[Misc] Lawn growing

Jack Straw · Jun 24, 2021

Arthur said:
Second time was the charm for me. Followed your advice and covered it this time with mesh so didn't become bird food.

View attachment 137963

Going to give its first mow over the weekend. Any tips from anyone other than don't cut it too short?

If you've got a rotary mower, set it at its highest setting and see how it looks. If it's hardly touching the grass, go down one notch, and keep doing that until you're cutting about a third of the grass height off, that's your setting.
If you've got a cylinder mower, I would leave it in the shed and use shears for the first few cuts. A mow with a cylinder mower at this stage could result in the blades pulling the grass out, unless it's razor-sharp. Wait until the grass is firmly rooted in if you have a cylinder mower and shear it until this is the case.

Weststander · Jun 24, 2021

Arthur said:
Second time was the charm for me. Followed your advice and covered it this time with mesh so didn't become bird food.

View attachment 137963

Going to give its first mow over the weekend. Any tips from anyone other than don't cut it too short?

Per the RHS:

When the seedling grasses are about 5-7.5cm (2-3in) high, lightly refirm the soil ideally with a garden roller or the rear roller of a cylinder mower/rotary mower. In the absence of these try carefully treading raised areas.

Two or three days later, cut the grass down by about one-third of its length. Ideally use a cylinder-bladed mower. Before mowing, remove the front roller on cylinder mowers to prevent flattening the grass. Ensure the blades are really sharp.

warmleyseagull · Jun 27, 2021

My mate who's a Grasshoppers fan says he is shithouse.

Miximate · Aug 31, 2021

Can anyone help me with this , what it is and how I can fix it. Scarified my lawn over the weekend hoping it might get rid but didn’t work. Got some seed and fertilisers being delivered but don’t want to waste time and money if problems persist.

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View attachment 140024.

Apologies that images are in its side but don't know how to turn them!

Worried Man Blues · Sep 16, 2021

Wardy's twin said:
Depending where you are you might be lucky to get toads and if so you will need a deep area of between 18 - 24 inches if you want them to breed there. My newt population was carefully developed over 3 years , i had a couple but took some of the eggs and kept them in tanks and ended up letting 50-100 back into the garden each year. Newts breed differently to toads and frogs , they lay many single eggs over a 3 month period so the later ones often become dinner for the older ones.

Just discovered I've got newts, been hoping for years. Only juveniles seen so far, do you feed them or give them any assistance. Do you get rid of diving beetles etc? I have had newts at previous addresses but never did anything to help but you seem to be an expert!

Taybha · Sep 16, 2021

Miximate said:
Can anyone help me with this , what it is and how I can fix it. Scarified my lawn over the weekend hoping it might get rid but didn’t work. Got some seed and fertilisers being delivered but don’t want to waste time and money if problems persist.

View attachment 140021 View attachment 140023

View attachment 140024.

Apologies that images are in its side but don't know how to turn them!

Have you got dogs ? Not sure what the brownish looking mossy stuff is but the rest of the lawn looks like Lady doggy urine patches.

Wardy's twin · Sep 16, 2021

Worried Man Blues said:
Just discovered I've got newts, been hoping for years. Only juveniles seen so far, do you feed them or give them any assistance. Do you get rid of diving beetles etc? I have had newts at previous addresses but never did anything to help but you seem to be an expert!

Always a tricky question. If these juveniles are still in the pond they are leaving it a bit late to come out so they probably will end up over wintering in the pond and will come out early next year. Its the way nature normally works but that thinking is based on it getting colder soon. If it stays warm into October then they might still come out in which case hindsight would say giving them some food would get them out quicker and more established before winter. Are these juveniles fully formed but just with their external gills i.e. close to coming out? If they are then i usually buy daphnia or blood worm and put that in. If they are small , no external gills then they should be left alone.

I don't touch the insect life even though some of it will kill the baby newts , i usually take some of the babies out ( april/may) and keep them separate. The biggest threat is other (adult) newts , and even small junveniles will eat smaller juveniles. I don't have fish in my main newt pond and i take newts out of my goldfish pond if i see them. The adult newts will have left the pond mid to late July and generally stay away until next breeding season.

this newt is very close to leaving water - notice the colour and that the gills are very small

View attachment baby newt 1.jpg

these newts are about 2 weeks off leaving

View attachment baby newt 2.jpg

Worried Man Blues · Sep 16, 2021

Wardy's twin said:
Always a tricky question. If these juveniles are still in the pond they are leaving it a bit late to come out so they probably will end up over wintering in the pond and will come out early next year. Its the way nature normally works but that thinking is based on it getting colder soon. If it stays warm into October then they might still come out in which case hindsight would say giving them some food would get them out quicker and more established before winter. Are these juveniles fully formed but just with their external gills i.e. close to coming out? If they are then i usually buy daphnia or blood worm and put that in. If they are small , no external gills then they should be left alone.

I don't touch the insect life even though some of it will kill the baby newts , i usually take some of the babies out ( april/may) and keep them separate. The biggest threat is other (adult) newts , and even small junveniles will eat smaller juveniles. I don't have fish in my main newt pond and i take newts out of my goldfish pond if i see them. The adult newts will have left the pond mid to late July and generally stay away until next breeding season.

this newt is very close to leaving water - notice the colour and that the gills are very small

View attachment 140478

these newts are about 2 weeks off leaving

View attachment 140479

Great thanks, they all have gills and are small and various sizes of small. I think they are smooth newts (googled!). There are no fish as all I wanted was newts. I haven't seen any full size newts at all. Also living in Wales it will get colder quicker here. Will buy some daphnia just to help them get on. Thanks very much for your input hope they will appear in our other non fish pond next year and then we are flying!! Thank again.

Weststander · Sep 16, 2021

Wardy's twin said:
Always a tricky question. If these juveniles are still in the pond they are leaving it a bit late to come out so they probably will end up over wintering in the pond and will come out early next year. Its the way nature normally works but that thinking is based on it getting colder soon. If it stays warm into October then they might still come out in which case hindsight would say giving them some food would get them out quicker and more established before winter. Are these juveniles fully formed but just with their external gills i.e. close to coming out? If they are then i usually buy daphnia or blood worm and put that in. If they are small , no external gills then they should be left alone.

I don't touch the insect life even though some of it will kill the baby newts , i usually take some of the babies out ( april/may) and keep them separate. The biggest threat is other (adult) newts , and even small junveniles will eat smaller juveniles. I don't have fish in my main newt pond and i take newts out of my goldfish pond if i see them. The adult newts will have left the pond mid to late July and generally stay away until next breeding season.

this newt is very close to leaving water - notice the colour and that the gills are very small

View attachment 140478

these newts are about 2 weeks off leaving

View attachment 140479

Amazing by you, I love your interest and care in native ecology.

I still have planned a decent sized wildlife pond, on my long list of garden landscaping projects to do. I’ve taken on your advice about depths. I’ve begun the digging out, but it won’t be done in a hurry.

It’s been in the making in my mind for a long time. It will have pebble beaches rather than steep sides and marginal plant shelves at varying depths, with plenty of cover all around by plants/logs/rocks and an attached bog garden.

A question - as with frogs/toads, will newts arrive naturally or will I need to introduce them? We don’t live near a pond meeting your criteria.

Wardy's twin · Sep 16, 2021

Weststander said:
Amazing by you, I love your interest and care in native ecology.

I still have planned a decent sized wildlife pond, on my long list of garden landscaping projects to do. I’ve taken on your advice about depths. I’ve begun the digging out, but it won’t be done in a hurry.

It’s been in the making in my mind for a long time. It will have pebble beaches rather than steep sides and marginal plant shelves at varying depths, with plenty of cover all around by plants/logs/rocks and an attached bog garden.

A question - as with frogs/toads, will newts arrive naturally or will I need to introduce them? We don’t live near a pond meeting your criteria.

Thanks - newts, slow worms and foxes are my favourites and i have had a lot of inter action with all 3. Personally I would get the pond done sooner rather than later as the more they mature the more they will attract. My ponds are far from perfect but they have sustained a newt population for about 20 years now that i built from scratch. Newts will travel quite a bit as unlike frogs they develop a dry skin once they leave a pond and only return for next breeding cycle. Let me know when you build it , if i am still here I am sure we can get something sorted.

Weststander · Sep 16, 2021

Wardy's twin said:
Thanks - newts, slow worms and foxes are my favourites and i have had a lot of inter action with all 3. Personally I would get the pond done sooner rather than later as the more they mature the more they will attract. My ponds are far from perfect but they have sustained a newt population for about 20 years now that i built from scratch. Newts will travel quite a bit as unlike frogs they develop a dry skin once they leave a pond and only return for next breeding cycle. Let me know when you build it , if i am still here I am sure we can get something sorted.

I aspire to do it all this autumn/winter. I’d rather it fill with rain water. At any rate, I’d never top it up with Southern Water’s chemically treated H2O.

Thank you btw, I hope to be in touch :smile:

GT49er · Sep 16, 2021

Has anyone got a way to stop mine growing until - say July next year, or even August?

GT49er · Sep 16, 2021

P.S. (because the 'edit post' still isn't working) - can I get lines on the lawn with a hover mower (my (now) three wheeled, pick up about 50% of what it cuts, rotary mower - and in a few days is being collected by the council refuse service) or do I have to have a rotary mower with wheels?

Baldseagull · Sep 17, 2021

GT49er said:
P.S. (because the 'edit post' still isn't working) - can I get lines on the lawn with a hover mower (my (now) three wheeled, pick up about 50% of what it cuts, rotary mower - and in a few days is being collected by the council refuse service) or do I have to have a rotary mower with wheels?

If you get one with a vac on the back that collects the grass, it gives it a bit of a stripe, but it won't be the same.

Shropshire Seagull · Sep 17, 2021

GT49er said:
P.S. (because the 'edit post' still isn't working) - can I get lines on the lawn with a hover mower (my (now) three wheeled, pick up about 50% of what it cuts, rotary mower - and in a few days is being collected by the council refuse service) or do I have to have a rotary mower with wheels?

The stripes on lawns is very basic and easy to do - it's simply the blades of grass being rolled in a specific direction and the light reflecting off the grass.
From where you stand, the light-green stripes are grass blades bent / flattened away from you so the natural light is reflecting off the blades.
The dark stripes are the grass blades that are pointing towards you so they appear darker.
The key to achieving this is using a mower with a rear-roller. Hover mowers or mowers with 4 wheels [one in each corner] will not give you the striped effect.

Depending on the size of your lawn and proximity to A/C power, Bosch do a decent 14inch electric rotary with a rear-roller and this will provide stripes.
This is what I use for early spring and late autumn https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Rotak-Electric-Rotary-Mower/dp/B00GZLFPRG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bosch+lawnmower&qid=1631833913&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVUo3TDdSNjBaVTc1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzAzNTczMTVYTUJMQzlTQkhJRSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDU1Mzc2MlVPVkVJQTlWNU9PRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Summer time I use a 12 bladed cylinder petrol jobbie ...

PS - just tried the Edit function and all looks to be working fine with Chrome on a Win 10 pc

Shropshire Seagull · Sep 17, 2021

Over the last couple of weeks the birds have been grub-hunting in my lawn creating lots of small hollows and pulling out tiny tufts of grass [inc roots].

So, off to my supplier for 20 bags of 70/30 top dressing and another rare outing for my lute this weekend.

GT49er · Sep 17, 2021

Shropshire Seagull said:
The stripes on lawns is very basic and easy to do - it's simply the blades of grass being rolled in a specific direction and the light reflecting off the grass.
From where you stand, the light-green stripes are grass blades bent / flattened away from you so the natural light is reflecting off the blades.
The dark stripes are the grass blades that are pointing towards you so they appear darker.
The key to achieving this is using a mower with a rear-roller. Hover mowers or mowers with 4 wheels [one in each corner] will not give you the striped effect.

Depending on the size of your lawn and proximity to A/C power, Bosch do a decent 14inch electric rotary with a rear-roller and this will provide stripes.
This is what I use for early spring and late autumn https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Rotak-Electric-Rotary-Mower/dp/B00GZLFPRG/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bosch+lawnmower&qid=1631833913&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVUo3TDdSNjBaVTc1JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzAzNTczMTVYTUJMQzlTQkhJRSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMDU1Mzc2MlVPVkVJQTlWNU9PRyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Summer time I use a 12 bladed cylinder petrol jobbie ...

PS - just tried the Edit function and all looks to be working fine with Chrome on a Win 10 pc

Cheers. The rotary mower (with no roller) does the lines OK. Just wondering if the hovering sort will do the same, or will the down-draft prevent the blades of grass all pointing the same way. Might try one anyway - not had much luck with the last couple of mowers,

PS The edit function is working on my laptop again - at the moment. It seems to come and go with no apparant reason (only over the last few days - worked perfectly for years before that).

Bold Seagull · Mar 15, 2022

So, continuing on from the fox thread and the lawn mowing thread as it's all linked...

I laid my lawn last spring. It took pretty well. But since then we have a family of foxes that use our garden as a through route and our dog, a sighthound, runs full sprint around the garden checking they're not there. The damage is almost entirely the dog. Anyway, as well as playing a bit of fetch he's laid waste to the grass.

So, Plan A: do nothing and see how well it recovers with a spring feed and some later watering with some nutrients.

Plan B: order a bulk bag of top dressing with a feed in it, spread that out, add a bit of seed and fence off some areas with some orange plaster netting stuff and let the areas recover for say 6 weeks at a time, leaving part of the garden for the dog still.

or Plan C: ?

thing is, we're not going to stop the dog indefinitely, and not after a perfect lawn, just maybe more grass than mud, hence Plan A is an option for now to see if it bounces back on it's own.

Billy the Fish · Mar 15, 2022

Good bounce, I'm planning to top dress and overseed mine soon, hopefully tomorrow weather permitting.
[MENTION=16159]Bold Seagull[/MENTION], personally I'd do option B and seed it with quick a germinating 100% Ryegrass. It looks too bare to recover by itself IMHO. Obviously that's my complete amatuer opinion.

Bold Seagull · Mar 15, 2022

Billy the Fish said:
Good bounce, I'm planning to top dress and overseed mine soon, hopefully tomorrow weather permitting.
[MENTION=16159]Bold Seagull[/MENTION], personally I'd do option B and seed it with quick a germinating 100% Ryegrass. It looks too bare to recover by itself IMHO. Obviously that's my complete amatuer opinion.

I was thinking B, good tip about looking for quick growing rye grass seeds too.

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