Very weedy lawn

[ScrewedByFunding]

Our lawn is very unloved and as we back on to fields, it gets extremely weedy with floating seed.

We can't afford to re turf, it's a very old garden with very hard ground! It would cost thousands to dig over and re lay.

Would a simple weed and feed work and a box of grass seed? Would also be looking for something dog and child friendly.

Any tips? Thanks.

I’ve learned to love my weedy lawn. All the native weeds, dandelions, buttercup, clover etc evolved alongside our much needed native species of insects and birds and other beloved creepy crawlies. We can’t have the birds unless we keep the all the species that feed them.

I remember last summer laying flat on my lawn watching bees visiting the clover on my lawn. Or the joy of watching Goldfinches eating the dandelion seeds.

Regular mowing in some areas will give you the semblance of a nice lawn, then leave other areas for the wildlife.

I read that a lawn without weeds is like a desert for our British insects and other wildlife.

As I’ve got older I’ve completely changed my attitude to gardening.

Thank you, whilst I'm happy for the front to go wild, I'm a childminder and I need some decent grass for the children to play on, babies to crawl etc and for parents and ofsted to visit and not be horrified. It's not just the idealic varieties you've named, weve got some huge ones! Plus the weeds grow twice as fast as the grass meaning it needs mowing every 10 days.

I have a similar garden 1800s house backing on to meadow. Each spring I remove all the obvious dandelions or big weeds with a trowel, then treat with a general weed & feed. It is gradually coming good.

Agree with @Meadowfinchthat early spring is the time for digging up the big weeds, getting as much as you can of the root, while the plant is dormant (and presumably not holding on so tightly!) and earth is soft; sprinkle some grass seed over visible bare areas left, cover with a bit of compost/topsoil. I give that up around now, as the ground gets harder, and just mow the bits I want to mow, until next year.
If you’re lucky enough for your soil to be workable in the summer, you can dig out the tall weeds one by one in between mowings.
It’s slow but it gradually gets there!

PS I also use a selective lawn weedkiller sometimes. I’m truly not sure if it does any good….

A friend of mine who has a fabulous garden has recommended weedol lawn weed killer for my ‘lawn’. One treatment per year and sometimes he goes more than a year.
i have used feed and weed in the past but while it really boosted the grass it didn’t get all the weeds. Like you we have fields around us so we’re overrun with dandelion and buttercup.
have just done a treatment and it seems to be taking effect.
Scarifying and aerating also help a lot but it’s finding the time and motivation to do it that I struggle with!

You can buy a lawn weedkiller and fertiliser combo product.