Either use a sharp spade to lift old turf and plants from the surface, or apply a … A new lawn border. Tread the ground to create a firm seed bed before sowing a lawn. The existing lawn is full of patches which won't re-seed and mainly ryegrass. The only danger with leaving the old lawn in there is that you don't relieve the compaction and you end up with a poor draining layer 6" down where the old lawn is. It is good for situations where you can't keep off a lawn for the two or three weeks you need with seed. ... You can then maintain the lawn yourself or get a professional lawn care company to … At this point I decided to rotovate the area and noticed some enormous paving stones buried underneath the area. The process of overseeding a lawn can turn out to be very beneficial both for the appearance and the health of the garden. I'm laying a new lawn can i just lay it over the existing one or do i need to rotavate it first? It needs to be at least 15cm (6 inches) deep. Do you rotovate only where you are sowing seeds or do you rotovate your entire plot? 0. Dig in some well-rotted manure or other organic matter … Autumn is fine for reseeding as you won't have to worry about drought which is death to new lawns. As for the damp patch, hard to say without knowing how bad it is. Honestly, it is hard to tell what part of the lawn is seeded and what part has been tamed by mowing the field grasses and weeds. The base probably two to three meters from the corner of lawn in having issues with. Page 1 of 2: A quick question. Make sure your lawn in maintained with tips and guides on rotovating your grass and garden. Most domestic lawn grass is not that vigorous to be a problem, but it is helpful to reduce competition by existing grass anyway by sowing "Yellow Rattle" seed into the lawn. Your new lawn can have its first cut when the grass reaches around 7.5cm tall; Clear the area of any vegetation and debris. It is parasitic on the roots of grass, and … Planning your new lawn. Last year I was almost unable to grow new seed in the patch. OK. ... How to rotovate your lawn - preparing to turf or seed. Half of it has been trenched and backfilled to lay a GSHP collector pipe. ... Use a large knife or the blade of an old wood saw to cut the turf patches to the correct size. Then pile good topsoil and compost on top of the cardboard, at least three inches depth. Any plants, weeds and remains of an old lawn need to be taken away before you can create a new lawn by sowing grass seed. When I had my loft converted back into a loft, the neighbours came around and scoffed, and called me retro. This article really covers both taking on a new allotment and converting any piece of ground like an old lawn to a productive vegetable plot. All existing turf should be removed from the area before you start to rotovate the ground. The only benefit i can see from removing it is that the root zone is hard to decompact, … Water the new soil and plant in to it immediately. However, before you replace your lawn we recommend the following process: Kill off the lawn with Glyphosate herbicide to remove the food source for the Chafer Grubs, or dig over the area to remove grass and weeds. The trouble is, for you, the bindweed; you will be absolutely right that the landscapers managed to distribute pieces of root across the whole plot and then turf on top (I'm currently in the process of … Rolling your Lawn. A newly turfed lawn can come into use around week four in the growing season. How to Clear a Bed of Weeds to Replant. Simple way to get a perfect lawn. 1. If you are converting lawn to flower beds you are better off removing the existing grass as hogweed and Fairygirl have suggested. Do not use a variety that contains pre-emergent herbicides, such as oxyflurofen, or it will prevent your seeds from germinating. Welcome to our step-by-step guide to creating a beautiful lawn. Generally you would not need anything heavier unless you have an ornamental or croquet lawn. Usually the new allotment holder discovers he’s (or she) got the worst one on the site or at best one that has been vacant for six months and has grown a good crop of weeds. Sow good seeds, and protect from … And do not use … I would just rotovate the grass in and let it rot down. Rotovate, clear of stones, etc., level and roll. Unfortunately, existing turf will not break up readily thereby making it harder work to rotovate or dig. Follow the steps below and watch our video, 'How to create a beautiful lawn,' for detailed guidance on successfully laying turf. Substantial landscaping of the garden – Digging up an old lawn, turning the soil over and laying turf isn’t the most challenging project but the cost can escalate quickly if you need extra work doing such as: Removal of tree roots or stumps etc. Will the old grass come back through? In cool conditions it will take longer so check by seeing if an edge or corner of turf can be lifted by tugging upwards on the grass. Unless the soil has been saturated with fertiliser or the lawn contains Rye grass you won't need to remove the existing turf. I'm not sure what power I need, and don't want to end up with something that isn't man enough for the job. You can put seeds directly in to the new soil. Tread it down well or it will settle into dips and hollows later. What is the best method and best time of year? A little care in the preparation of the ground when growing a lawn from seed can give superb results, more cheaply and easily than from turf. Or should I weedkill the whole lot … Laying a lawn from turf is a quick way to get an instant result. If the old lawn surface was very uneven or sunken before and with more than 5 – 10 mm of Thatch below the surface, you will need to rotovate and turn the old lawn in. Rotovate or dig through the area to a depth of approximately 100mm deep to relive compaction and to create a workable tilth. If the lawn area is only small you can dig it by hand. However the average homeowner is either not aware of its importance or cannot make out the difference between seeding and overseeding. So what I'm thinking is to rotovate the lawn, even out the surface and replant the grass. If you can dig deeper than that please do – the deeper the better! Dig or rotovate the site to a depth of 20-25cm (8-10in). I started out with a modest lawn and a huge weedy field beside it. Homebase Cookies. Rotovate properly, as deeply as you can. the other option is to lift the old turf, but you will need to remove any weeds to stop them coming back through, and then rotovate the soil under, before you do … Rotovators are really expensive so I looked on Ebay and found plenty. Step 3: Rotovate. Now we start loosening the soil and turning it into something that your lawn will grow well in. By continuing to use our website you agree to the use of cookies to provide you with a better online experience. It all looks … Do you have to butt up the new turf to an existing lawn? Remove any stones and import any topsoil that is required to build up the lawn to the desired levels. Hi, i currently have a really uneven (can dip down up to 9inches in places) lawn filled with lots of big thick weeds and some grass..... im about to rotovate it picking out as many weeds as i can and move the soil into the dips and then roller it flat. You can rotovate the old grass in. Hi All, I have an old garden (mostly weeds .....) and want to dig this over and replace with turf. So for people with children or pets, it is often a good option, as you can be back on the lawn within a couple of days of laying. Start by digging or rotovating the whole area. The lifting and disposing of patios and paths etc. For large plants, you may have to cut a hole in the cardboard, so the roots can go down into the old … Before discussing how overseeding can be done effectively, lets … Nothing. Rotovate the area to expose the grubs so that natural predators can easily feed on them. Also asked, can I Rotovate old lawn? October is probably the ideal month. The gardener-versus-weeds battle happens every year, but it goes beyond simple aesthetics. That way it will kill off any weeds as well. With a good cut this would look OK if it wasn't for all of the trench settlement. You will need to do it thoroughly to break up the old sods (excuse the expression). If the lawn is beyond repair, then I would certainly start again from scratch - making sure you pay attention to good soil preparation and levelling out to ensure a flat, bump/hollow-free surface. Dig or rotovate to loosen the soil. Would the best way to proceed be to rotovate and level the whole area and add new grass seed? If you do decide to rotovate I would hire one as you are going to need one with quite a bit of power. two options really, either is correct. A light roller, half filled water roller or a pedestrian lawn mower roller can be used to firm top dressing and roll after seeding. So, rolling is to firm the surface; meaning the top 1” to 2” of soil. Me, I never rotovate … There's a rule about lawns - if, on inspection, its more weeds than lawn, then the advice is to take up what's there and re-turf. If you plan to use Round-Up to remove weeds from an area and reseed it immediately after the weeds are dead, use a variety of Round-Up that contains only glyphosate. I think you'd have grass by summer if you sow now but the difference is that you would have to keep off a seeded lawn for quite a while - with turf you can use it almost right away and it looks great instantly - but obviously there's a … you can apply a systemic weedkiller a week or so before then rotovate the grass into it. Cut away the edge of the existing lawn to achieve a clean straight edge to lay the new turf against. So, remove the old turf and if you have a place to store it then do so as it will eventually rot down and make a great compost or top dressing later on. Every spring I made a few more passes with the lawn mower into the field and every year the lawn got a bit bigger. 19 June 2007 at … ... Then the lawn got laid on top. I would rotovate it then you know you've got it all out, cw. I've read various recommendations - kill it off, rotovate, fill in the hollows with sand etc. There is a probability that the grass will regrow in the flower beds if it's just dug in using a rotovator. It helps to think ahead about the shape and size of lawn you are creating, how much turf and topsoil you may need and whether you will need to order a skip to remove any old … I forked the whole area and tried again. Hire a sod cutter from your local Hire Shop to save the back-braking work. Re: When to Rotovate « Reply #13 on: February 12, 2013, 06:44 » I have bought a Handy Electric Tiller but will not use it until I have turned over and weeded my plot by hand - I see it as a means of catch up for not being able to dig and turn over for the winter and frost to help me. Turfing a Lawn - Rotavating - New Lawns Landscaping a new project garden to lay new turf. Most organic gardeners find that following nature’s patterns serves them well. Lay down the cardboard and water well again. Back. 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