Please Help Lawn Novice

[Alastair]

Hi everyone I have a huge lawn problem, as in that I need to replace th

old one. Its in awful shape. Half of it was ripped up to replace th drainage as the garden was water logged. The other half is un even an just looks bad. The conclusion is that I want to replace the whole lot with new tur and ripp up the old. The problem is the amount of land in question (50 meters b

20 )and the fact it is stoney with clay soil. I would like to know wha tools I would need to lift the old turf and to get rid of the weeds an what I need to do to prepare for the new lawn . Thank

-- Alastair

[Steveo]

I'd kill the whole thing with a non-selective herbicide such as roundup (glyophosphate) and then bring in enough top soil to grade it out proper. Then seed or sod it. You didn't say where you live but that project is best done in the fall here in N Ohio. It can be accomplished in the spring too but weeds and irrigation are more of a concern than in the fall. ymmv

[Alastair]

Thanks for the reply, you were a great help. by the way I am fro scotland

-- Alastair

[Nil]

On 06 Dec 2007, Alastair wrote in alt.home.lawn.garden:

I'll be interested to see what responses you get - I'd like to do the same thing to my own weed patch. My yard is built over crappy fill that has settled over time, so it is quite bumpy and uneven, and the topsoil is thin and not very fertile. My yard is quite a bit smaller than yours, though.

[Eggs Zachtly]

Dood! How ya been? =)

Whatever happened with the Yew?

[Nil]

On 08 Dec 2007, Eggs Zachtly wrote in alt.home.lawn.garden:

I've had a cold for the last month that won't go completely away. My ears have been stuffed up for 3 weeks and I can hardly hear, which is about the most annoying symptom I could have, as you might imagine.

Haven't seen you around a.g. - you give it up?

I lopped off their tops with a dull chainsaw, and (predictably,) they looked like hell. Then, later, a landscaper was working on my neighbor's yard, and he agreed to cut them both down and haul them away for a modest fee. So, for the winter, my front door is very exposed to the street and the weather. Next spring I'll plant something to replace at least one of them. Something evergreen, not too big around, or at least that I can prune narrow, and that can be kept at about 8 feet tall. Any suggestions? I was wondering if a holly might work.

[Eggs Zachtly]

I dunno. It gives you a valid excuse, when you're off-key. HEH =) (Actually, sorry to hear about the cold. Those long-lasting ones suck. I feel for ya, man.)

Nope, just been insane at work. They blew our budget on last winter's project, so 75% of our workforce was cut a month and a half earlier than usual. I've been mostly skimming a few of the more active groups (a.g. is one). That, and trying to keep up with the recent sporge attacks in several groups have kept my limited USENET time, well... busy.

Holly's a good choice. There's a lot of them that you can keep at 8'. As it's the entryway, I'd choose something a bit out of the ordinary. Maybe:

Ilex x meserveae 'Honey Maid' Ilex crenata 'Sky Pencil' (perhaps groupings of 3, on either side?) Ilex crenata 'Steeds'

Alternatively, there's plenty of 'evergreens' besides the common holly, arborvitae, & juipers. Perhaps:

Mahonia japonica 'Bealei' One of the upright Chamaecyparis

HTH

[Steveo]

Glad to help. (waves hand from ohio)