Revitalise this grass (have dog)

[danlightbulb]

I briefly posted in another thread about buying an electric scarifier (Screwfix, £70).

This is my grass.

Dimensions are around 3-3.5m wide and 9m long.

Some sections seem ok, nothing special but there is grass there and not much weeds.

Other sections have no grass at all and are just a dirt patch.

We have a dog that wees on the grass and likes to dig occasionally. Some patches went yellow last year.

Garden is south facing so generally gets a lot of sun.

My understanding is that scarifying removes built up thatch. I can't see much thatch in it really. But the bare patches need new grass and the surface is pretty compacted.

The whole grass surface is not uniform, the grass is different colours and grows in different directions across the whole area. Probably different types of grass mixed in as it's been patched up over time.

I want to do something and I'd like to have a nice soft lawn even though it's small. What's there currently definitely needs thickening up.

I'm not sure if a scarifier is worth it even though even a hand rake scarifier is £30 so on that basis £70 for the electric tool seems pretty good value.

 

[danlightbulb]

2. Aerate the lawn using a hollow tine aerator (optional) - this help decompact the soil as it removes plugs of soil all over the lawn allowing water/nutrients to get into the root system

I am thinking of drilling 1 - 1.5 inch holes across the surface using a 40cm long auger bit, and filling with sand/topsoil, to help with drainage. The soil is pretty solid clay across the whole site. This winter there was some water pooling in the middle of the lawn.

3. Scarify the lawn - this removes thatch and opens up the top layer (the £70 scarifier will be worth it)

Does the scarifier turn up the top layer of soil too? My grass doesn't seem to have much thatch in it, its just a fairly patchy area of thin grass and bare soil. What will the scarifier do in these conditions?

One of the most important steps is the grass seed - you need to try and determine what kind you want - Rye, Fescue and Bent all have different characteristics but the choice is ultimately yours (just do some googling)

Couple of comments on this.

First, big box stores and garden centres sell grass seed, but it doesn't seem to give you the mix of seed used.

If I go to a dedicated grass seed site, like 'The Grass People', I can choose from specific mixes. Their 'Family kids and pets' seed is 80% ryegrass and 20% fescue. There is one on Amazon as well called 'Sprogs & Dogs Ultra Hardwearing Grass Seed by Lawn UK' but again it doesn't specifically tell you the mix, it just says "Combines ryegrasses, fescues and bentgrass".

So I'm not sure what I need? The resilience of the ryegrass seems a good idea but the creeping nature of the fescue also seems a good idea. What would happen if I used a more fescue oriented grass rather than a ryegrass, with the dog?

The Grass People also have a mix stated as being designed for clay soils. I have clay soils so is this another option for me? But that product doesn't mention dogs.

Whatever you choose, the dog will have a big impact. The only real way to manage it is to either ban it from the garden (unfeasible) or to try and see when it pees and pour some water on it to dilute the urine as its the high concentration of ammonia that burns the grass.

Yeah its unfeasible to stop him. I can't be following him round with the watering can 4x per day or more, that's just impossible.

I will have to just keep patching up the lawn regularly.

 

[danlightbulb]

There is a plethora of different bags of grass seed you can get - "hard wearing", "self repair", "shady areas" etc etc. They are all essentially from the 3 species of Rye, Fescue and Bent:

Have a look here for more info on grass types - https://lawnassociation.org.uk/uk-grasses-all-you-need-to-know/. This site does tend to promote the more native species of UK Grasses of Fescue and Bent over Ryegrass but they do give a lot of good information.

Thanks.

It does seem to make sense that a grass that creeps and grows more grass will be much thicker and less patchy than a grass which doesn't. So I'm not sure why the ryegrasses are so dominant in the mixes available?

It makes it difficult now because the mixes badged as hardwearing and good for pets are all ryegrass dominant. The fescue dominant mixes don't mention pet suitability at all. Does this mean they aren't, or is it just marketing BS?

 

[danlightbulb]

Just have it in your mind that you're going to have to re-seed it every spring.

Yep that's already what Ive accepted. Hence maybe buying the cheap scarifier is worth it?

 

[danlightbulb]

@Richie Ive had 'The Grass People's' clay mix and their family mix in my sights.

The family/pet mix has 80% ryegrass and 20% creeping red fescue.

The clay mix has 50% ryegrass, 45% tall fescue, and 5% smooth stalked meadow grass.

The one on Amazon ive been looking at is this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sprogs-Ult...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A1W7R5335I52QD&th=1


How many hours of direct sun classifies as full sun vs shade? Im south facing so I get full overhead sun in the summer, but my garden is narrow so parts are shaded in the morning and in the evenings. In winter when the sun is low I still get sun but obviously the duration is much reduced.

 

[danlightbulb]

Ok I went and bought the scarifier.

Before and after:

It removed a surprising amount, probably 15 baskets full.

 

[danlightbulb]

Hardly any moss in mine, it was all fine grass clippings that came out. Should compost well.

But there is barely any grass left now, I guess it was very thin in the first place.


Ordered the clay mix from The Grass People. Will get a few bags of topsoil too to top dress it once the seed is down.

Couple of dips to fill in as well.

 

[danlightbulb]

What lawn edging have people used or recommend? I'd like something relatively solid, those metal strip ones look decent but a bit more expensive that I want really. Could use a row of block paving bricks or just a row of cobble stones.

Anyone have any suggestions for how I can shape the lawn as well? Its a bit awkward with it being so narrow. I don't like that curve I tried to put in at the bottom right of the picture (near my new wall). Eventually be removing the slabbed path on the left hand side of the garden to make that flower bed wider.

 

[danlightbulb]

Depends what you want it to be like... Some people use the concrete edging stones laid on their sides (this kind of thing - https://www.wickes.co.uk/Marshalls-Round-Smooth-Edging-Stone---White-600-x-150-x-50mm/p/220357?fix)

I was initially thinking the metal edging that you hammer into the ground: https://www.ultimate-one.co.uk/lawn-edging-c-222

But maybe it would be better to have something that the wheel of the mower can ride on as its pushed down the edges of the lawn, to get a nice flush cut. So a row of those kerbstone type things you linked to or just a row of bricks.

 

[danlightbulb]

That's a personal choice... The longer kerbstones would be easier to get a nice flat run compared to bricks which may shift over time but the bricks MIGHT look nicer (again personal choice)

Does this look alright?

 

[danlightbulb]

Finished brick edging. It's ok, not great. Will leave it as is for now and see how it looks when the grass is grown. Might lift it and lay a bit of concrete under and raise up the bricks by an inch or so. Will see.

Also went over again with the scarifier on a deeper setting because there are some undulating areas which the first pass didn't pick up. It's ready for topsoil now tomorrow then seeding.

 

[danlightbulb]

Good luck with the seeding... Its still too cold here for seeding just now. Not sure this high pressure system will last long

Do you think it's still too cold for it? Forecast here is around 11-12 degrees daytime with intermittent rainy days, 3-4 degrees overnight.

 

[danlightbulb]

Seeding completed. 7 bags of topsoil and just under 2kg of seed.

 

[danlightbulb]

Did you water it in?... In this kind of weather you will want to water twice a day if you can (little and often) to keep the soil and seed damp

Just about to. Had to go buy a hosepipe.

 

[danlightbulb]

optical illusion or does it narrow a lot at the far side?

looks totally acceptable to me though.

Optical illusion, I made it square to the wall on the right. Still need to do a lot of work on the borders.

 

[danlightbulb]

Three big fat pigeons eating my grass seed this morning, going to have to cover it.

And the dog has already dug a hole.

 

[danlightbulb]

 

[danlightbulb]

Could you Maybe fence of the area at the bottom of the grass and let you dog play , do it business there.

He can get down there. Don't have enough material to try and fence off the lawn though.

Looks good... Was the previous owner a builder given all the bricks you seem to have laying around

No I bought them off Facebook marketplace. Some I got for 20p a brick some were 40p.

 

[danlightbulb]

@danlightbulb where did you get the plastic sheets from?

Toolstation 2x50m roll just over a fiver.

It's very thin though, you'll need a lot of pegs or bricks to hold it down.

 

[danlightbulb]

Umm, Is it plastic sheets rather than horticultural fleece you've used )hard to tell from picture)? It should be fleece you used as the plastic sheets wont let any rain/nutrients/air through. Something like THIS

Its clear polythene. I looked for fleece initially but couldn't get any locally for a reasonable price and I needed it today. Then found this article which said polythene is fine.

The No 1 Way to Protect Grass Seed | Lawnsmith Lawn Experts

Covering your precious newly planted grass seed with polythene sheeting is not only an effective protection from birds but also drying winds and torrential downpours. Very cheap, easy to lay and speeds germination.

www.lawnsmith.co.uk