lawn improvements

[miker]

Just taken over a contract and the existing maintenance person has been cutting the grass all winter and spring resulting in next to no grass ie length, do i let it grow and hopefully will come back as a half decent lawn or overseed ?

i reckon the grass(whats left of it) is about 10mm and very sparse,really been scalped all winter

what do i do to give it some body for want of a better word ?

cheers:thumbup:

[Richard 1234]

I'd put some weed and feed type stuff on it. Leave it a couple of weeks cut it high and see where it's at maybe oversees if it's still thin.

Just keep cutting it a decent height and it will fill itself out to a point anyway. Cut in opposite directions each cut as well. As in up and down one cut then side to side next cut as it encourages it to fill out.

[easy-lift guy]

Determine the soil ph first before applying any fertilizer. Once you know the soil ph you will be better prepared to know what to use and how much. If you have a reel mower that would be ideal for actually cutting the turf since a rotary blade actually rips tears and shreds turf. Otherwise in either type of machine the blade really needs to be sharp before every mowing.

easy-lift guy

[IVECOKID]

Just let nature take place first before you try anything, give it 3 weeks growth then review.

 

 

Ste

[Starscream]

Determine the soil ph first before applying any fertilizer. Once you know the soil ph you will be better prepared to know what to use and how much. If you have a reel mower that would be ideal for actually cutting the turf since a rotary blade actually rips tears and shreds turf. Otherwise in either type of machine the blade really needs to be sharp before every mowing.

easy-lift guy

 

What? A sharp rotary blade does not rip tear or shred lawns. To use a cylinder mower effectively the lawn will have to be like a bowling green. And also "check the ph level of the soil"? I doubt he's maintaining Kew Gardens mate.

 

To the OP - lawn sand the area, this will kill any moss and encourage finer grass species to come through. It will green the lawn up nicely too and as the nitrogen level is low it won't grow abnormally fast. Leave the lawn for a while and then keep it on a high cut; this keeps weeds and moss at bay and keeps more of the grass plant to photosynthesise resulting in a more green, drought tolerant lawn.

[kkk2]

Have you asked the client what he wants? client might have requested low cut height.

Just a thought.

[easy-lift guy]

What? A sharp rotary blade does not rip tear or shred lawns. To use a cylinder mower effectively the lawn will have to be like a bowling green. And also "check the ph level of the soil"? I doubt he's maintaining Kew Gardens mate.

 

To the OP - lawn sand the area, this will kill any moss and encourage finer grass species to come through. It will green the lawn up nicely too and as the nitrogen level is low it won't grow abnormally fast. Leave the lawn for a while and then keep it on a high cut; this keeps weeds and moss at bay and keeps more of the grass plant to photosynthesise resulting in a more green, drought tolerant lawn.

 

Since the OP was seeking advise on improving the appearance of her new customers lawn I stick by my opinions simply because there based in fact and science. Sand unless fortified with other trace elements like nitrogen, phosphorus or pot ash, will not green up any ones lawn. Liquid Iron will green up ones lawn as long as the product is applied only to the turf ares and no driveways or sidewalks. Knowing the soil ph of any soil is a basic road map as to what the turf is lacking in order to grow more efficiently and naturally choke out undesirable weeds and the like. Cultural praticices like cutting high can only produce more photosynthesise, however the weeds need to be controlled as well in order to have a really nice lawn. Just common sense for the most part.

easy-lift guy

[Richard 1234]

Since the OP was seeking advise on improving the appearance of her new customers lawn I stick by my opinions simply because there based in fact and science. Sand unless fortified with other trace elements like nitrogen, phosphorus or pot ash, will not green up any ones lawn. Liquid Iron will green up ones lawn as long as the product is applied only to the turf ares and no driveways or sidewalks. Knowing the soil ph of any soil is a basic road map as to what the turf is lacking in order to grow more efficiently and naturally choke out undesirable weeds and the like. Cultural praticices like cutting high can only produce more photosynthesise, however the weeds need to be controlled as well in order to have a really nice lawn. Just common sense for the most part.

 

easy-lift guy

 

 

The key is in the name here lawn sand. You may not have it in the states but it has iron in it at the very least. So it's not just sand he's talking about

[Starscream]

Since the OP was seeking advise on improving the appearance of her new customers lawn I stick by my opinions simply because there based in fact and science. Sand unless fortified with other trace elements like nitrogen, phosphorus or pot ash, will not green up any ones lawn. Liquid Iron will green up ones lawn as long as the product is applied only to the turf ares and no driveways or sidewalks. Knowing the soil ph of any soil is a basic road map as to what the turf is lacking in order to grow more efficiently and naturally choke out undesirable weeds and the like. Cultural praticices like cutting high can only produce more photosynthesise, however the weeds need to be controlled as well in order to have a really nice lawn. Just common sense for the most part.

easy-lift guy

 

So, you're saying the OP has no common sense?

And FYI lawn sand over here is a moss killer and lawn tonic which contains nitrogen, ferrous sulphate (iron) and potassium. The sand part is just a ballast to distribute the chemicals. It's not literally just sand. You yanks really don't give us much credit.

Weeds are an ongoing battle regardless of soil type, they just differ in species. For instance if it's a dry alkaline soil Achillea (yarrow if you're common) will thrive. If it's a damp acidic lawn, moss will thrive. A regular regime of annual scarification, max. 4 times a year fertilisation with a selective herbicide, aeration and collecting grass clippings will produce a lush lawn.

The OP wants to get one back to normal, not get his chemistry kit out.

The answer - lawn sand, time and cutting high will get the desired result cost effectively.

[easy-lift guy]

So, you're saying the OP has no common sense?

And FYI lawn sand over here is a moss killer and lawn tonic which contains nitrogen, ferrous sulphate (iron) and potassium. The sand part is just a ballast to distribute the chemicals. It's not literally just sand. You yanks really don't give us much credit.

Weeds are an ongoing battle regardless of soil type, they just differ in species. For instance if it's a dry alkaline soil Achillea (yarrow if you're common) will thrive. If it's a damp acidic lawn, moss will thrive. A regular regime of annual scarification, max. 4 times a year fertilisation with a selective herbicide, aeration and collecting grass clippings will produce a lush lawn.

The OP wants to get one back to normal, not get his chemistry kit out.

The answer - lawn sand, time and cutting high will get the desired result cost effectively.

 

I think your saying the OP has no common sense. I did not. Try not to be so hard on yourself about not giving credit where where credit is due.

Having a soil sample collected and tested rules out any doubt about weather the ph is to high or low. Once this has been completed a more reliable means of creating a lawn maintenance program is what my customers have relied on for years. It just works better here in my part of the world since we do not have soil per say, just sand and lots of it so the need to amend with the correct chemicals in the first place is a must.

Anyone can and will apply many different chemicals and soil amendments to help create a better lawn from a growth and appearance standpoint. The cost of a soil test is $25.00 USD and I have never had a failure by taking the time to not second guess my customers lawn needs.

No chemistry set required since I have people do that for me.

I sure would like to see some before and after pictures of the lawn from the OP. Just on a side note what is the percentage of iron in the lawn sand you speak of and what is the most common means of applying this material?.

Cyclone spreader or drop spreader?

easy-lift guy