Lawn Questions & Advice

[houser85]

Hi all,

I realise the need for details so I'll try to cover things but if I've missed anything just let me know. I'm a fairly methodical person so I'm happy to be as precise with measurements etc as possible and would appreciate links to proper technical / scientific information rather than the "10 things you need to have a good lawn" click-bait articles that Google turns up.

I've recently bought a house and have started trying to take care of the lawn. Needless to say, as a complete amateur, I'm having trouble. I'd love some help and advice please.

Rough history:

01-June-2014 the turf was laid Sadly I don't know the type of grass that was laid. Watered it consistently each day for a month or so First cut it roughly 15-July-2014 Since then I have cut roughly fortnightly and watered either twice weekly or once if it has rained. I try not to soak the ground too much.

I always cut my grass at the highest setting which is 6cm.

20-Sept-2014 I fed my grass with 'Evergreen Complete 4-in-1'. I fear it's not the most suitable feed and may only serve to make the blades grow thick and green to give a good impression, but may not contain the nutrients my grass needs. I found it very hard to find anything better online. Its nearly all moss killer + lawn feed.

I have notice two problems:

1) Some areas at brown. Not brown blades of grass, it looks more like roots? I'm guessing maybe the grass got too long and even on the highest setting, I took off more than 1/3rd of the blades. Is this the case or could there be something else wrong? I've attached a pic of one of the areas. How can this be remedied?

2) I have lawn rust in certain areas - what can be done?

It's been an unusually warm September here in Bristol, UK, but I'm sure thats coming to an end soon. I bought an autumn/winter lawn feed, but not sure if it contains Potassium or Potash - I hear this is the right stuff to use at this time of year? Well again, I struggled to find any online. it all seems to be generic crap targetted at idiots who don't want to understand the problem.

Other questions: Should I get a soil testing kit? I usually just aim for 20 mins or so. Are there any good guides that cover the subject? I'd love a really technical explanation of grass, how it grows, what it needs etc.

Thanks for any help you can give me. If I've broken any forum rules or etiquette, point me in the right direction and I'll try again.

houser85

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[trader4]

Hopefully, the roots are in the soil and you can't see them.

I'm guessing maybe the grass got too long and even on the highest

Those brown spots are likely some kind of disease. Identifying exactly what can be difficult. You can see the blades dying, going yellow from the tips back.

That will likely eliminate the disease problem. Most of them are condition specific. The things that tend to promote most disease problems are a combination of high temps, moisture and high nitrogen. With the weather conditions changing, that turf will likely recover. If you're watering it, with lower temps now, I'd only water it about once every 5 days, if it hasn't rained. You want to water it so it gets at least 1/2". And water it so that it doesn't stay wet at night. Worst time to water is early evening. Best time is to start watering so that the watering ends around dawn.

I bought an autumn/winter lawn feed, but

The bag should be labled with an NPK rating, as in X-X-X. First number is percent nitrogen, then phosphorus, then potassium. If it's labled as a fall lawn fertilizer, it should be fine.

Yes, it's good to have so you can check occasionally, mainly for PH. If it's low, you add lime.

[houser85]

Thanks guys!

Finally, is there a book or website that covers the science behind lawn care please?

Cheers

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