Lawn in trouble!

[BooseysMom]

When we bought a new build house nearly 2 years ago the moving-in date kept being delayed and so when we finally got round to cutting the lawn it was very long and the mower couldn't cope with it and hacked it to bits in places. It never properly recovered and after the snow we had the first winter then drought last summer it looks like it's finally dying. It's a very heavy clay soil with builder's rubble hidden beneath it! I have tried re-seeding to no avail and have got some liquid lawn feed but as it's a big area I haven't got time to walk backwards and forwards with a can. We haven't got a sprinkler and don't really want to buy one. What I'd really like is to dig the whole lot up and plant it with paving running through. But haven't got the time or money so for now we're stuck with the lawn. Has anyone else had anything like this happen? Any advice much appreciated .. photo attached inc one where it's being attacked by a marauding group of starlings!

How short have you been cutting it?

I wouldn't say that short but I'd need to ask DH. It's never really recovered from the brutal mowing it received when it got so long before we moved there

I'm no gardener, but I would just leave it and mow regularly (not too short) and see what happens. Grass seems to recover even after long periods of drought when it has turned brown. Alternatively, you could just mow a pathway through it and leave each side to grow wild and become a haven for bees and wild flowers.

Put 'after cut' 3 day green on it every 3 weeks, after mowing. Just throw it around. 2min job.
The bald bits throw some compost down-tramp it flat. Rake in grass seed. Keep it watered. Don't know how you're going to stop all those 🦅 eating the grass seed though. Scarecrow?

@eddiemairswife..thanks for the advice. That is exactly what I wanted to do.. turn it into a wildflower meadow! The only issue would be neighbours complaining. We may have an area of wildflowers though even if we don't transform the whole thing into it.

@Nemesia1264.. thank you. I haven't heard of after cut 3 day green. I'll get some of that. I'll have to get DH on scarecrow duty as he's at home all day atm!

Have a little dig in the ground where the birds are feeding. If you find little gruns post a pic here and I'll tell you what they are and what to do

Grubs not gruns!!

Get green thumb in or similar.

I always swore I wouldn’t but we did and the lawn does look better now.

Dh doesn’t complain about it now.

I would put trees and shrubs right across that corner - in summer you would lose sight of the house behind and much of the fence, then let the grass there grow long, maybe strim once or twice a year and call it a flower meadow - I am itching to plant things when I see an empty garden.

Looks like you have a leatherjacket problem. Grub of the cranefly, which overwinters eating grass roots. The grubs are grey-Brown up to 30mm long, vaguely caterpillar like but without legs. No pesticide available to kill them. We used to use either a plastic sheet or damp Hessian sack overnight to bring them to the surface then sweep them up. Alternatively, a garlic solution may kill them. A seaweed based liquid fertiliser will promote new root growth without excessive top growth.

You can also use nematodes for both Leatherjacket and Chafer Grub but not at this time of year, best to treat late summer so you don't get a problem next spring

Did you re-seed straight onto the surface or rake it in? With compacted clay like that, the germinating seeds can’t penetrate the soil. At the very least, you need to spread a top dressing over the thin areas, then rake in the seed. Ideally, cover with horticultural fleece until the seed germinates to stop the birds eating it. You will need to buy a sprinkler and water every day for twenty minutes, in the early morning or evening.

Looking at the photos, it also looks like you’re cutting it too short. Raise the blades on your mower a notch.