Bald patches on lawn

[pussycats46]

I was wondering if you could give me some advice about my lawn.

I laid it 2 years ago with turf, but my garden gets very water logged in the winter, and doesn't get much sunlight so doesn't dry out very quick, the result being a lot of bald patches, especially around the edges which are sloping and along the path which the water runs off of onto the grass.

To try and resolve the problem I have laid a border of chipping all around the edge hoping that the water will drain away there.

What would be the best thing to do now to get the grass back to looking like it did when we first laid the turfs, should I overseed it or would it be best to re-turf it?

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[image:

[Gunner]

to get the grass back to looking LIKE IT DID when first laid. re-turf it.

Personally, I would reseed w/ a good mix of grasses specific for your area and that little micro climate you got going on there and do a good top dressing. Again, not the quickest.

[Ecnerwal]

If you'd like to make it look good for a year and keep throwing money at it, re-turf it. And repeat every year. Not too appealing for most of us.

I'm dubious that a border of stone chips will really solve a serious drainage problem - that usually takes pipes/tiles (in ditches with stone chips) under the problem, draining somewhere else, or some serious open ditches that most people don't want in their yard (garden). Perhaps you've essentially managed a perimeter ditch, if it can drain away somewhere. If so, a pipe in it would help matters (appropriately sloped so water will drain.) "Slope" works better than "hope" for drainage.

You may also simply not have adequate sun for good grass growth even if you get the drainage solved. Grass likes sunshine. Moss, pachysandra and myrtle (to mention 3) tolerate less sun, but are not as useful for walking on or other turf lawn uses, of course.

If the drainage is solved and there's adequate light, reseeding will work (more slowly, but also at much less expense than re-turfing.)

[Brooklyn1]

All good recommendations. Improving drainage usually requires a professional land management company, most DIY projects need to be repeated several times, never work well, so cost much more than paying for a professional from the onset... in most cases because of their vast experience a professional will see an easy inexpensive solution. A seeded lawn is a much stronger healthier lawn. Sod/turf laid down never actually roots into the soil and requires great attention to precise watering... typically automatic irrigation is a must, manual watering and moving hose sprinklers about turn out to be an exercise in futility... there will be constant replacement in sections or whole regardless the level of care... only advantage is instant lawn, which is the only reason it's used.

With a seeded lawn one can choose an appropriate blend for prevalent conditions... sod/turf is almost always a prettier but much more delicate grass... sodded lawns are not suitable for foot traffic let alone play. With seeded lawns one can reseed, overseed, thatch, and perform a number of remedial functions. With sod what you see is what you get, it cannot be improved by any manner other than replacement. Sod is typically used by businesses where money is no object, or private people with more dollars than brain cells.

[Aldo]

great to see that but I'm just curious to see the info about the camera.

The photograph is really impressive. Just keep it up!