Thursday, March 01, 2007

Lawn Care - Repairing a Patchy Lawn!

lawn care!

I was browsing through the Website of the Royal Horticultural Society at http://www.rhs.org.uk and came across this Article which I felt should be broadcast to a wider audience. It deals with the problem of replacing a patchy Lawn - a problem we all face daily. Some good advice here folks!

Repairing a patchy lawn

A lawn with extensive areas of patchy growth may benefit from a programme of renovation. If however it is particularly weedy or full of moss, it may be better to establish a new lawn. When there are only a few patches of poor or damaged turf these can be repaired.

Replacing a damaged area

Remove damaged turf. Fork over the soil.

Dig out the damaged turf and replace with new turf or reseed. The turf or seed used should match the existing lawn. Cut around the damaged area with a half moon edging iron and lift the damaged turf.

Lightly fork over the soil, level and firm lightly. Add a little compost to improve the soil.

Cut a new piece of turf to fill the area.

The finished piece should be level with the rest of the lawn. Adjust the soil level if necessary.

Work a proprietary top dressing mix into the joins and firm with the back of a rake.

If it is not possible to match the lawn, remove a piece of turf from a less prominent part of the lawn.

Rather than using normal seed you will achieve better results by using pre-germinated seed. Add enough seed to some moist compost in a bucket and cover with Clingfilm. Place somewhere warm - no higher than 15oC (60oF). After three days check for signs of growth and then daily thereafter. Once you see signs of the small white roots appearing from the seed you are ready to sow; make sure you keep the compost moist after sowing.

Repairing damaged edges

Cut out damaged section. Photograph copyright Dorling KindersleyTurn turf through 180 degrees and fill gap with soil and reseed. Photograph copyright Dorling KindersleyCut a piece of turf at the damaged edge and turn it round through 180o so that the cut edge aligns with the lawn edge and the damaged edge is on the inside.

Prepare the area as for a damaged patch before relaying the turf.

If spare turf is available cut away the damaged edge and replace with a new piece.

If no spare turf is available fill in the bare area with garden soil or top dressing until level before reseeding.

Repairing bumps and hollows

Minor bumps or hollows can be repaired. If the lawn is extensively uneven it may be necessary to relay the lawn.

Cut through the uneven patch making an H-shaped incision and peel back the turf.

Fork over the area and either remove the excess soil or add soil to raise the level.

Level and firm the soil before replacing the turf.

Adjust the level if necessary, top dress the joins and firm with the back of a rake.

Terry Blackburn. Internet Marketing Consultant, living in South Shields in the North-East of England. Author and Producer of blog http://www.lawnsurgeon.blogspot.com Author of "Your Perfect Lawn," a 90 Page eBook devoted to Lawn Preparation, Lawn Care and Maintenance. Find it at http://www.lawnsurgeon.com

Article Source: http://www.rhs.org.uk

Terry Blackburn - EzineArticles Expert Author

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2 comments:

alexwatson said...

You are giving the very good sevices for New Lawn but we have different type of services for New Lawn.

Annie Monie said...

The last tip is one that many already know. Fertilization of your lawn in the spring is going to help it last all year. Your lawn has just been starved of nutrients for an entire winter and now is the time to replenish those nutrients to promote a healthy looking turf. You want to be sure that you are using a high quality fertilizer and one that is suited for your lawn.

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