Chipperheads guide to creating a new lawn

[chipperhead]

I firstly used Roundup, sprayed on then left untill the existing grass had died. I then used a Rotovator for hours going over and over until the soil was completely broken up and was almost powdery.

Now is the opportunity to alter your existing soil structure, mine was quite clayey so I added a ton of sharp sand per 10m2. After this I used the rotovator again for a few hours.

Next levelling, using a spirit level you can see the wooden pegs I used to create a level. I then used an aluminium ladder, perfect for getting a flat, level lawn. Tie a rope to both ends and drag it across the surface, it will drag soil away from the high spots and fill in the low areas.

You can just make out from this picture the flatness you can get from using a ladder, you want it like a snooker table.

Next choose seed or turf and what blend of grasses to use. The blend of seed I chose contained Fescues and Bent grasses, if you want to cut your grass short like a bowling or putting green, these are the what's needed.

I used a drop spreader to distribute the seed, if you're using turf once you get the soil really flat it's simple to just roll out, make sure you water it really well.

I can definitely recommend smart edge lawn edging, it fairly expensive but having a neat edge makes a massive difference and is easier to look after.

Mark out your lawn shape using string or a hose.

I then placed a board down to give me a good edge to work against.

Use a half moon edger then I used a spade to dig roughly 6" depth.

The edging.

You peg about 1 in every 4 triangles and the grass grows through it so you can't see them.

The finished look, rub loose soil into the top edge for the grass to grow into.

And finally a few pictures of the finished product.

You can appreciate the neatness of the edging from this photo.

 

[andy_mk3]

That's a beautiful lawn! Well done

 

[Participant]

Impressive. The work involved really shows and that is a lovely lawn.

 

[Simon]

Nice. How long from planting to getting lawn like that?

 

[chipperhead]

Nice. How long from planting to getting lawn like that?

There's a couple of years between the top and bottom photos but using turf it can be almost instant, the longest time is probably waiting for the roundup to work.
Using seed, a couple of months to get it started, during this time you'd really need to keep off. Then another couple of months to fill out, if you did it now it'd probably take till the back end of summer to get completely dense.

 

[Participant]

Can you explain the sprit level / pegs / ladder thing a bit more? Your pegs look too far apart to be levelled with a spirit level. And were the pegs a guide for the ladder then, as in you used the ladder to flatten the earth until the earth was all equally far beneath the pegs?

 

[Adam]

That looks fantastic.

Could you achieve the same results from an existing lawn or is it necessary to pretty much start again?

 

[chipperhead]

Can you explain the sprit level / pegs / ladder thing a bit more? Your pegs look too far apart to be levelled with a spirit level. And were the pegs a guide for the ladder then, as in you used the ladder to flatten the earth until the earth was all equally far beneath the pegs?

I sat the spirit level on a piece of wood so it could span the pegs.
The pegs were used so I could get the soil flat and horizontal, I didn't really use the ladder much at this point.
When I was happy the ground was something like I removed the pegs and starting at one end slowly dragged the ladder across the ground, this scrapes the soil from the high points and drags it into the low parts.
The ladder doesn't dig in the ground though, only scraping the top and taking a small amount if needed, once I'd gone one way I'd then go side to side. Each time you do it the ground gets more level until finally you're dragging it and not moving hardly anything.

You can get a specific tool for the job called a lawn lute but a ladder works practically as well.

 

[chipperhead]

That looks fantastic.

Could you achieve the same results from an existing lawn or is it necessary to pretty much start again?

No, unless you have a really bad soil you don't need to go to such drastic measures.
My soil was a bit clayey, nothing too bad but also I wanted the level of the lawn altering slightly to fit in with my extension and patio.

I'll refer you to my lawn renovation guide which I think you'll find useful.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18012554&highlight=lawn

 

[kai]

Any suggestions for this; I moved in last week to a new build. The grass is in a pretty poor state, however I gave it it's first cut over the weekend.


Not sure if it just need's time to grow or I should be putting down more seed? The ground is just CLAY, planting yesterday was a real nightmare.

 

[Maccapacca]

When was the turf laid, I assume it's turf? it's not really into any season of growing yet, I'd make sure it's not dried out and see what happens when it starts growing, it may already have a fertiliser in it or on it so I'd let it rain through a few times before putting anything on it.

In regard to clay, the turf should have been laid on 150mm of topsoil, lift a corner to see what's underneath, clay isn't bad in fact it's quite nutritious but has a bad structure that retains water.

You should have 12 / 24 months maintenance agreement depending on the developer, is it your house or a local authority? if it's LA then you will more than likely have a maintenance agreement that any dead or dying plants are replaced at 12 months defects ditto a private sale but less so.

 

[kai]

When was the turf laid, I assume it's turf? it's not really into any season of growing yet, I'd make sure it's not dried out and see what happens when it starts growing, it may already have a fertiliser in it or on it so I'd let it rain through a few times before putting anything on it.

In regard to clay, the turf should have been laid on 150mm of topsoil, lift a corner to see what's underneath, clay isn't bad in fact it's quite nutritious but has a bad structure that retains water.

You should have 12 / 24 months maintenance agreement depending on the developer, is it your house or a local authority? if it's LA then you will more than likely have a maintenance agreement that any dead or dying plants are replaced at 12 months defects ditto a private sale but less so.

To be honest, I am not 100% sure when the turf was laid at an estimate I would say 6-8 months ago. There is topsoil underneath, I checked beneath the 150mm is just clay.

I have a 24 month maintenance agreement as it's a new house I have purchased and as part of the warranty. I just assumed it's been down so long now I would have expected to have knitted together tighter and look slightly better..

 

[Maccapacca]

I'd say see how it goes in spring > early summer, keep it watered and add some fertiliser, if there's 150mm of topsoil under then all it needs to do is start rooting.

You can fill any gaps with topsoil and spread some seed over, it's not really had a season yet to start growing, if it's still green then at least it's not dead or dying.

 

[Participant]

My god this thread has given me massive lawn envy. What was the approximate cost chipperhead? Including hire of Rotavator etc.?

 

[chipperhead]

My god this thread has given me massive lawn envy. What was the approximate cost chipperhead? Including hire of Rotavator etc.?

Round Up - Tenner ish
Rotovator - Father in Laws
Sharp Sand - I'm struggling to remember about £15 per ton?
Seed - I used one very similair to this http://www.shockasports.co.uk/bowling-green-grass-seed/435-battersby-bowling-green-grass-seed-20kg-bag.html

But by far the biggest cost is time, hard work, long term commitment and especially if you're using seed the loss of using the lawn for some time.

Creating a new lawn is only the first part of a continuous lawn maintenance regime if you want a fine lawn.

 

[Participant]

Like anything I guess, it needs long term attention, but I bet you it adds genuine value to the property in terms of the wow factor when prospective buyers look round.

Looks like you've got kids though, so it won't stay nice for long .

 

[chipperhead]

Like anything I guess, it needs long term attention, but I bet you it adds genuine value to the property in terms of the wow factor when prospective buyers look round.

Looks like you've got kids though, so it won't stay nice for long .

Kids aren't a problem we play football, have a bouncy castle etc it's not an issue.
I just move stuff around like the slide etc every few days.

 

[Nightglow]

Round Up - Tenner ish
Rotovator - Father in Laws
Sharp Sand - I'm struggling to remember about £15 per ton?

Seed - I used one very similair to this http://www.shockasports.co.uk/bowling-green-grass-seed/435-battersby-bowling-green-grass-seed-20kg-bag.html

Sharp sand £15 per ton, down here it's nearly £40 per ton.

Good thing using grass seed, you can choose a mix to suit, depending whether you want a show or utility lawn, a light or shady location.

Chipperhead: how do you find that 'smart edge lawn edging' any problems with it.

 

[chipperhead]

Sharp sand £15 per ton, down here it's nearly £40 per ton.

Good thing using grass seed, you can choose a mix to suit, depending whether you want a show or utility lawn, a light or shady location.

Chipperhead: how do you find that 'smart edge lawn edging' any problems with it.

The smart edging is absolutely fantastic. It's easy to install and really does finish the lawn off, it makes the lawn look completely different when edged.

No problems with it, just cut the grass as normal and using long handled shears a quick once over round the edge.

Just the initial outlay is quite high.

 

[cjgardens]

Good guide. Looks good