[Help] Gardeners Question Time.

[MJsGhost]

Stat if it's any inspiration these beauties are in our garden up in Argyll - they are even more spectacular in autumn.

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That's some view!

 

[Weststander]

This is stunning! Now, if we see this verge in Brighton, we know where you live lol!

I did think about that, so I've taken some measures.

https://www.protectiondogs.co.uk/dog-breed/doberman-dogs-for-sale/

 

[Weststander]

Stat if it's any inspiration these beauties are in our garden up in Argyll - they are even more spectacular in autumn.

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Beautiful.

 

[Jack Straw]

I did think about that, so I've taken some measures.

https://www.protectiondogs.co.uk/dog-breed/doberman-dogs-for-sale/

But can they operate a fire extinguisher?

 

[jevs]

If anyone drives between Lewes and Falmer on the A27, it appears there's been a bit of Guerilla gardening on the central reservation. Loads of poppies, cornflowers and oxeye daisies. Looks absolutely lovely

 

[A mex eyecan]

I know timing isn’t the very best but I desperately need to be overseeing my lawn to try and recover from where builders have at last finished and cleared off.

I’ve spent an age getting rid of the moss, meadow grass and weeds. I’ve spent days levelling the undulations with topsoil etc. Next job is to scarify. The soil is moist not wet so perfect time to do that. Then it’s the seeding. I don’t intend to cover the seed too much but do have a small amount of compost and topsoil left along with a few bags of builders sharp sand. Any ideas if the sand would be okay to use if mixed in with the soil/compost mix so that once i’ve sewn the seed is can sprinkle the mix over and then drag a heavy lute over the top just to help get good contact between seeds and soil?

 

[Jack Straw]

Apparently, you can.

I would rake the seed in to the soil you can see very little of it. Less for the birds and more grass for you. I have in the past covered grass seed with an inch of soil, and it all comes up.

 

[A mex eyecan]

Apparently, you can.
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I would rake the seed in to the soil you can see very little of it. Less for the birds and more grass for you. I have in the past covered grass seed with an inch of soil, and it all comes up.

Thanks Jack.
Once the seed is down Im going to cover the whole area with fleece. I read about doing this on one of the lawn websites. Reasoning is we back onto open fields and trees and we get hundreds of wood pigeons descend whenever seed has been sown. Worth a try and will be interesting to see if it works well.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Thanks Jack.
Once the seed is down Im going to cover the whole area with fleece. I read about doing this on one of the lawn websites. Reasoning is we back onto open fields and trees and we get hundreds of wood pigeons descend whenever seed has been sown. Worth a try and will be interesting to see if it works well.

Good luck. I've just taken the netting up over some reseeded patches, but have found topsoil (with a good treading) far better as a dressing than compost. Seems to be heavier for the birds to try and get through, but seed comes up all the same.

And surprisingly, Jack forgot to mention we are in the middle of the WLB season now

 

[A mex eyecan]

Good luck. I've just taken the netting up over some reseeded patches, but have found topsoil (with a good treading) far better as a dressing than compost. Seems to be heavier for the birds to try and get through, but seed comes up all the same.

And surprisingly, Jack forgot to mention we are in the middle of the WLB season now

Sorry for being a thick but WLB?

 

[WATFORD zero]

Sorry for being a thick but WLB?

Water like Buggery

 

[Stat Brother]

As this is here.
Yesterday I dug out the borders of #1 garden.
This is Mentals Corner

Unbelievably the ground here - where everything is growing at an alarming rate, is so rock hard I couldn't get a trowel into it.

I'm interested in the thing almost buried by the fuzzy thing.

Not the thing about to flower, the one above it.
Should I move that, if I can dig it out?

 

[1066familyman]

Water like Buggery

Looks like we're already heading into a drought situation down here.

No rain for the past three weeks, strong winds sucking all the moisture out of the ground last week and no rain forecast for next two weeks

 

[WATFORD zero]

Looks like we're already heading into a drought situation down here.

No rain for the past three weeks, strong winds sucking all the moisture out of the ground last week and no rain forecast for next two weeks

I don't know where down there is, but it's much the same in Brighton. Baskets and pots every couple of days and beds every few days. It's going to be

 

[A mex eyecan]

i am quite lucky for some of the time.
i closed a very large koi pool late last year. It left a concrete lined pit 12’x10’x4’6”with a bottom drain. We live in heavy clay area and all of the houses have very old land drains criss crossing the gardens. All old terracotta and many long since cracked. This means that the old pit bottom fills with water from rain and from the drainage and water table. It frequently fills to about 2’ from the top.

when we filled it in I wanted to leave a sump pit and pump so that i could pump it empty when needed to avoid the possibility of water sitting in there and perhaps going stagnant. the rest of the hole filled with old bricks and blocks the topped off with about 9” of compacted MOT.

The outlet pipe i have managed to ‘bodge’ a joint so it can either pump to waste in the hedgerow or be attached to a hose. The latter seems to be working okay at the moment but will remain to be seen if it lasts or ends up getting clogged up.

So for at least some of the time i intend to use this water for the lawn. Appreciate that it will run dry on occasion but even yesterday it had about 18” of water in it.

Still, even if it doesn’t work as it cost nothing just a bit of time and head scratching…

 

[1066familyman]

I don't know where down there is, but it's much the same in Brighton. Baskets and pots every couple of days and beds every few days. It's going to be

Yes, that is my fear. Long hot Summers do my head in!

Hastings here. A bit cooler being by the coast but bound to be short of rain again.

 

[Weststander]

If anyone drives between Lewes and Falmer on the A27, it appears there's been a bit of Guerilla gardening on the central reservation. Loads of poppies, cornflowers and oxeye daisies. Looks absolutely lovely

We saw that yesterday, by the Newmarket, beautiful.

 

[Weststander]

Thanks Jack.
Once the seed is down Im going to cover the whole area with fleece. I read about doing this on one of the lawn websites. Reasoning is we back onto open fields and trees and we get hundreds of wood pigeons descend whenever seed has been sown. Worth a try and will be interesting to see if it works well.

Unlike the pro @Jack Straw , my layman's take is to not seed the lawn anytime soon, wait until consistent rain is first here in the autumn.

I've done what you're planning many a time during a dry spell and it's always a complete waste of money and time.

When you do, a trick I learnt last year is to mix the seed in a large plastic trug with sufficiently damp fine compost or new topsoil, keep in a place not in glaring sunshine and it will germinate. Then overseed with that as soon as you see the grass seeds have germinated. Onto moist lawn or bare soil after a big watering or rain, gently treading it down.

 

[zefarelly]

Everythings going nuts here . . . So dry though

 

[A mex eyecan]

Unlike the pro @Jack Straw , my layman's take is to not seed the lawn anytime soon, wait until consistent rain is first here in the autumn.

I've done what you're planning many a time during a dry spell and it's always a complete waste of money and time.

When you do, a trick I learnt last year is to mix the seed in a large plastic trug with sufficiently damp fine compost or new topsoil, keep in a place not in glaring sunshine and it will germinate. Then overseed with that as soon as you see the grass seeds have germinated. Onto moist lawn or bare soil after a big watering or rain, gently treading it down.

trouble is the ‘lawn’ looks a complete and utter eyesore right now. i appreciate late Aug early Sept would be better but not sure i can live with this mess all summer, plus as it is it’s a great weed seed bed. Also sort of hoping the fleece may help eliminate some of the drying by wind.