much 100% of the fine fescue surviving apart from a few bits that dead rye took out. Rye is low density (especially A1 lawns mixes as they use tetraploid broad leaf grass) which allows weed grass to germinate and thrive. I have even tried creeping ryes hoping they would spread out and fill in but never got any noticable results.
Fine fescue = Copes well with shade but only if the soil is very sandy and friable even when damp. If the soil can be squished into a ball when wet and retains that shape, then the soil needs amendment with sand. Aerating won't help with this as a few holes and some sand in them won't change the entire composition. Dig it in to the top 6-8 inches and mix it up so there is no layering. it's best to remove as much of the existing soil as possible. Very little weed grasses if any due to the density of the fescues not providing any room for they to reach the soil. They can grow in the dense grass itself without even reaching the soil but can be pulled out extremely easily as a result.
Brown top bent = I'll be redoing my front lawn to include these this year. I don't think they can be overseeded into an existing lawn as they are slow to germinate allowing the existing grass will outcompete them. The benefits are that it's slow growing, very dense allowing it to outcompete weed grass, can cope well in damp conditions (non-stop winter rain). Avoid highland bent as it's pale in summer and broad leafed.
I would say that a mix of 80-90 fine fescues with 10-20% brown top bent should provide the best results for shady lawns as long as they are sandy and free draining (look at golf course soil as an example). Also, they have far deeper roots than rye and to get the fully benefits you need at least 6 inches of friable sandy soil for root growth. Rye and bent have different needs though. Fescues require less fertiliser while bents require similar amounts as rye. Use the STRI booklets to see what cultivars are best for you and to match the colours to your liking. Your current grasses look to be around 6.5-7 in colour (below 6 is pale green). The best mixes I have found for fine fescues that aso have a darker colour are A1LAWN Platinum Pro Grass Seed (without Rye). For brown top bents there is Rigby Taylor's 100% Egmont - Browntop Bentgrass (10kg min order). This is one of the darkest green cultivars (around 6.5) and also has one of if not highest disease resistance. Other choices would be Germinals AberMajesty (1kg min order). The lawn assciations Perfect Natural Lawn Mix looks like it could also be good as the bent is one of the cultivars included in the AberMajesty mix, but i'm not sure what fescue cultivars are used. Look at the cultivars you desire and not the supplier. They all have their buzzwords to make their mixes sound good but it is meaningless. You may also want to fleece these types of seeds as they will takes a much longer to come up and require higher temps. B&Q sell 17 gsm fleeces. They were the cheapest I have found.
The landscaping is looking really nice.
Good luck!
Nice one for taking the time to comment! A lot of good stuff here. A lot of food for thought too 🤔
Bro my lawn is looking very similar and always does this time of year, I am experiencing the very same problems as you. I think drainage is what you need to concentrate on, I’m going to install a couple French drains this year and would recommend doing the same as you have experience with them from the past.
I have considered this, just concerned that I may make the drainage too good and then it could end up suffering in the summer. But maybe that's not worth stressing about 🤔
Try fescue. I'm no expert but mines fescue and looks better than that in winter
Front part of the garden is on a slope………water is gonna drain onto the patio. Top part might be a problem!
There’s a French drain there
I’d put some drainage in if you can just get some 80mm perforated pipe in as deep as you can.
Depending how long you are looking to staying there,l'd put some drainage in or you will have the same problem every year.
You've built dam walls the,need to empty
Grass seed? 50% creeping fescue/40%perranial dwarf rye grass bit of bend.
You' ve got a mix of all worlds.
Good luck😅
Love your enthuiasm and commitment but sometimes you need to cut your losses, to be perfectly honest given your situation in the back with poor drainage and shade an artificial lawn would be perfect on that lower rear section, I know it's sacrilege but you can only flog a dead horse for so long. Good luck with whatever you decide
It's funny you say that. The owner of the garden centre down the road said the same thing to be recently. He has a lot of shade and dogs - not exactly what a lawn needs to thrive!
Not sure I'm at artificial yet though - I recon I'd miss the chase! (not that I'm likely to win this one 😅)
The Lawn Association YT channel has loads of really good videos on grass types. The guy on there seems to give different info to all the other Lawncare YTs.
I get the impression he really hates ryegrass 😂
I've watched quite a lot of his videos recently. You're right, wouldn't bring up rye grass if we were out for a pint! 😅
But talks a lot of sense!
You are focusing on the wrong thing. If that's the grass you like, fix the soil. You can't throw 3 inches of topsoil over clay and think that it is okay. Like you said, water has nowhere to go when it rains. You need to break down the clay under the soil. You can do it, but it will take time. You should consider brewing or making worm-casting tea and put it onto your lawn every other week during the growing season. Good luck!
Any dogs that run around on a lawn will rip it up 100%. That’s the problem
My lawn is looking better than ever after the winter this year. I have a large dog that runs around the edges & those are thinning (as usual) but the rest is looking quite thick. Some necrotic growth (yellow leaves) in amongst it all (probably needs a feed), but a light scarify & overseed will fix the gaps.
The seed I used last year is (Hurrells) HM.4 General Amenity / Heavy Duty Grass Seed Mix (50% Dwarf Perennial Ryegrass, 50% Strong Creeping Red Fescue). I'll be buying another sack this year (as germination rates drop with time) as I've been impressed with the quality.
I'll second what @kiddcapri1711 said as I used an ICL sportsmaster autumn/winter fert late last year. However I think the lack of snow & hard frost over winter has helped a lot.
I used the A1 Lawn luxury hard wearing grass seed which is mix of ryegrass, fescues and a touch of bent. It worked OK but the areas that flooded are also the areas that get the least sun - they've died off or got disease.
I'd try the A1 shade and drought for the edges of your lawn - my only worry about that seed is that it contains two types of meadow grass which may be a lighter green than the fescue and ryegrass.
Keep us updated man. It'll be an interesting renovation for sure
Today it is tipping it down here. Bottom edge of the lawn is under 1/2" of water again. Was sunny for 5 days and now it's just back to being flooded again. Oh well
The rain made come back with a vengeance this week! I'm considering going for their platinum mix without rye. It's got 4 different variations of fescue so I'll be able to see how it fairs. Hopefully better than it currently is this time next year!
I think you'll be fine man. We're all in the same boat - well, I need a boat sometimes.
We've got a few days of sun coming up so that's good @@NoviceGardener
It's drainage, my lawn gets badly waterlogged in the winter and since installing a soak away it has gone a long way to improve drainage.
If your soil is heavy clay then it is prone to getting watterlogged and drains poorly in winter and will go bone dry in the summer.