Yellow/pale grass section on Lawn

[Zarch]

All,

I am having terrible problems keeping my lawn green and lush in certai places. It was laid last spring/summer by the previous tentants and ha been fine upto the last couple of months or so.

As you can see from the pictures that the problem is mainly in th front left portion of the garden.

This has part of garden has plenty things NOT going for it.

1) this is where i walk to get to the shed and to water the borde every other day 2) this part of the garden in virtual full sun throughout the day 3) I believe the roots for the large Silver Birch tree are right unde there 4) i've only created the border this spring and so this part of th garden has really took some hammer under foot.

If you look at the pictures though you can see the rest of the lawn i not in too bad shape and quite green, just this problem quarter. have been cutting the grass once a week with the blade set quite high.

About 4/6 weeks ago i used some Evergreen Complete on the lawn an watered as directed etc. The rest of the lawn seems to have improved little from the feed, but not the "dreaded quarter".

I've been trying to water the bad patch a little too thinking it migh be drying out.

Is it

1) Getting damaged under foot? 2) Sun drying it out? 3) Birch roots drying it out? 4) Infected in some way?

Is there some other feed or techniques that anyone can recommend fo this area of lawn or has anyone got any suggestions?

Any thoughts or help would be very very much appreciated

Many Thanks

Mick Sheffield, Englan

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[Pat Kiewicz]

I think between #1 and #4 (with a bit of #2 thrown in) you have an explanation. The soil is compacted and the lawn stresses out in the sun. (#3 isn't helping the lawn at all, either.)

The solution might be to core aerate the trampled parts and then spread a top dressing of compost over it. Watch for water stress and maybe give it some supplemental watering.

[Zarch]

Many thanks for the that Pat. I'm glad to hear its nothing that som care and attention can't sort out.

Could you explain to me what you mean by "Core Aerate" please? Shoul i just get out there with a fork? or would some sort of rotary aerato be better?

the "Rotary Lawn Aerator" or the "Hollow Time Aerator" from th abive link be your recommendation?

Thanks again

Mic

-- Zarch

[Steveo]

Yes.

[JoeT]

The hollow time might be, but looks like a lot of work. Core aerators have hollow tines that push into the soil and remove a plug as they go whereas the spike type generally force a solid spike into the ground to create a hole and removes no soil. Many believe (myself included) that spike type aerators, while they do make holes, worsen the compaction of the soil in the long run because they make the hole by compacting the soil surrounding the spike entry point outward from the hole.

Best bet, if you have or can locate a truck would be to go to your local lawn equipment rental and rent a gas powered core aerator for a few hours. Or, if you have a garden tractor, you might locate and purchase a tow behind plug aerator. There are those who would definitely advise against the tow behind but my experience has been that, if maintained properly, they work very well on a typical lawn. Either way, your lawn would love you for it if used yearly at fall, perhaps followed by a nice overseeding.

In a pinch aeration can be done even now and your lawn will benefit from it but reseeding in the heat of summer is always an iffy proposition but not necessarily impossible.

[Pat Kiewicz]

In 'core aeration' the tines are hollow and pull out a plug of turf, leaving an open hole behind.

The 'hollow tine aerator' would be more the thing, though here in Michigan, powered core aerators are available from rental places, or lawn service companies can be hired to do it. (I find it irritating that they generally offer this service in the spring, when I would prefer to have it done in the fall.)

[Steveo]

We do it till the snow flies here in Ohio. I like a fall aeration better, the plugs start breaking down over the winter, when you don't have to mow over them.

[Zarch]

Great stuff, thanks for everyones help so far. I've decided to ge both the hollow tine and a small spike aerator. (managed to find th pair for the same price i thought i'd have to spend on just one o them!) :-)

How far apart (distance) do you recommend using the hollow tine tool? every ft maybe? Are the plug gaps big enough to put anything down t help drainage etc? sand maybe? Will this be of any help or hinderance?

How regular could/should you aereate? especially the problem area? Ideally i would like to do it straight it away to help with th immediate problem. Could i then give it another go at the backend o the year as Steveo suggests?

Cheers, Mic

-- Zarch

[Pat Kiewicz]

How far apart are the tines on the tool? Suggest you plan to repeat in a grid fashion over the compacted area based on that dimension. Normally nothing is put down after core aerating for private lawns. In your case, assuming you do go over the compacted areas right now, I'd suggest adding some compost (or a mix of compost and sand, if your soil is heavy clay).

I'd do it now in the problem area and have the whole lawn done in the fall (best if you can hire power core aeration done rather than go over it all by hand).