[Misc] Lawn growing

[Weststander]

Same here , luckily still have some slow worms as well. Do you have frogs as well or have you found their numbers have declined as the numbers of newts expands. I have a few ponds as now have some rehoused goldfish in a separate one.

That’s on my list of projects for this spring/summer. To create a large wildlife pond with gently sloping sides, log piles and only native pond plants/marginals/bog plants.

The first since at our old house 20 years ago!

 

[Tokyohands]

View attachment 134975

Get a few of these - no need to mow and they provide the fertiliser.

They sure do chomp the grass in lovely lines though.

 

[BN9 BHA]

View attachment 134975

Get a few of these - no need to mow and they provide the fertiliser.

Pretty impressed with the way they eat the grass to leave stripes.

 

[Steve in Japan]

Since March last year, our lawn (which is not huge), has hosted a trampoline, an above ground swimming pool and a cricket net. Now the kids are back at school, I am surveying the wreckage that was the lawn.

I'd like to resurrect it but seriously doubt I can make it a no-go zone for any length of time at all.

Toss up between re-turfing it or (eek!) going astro. The pool won't be going back but the cricket net is staying....

 

[Billy the Fish]

Since March last year, our lawn (which is not huge), has hosted a trampoline, an above ground swimming pool and a cricket net. Now the kids are back at school, I am surveying the wreckage that was the lawn.

I'd like to resurrect it but seriously doubt I can make it a no-go zone for any length of time at all.

Toss up between re-turfing it or (eek!) going astro. The pool won't be going back but the cricket net is staying....

Don't do it!! Get a decent utility turf.

 

[GOM]

View attachment 134975

Get a few of these - no need to mow and they provide the fertiliser.

It's great how they put the stripes on the grass as well

 

[Wardy's twin]

That’s on my list of projects for this spring/summer. To create a large wildlife pond with gently sloping sides, log piles and only native pond plants/marginals/bog plants.

The first since at our old house 20 years ago!

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.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

CB Winter delivered to me a big load of turfs, with large pebbles embedded in each one, full of perennial weeds and annual meadow grass.

By contrast, our other batches bought directly from Rolawn were perfect, like rolling uniform sections of emerald coloured carpet.

I do not know of CB winter, but I do know Rolawns turf has been consistent for decades and would highly recommend them as you say.

But I always think of the turf rolls as fifty-pound notes when someone is buying your car, check there are no fivers in the middle and count them all out.

No, I am not a turf accountant.

There are plenty of turf sharks that rent a field spray it with sulphate of iron to give it some colour for a few days.
They cut it a few times then lift the turf. When it hits your doorstep at first glance rolled up it may appear okay but give it a couple of weeks it will look like a patch of grass where all the office staff gather for a fag.

My preferred manner of conduct is to tell these turf sharks to sod off.

 

[LamieRobertson]

CB Winter delivered to me a big load of turfs, with large pebbles embedded in each one, full of perennial weeds and annual meadow grass.

By contrast, our other batches bought directly from Rolawn were perfect, like rolling uniform sections of emerald coloured carpet.

I don’t do much turfing work these days but have always used Winters with no issues at all

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I don’t do much turfing work these days but have always used Winters with no issues at all

Maybe you have different standards.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Maybe you have different standards.

Pffft LOL

Bet Westy didn’t pay for those stones....free! Should be pleased

 

[Weststander]

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.

My plan is for sloping sides with small pebble beaches so that hedgehogs and birds can drink, a marginals shelf for the likes of Caltha Palustris and Myosotis Scorpiades, and a deeper centre with oxygenators. With an adjacent bog garden with Lythrum Salicaria and Filipendula Ulmaria.

I know that toads and frogs will come naturally, my neighbour has a wildlife pond and I find toads hiding in log piles in our garden.

We also have tiny Common Lizards!

I've been interested in this topic for 40 years. When I was a teen, the ecologist Chris Baines presented BBC programmes on the wildlife gardening in your own garden. He was ahead of his time.

 

[Weststander]

Pffft LOL

Bet Westy didn’t pay for those stones....free! Should be pleased

I used them as part of a sub-base for my brick path .

Here are Rolawn turfs being laid:




Contrast to, I must’ve been unlucky, CB Winter turfs after I’d cut out large patches of couch grass, annual meadow grass and dandelions. Not a fescue or bent insight.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I used them as part of a sub-base for my brick path .

Here are Rolawn turfs being laid:

View attachment 134989


Contrast to, I must’ve been unlucky, CB Winter turfs after I’d cut out large patches of couch grass, annual meadow grass and dandelions. Not a fescue or bent insight.

View attachment 134990

Those cut outs give it character

Ps a bit of weed control needed in that path

 

[Arthur]

If you've got a female dog, those little grass volcanoes that appear on your lawn, with bare patches in the middle are her doing!

Is there anything out there you can treat your lawn with to stop that happening? I have a Cocker bitch and my lawn is full of them.

Good thread this as I'm in the process of doing the same. Moved into a place 4 years ago which needed everything doing I finally got most things done just as lockdown hit (typical). Last on my list to do was the garden which because of lockdown I've really started to appreciate. So promised myself I will sort it once the weather warms up a bit.

I have a lot of moss in my lawn. I bought some moss killer which worked a treat but I now have large black patches over the lawn. Can I simply re-seed these areas, water and hope it germinates?

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Pffft LOL

Bet Westy didn’t pay for those stones....free! Should be pleased

I hate to think how sharp your mower blade is. Not the sharpest in the box I would guess.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I used them as part of a sub-base for my brick path .

Here are Rolawn turfs being laid:

View attachment 134989


Contrast to, I must’ve been unlucky, CB Winter turfs after I’d cut out large patches of couch grass, annual meadow grass and dandelions. Not a fescue or bent insight.

View attachment 134990

So you harvest grass and opium then

 

[Weststander]

Those cut outs give it character

Ps a bit of weed control needed in that path

That was just the kerbs to a brick path, long since covered with MOT Type 1 and lovely Freshfield Lane brick pavers.

 

[jevs]

Is there anything out there you can treat your lawn with to stop that happening? I have a Cocker bitch and my lawn is full of them.

It happens with male dogs too. Absolutely nothing you can do about it apart from copiously drown the area straight after the dog has wee'd. There's a lot of old wives takes...change the dog's diet, put lemon juice (or something like that) in their water or you can buy these rocks that you put in the water....they don't work.

Easiest thing to do is to train the dog to just go in one small area of the garden preferably away from the lawn. Shouldn't be too hard to do with a Spaniel.

 

[Arthur]

It happens with male dogs too.

Oh really? I was under the impression it was unique to bitches. Interesting

Absolutely nothing you can do about it apart from copiously drown the area straight after the dog has wee'd. There's a lot of old wives takes...change the dog's diet, put lemon juice (or something like that) in their water or you can buy these rocks that you put in the water....they don't work.

Yeah.....not chasing her round the garden at 10pm with a hose. I'll live with them.

Easiest thing to do is to train the dog to just go in one small area of the garden preferably away from the lawn. Shouldn't be too hard to do with a Spaniel.

Ha! I'm useless at training her to do anything.

Cheers for the reply.