Turf Problems! any advice?

[Whassat]

we moved in this house in October.. the garden was ruined and was left to get soooo overgrown so the housing ass. agreed to re turf it...
fine...can't remember the date i think it was March?.. they came and took any of the old stuff away and put some weedkilling tuff down and came back a few weeks later.
they laid the new turf...was lovely, beautiful, like a new carpet...then we had a mole! who completly ruimed most of the turf..
but now we are finding....loads of bits of netting that is coming up..ds always tripping over it"! if you pull it, it pulls up a roll of turf with it...and its green so its hard to see it unless you fall over it!.
theres bald patches and bits dying everywhere....we have a row of trees that i think doesn't help at the side of the house...and right up the side...its like a swamp...the water just never drains away..its soggy and horrible....we've spent about £10/15 in grass seed and are always putting this down!...
it was worse when we first cut it....looked like it had completly died underneath!...
i think i have deleted the pictures i had of before and after...but they were posted in MZ ...will try and take some pics tommorrow so you can understand what im pm about..
sorry....such a long one.!...but i want a nice lawn! cryingsmil

[magsite]

Well the pic wasn't was a car like my hubby's, just like you I've had new turf added to my back garden. 95% looks fine, however a couple of lines were brown from the start.

I've been told just to keep watering it daily for 3 weeks, also to cut it in the summer at least once a week.

[Tanya]

dh says it sounds like the turf they have used is too fine. The netting is part of the turf and you won't be able to get rid of it (I don't think). Dh thinks it could be Rolawn turf and they have a website which tells you all you need to know about turf. Your soil could have high clay content (like ours) if so you will need to incorporate sharp sand and dig in the existing lawn and re turf using a turf that has been grown on a soil with a high clay content. There is no need to lift the existing turf as this is just organic matter and composts down. Turf will never grow under trees we had this problem where we used to live.

Not sure if this helps you.

Has your mole gone now lol

[Whassat]

we water it most nights!..dh has even watered it when hes come home from work at 11pm!...
the first time i cut it...dh said i cut it too short! :unsure: and thats what ruined it...i;ve been out there today and just used the srimmer to 'trim' the top as im too afraid to use the mower...but its awful!

[Tanya]

dh says never cut more than 1/3 of the total grass length at any one time. For example if the grass is 90mm long you cut 30mm off it and then you can cut another 20mm off it which is perfect. This stops the grass going brown.

[Whassat]

dh says it sounds like the turf they have used is too fine. The netting is part of the turf and you won't be able to get rid of it (I don't think). Dh thinks it could be Rolawn turf and they have a website which tells you all you need to know about turf. Your soil could have high clay content (like ours) if so you will need to incorporate sharp sand and dig in the existing lawn and re turf using a turf that has been grown on a soil with a high clay content. There is no need to lift the existing turf as this is just organic matter and composts down. Turf will never grow under trees we had this problem where we used to live.

Not sure if this helps you.

Has your mole gone now lol
thanks TJ will show this to dh ...he can find the website and decide lol...he has been looking on the web for solutions but all we've been doing is chucking down grass seed! (lots of it)...thats growing but its really fine and we keep missing bits!..its a new build house. dh put up a fence and dug the holes for the posts and there was loads of rubble..the gardeners did put down some top soil before they laid the grass as the garden is on a slope they tried to even it out a bit.
yes, we caught the mole....highlight of the year!..lol.
theres also a pic of that on here too :cheesy:

[Whassat]

dh says never cut more than 1/3 of the total grass length at any one time. For example if the grass is 90mm long you cut 30mm off it and then you can cut another 20mm off it which is perfect. This stops the grass going brown.
we got the lawnmower from my nan....it says its got 2 height adjustments but we can't figure out how to adjust it! "Doh"
the strimmer was ok..but you have to hover it which is hard work on your arms lol

[Tanya]

dh is interested to know who built the house (nosey isn't he) lol

[Whassat]

Persimmon homes!!!...the other side of the street is Barrat and their gardens are lovely!...

[Tanya]

our house is built by persimmon and the bottom of our garden is like a swamp

[Whassat]

hhhmmm... why is that then?
the bottom of ours was...doesn't seem that bad now....but thats where most of the probs are (and the mole) but its the side of the house thats swampy now...but thats very shady anyway.
can't your dh solve your swamp problems lol...or doesn't he take his work home with him :cheesy:..
sorry, better not be cheeky...i need him for the minute!

[Tanya]

hhhmmm... why is that then?
the bottom of ours was...doesn't seem that bad now....but thats where most of the probs are (and the mole) but its the side of the house thats swampy now...but thats very shady anyway.
can't your dh solve your swamp problems lol...or doesn't he take his work home with him :cheesy:..
sorry, better not be cheeky...i need him for the minute!

he says he would probably have to put a land drain in ours but that means digging a couple of trenches in the middle of the lawn and I don't fancy that. He says he needs to see your problem to properly evaluate it but we are a bit far away lol

[Tanya]

keep feeding it with nitrogen based feed not water based but granules. Keep watering and sort out the height adjustment on your lawnmower. The healthier the lawn the more water it will drink and sort out the boginess.

[Whassat]

keep feeding it with nitrogen based feed not water based but granules. Keep watering and sort out the height adjustment on your lawnmower. The healthier the lawn the more water it will drink and sort out the boginess.

thanks TJ...and thanks to your dh....will try and take some pics if that will be of any help....and i'll look out for the granules...
ty

[Whassat]

this is the bottom of the garden (the bit that was swampy when we moved in)

[Bunny]

Persimmon Homes, I need say no more, I have heard stories about them, everything is done on a tight budget so may not be the quality you'd expect which could explain the problemsyou are having with the gardens

[Whassat]

Persimmon Homes, I need say no more, I have heard stories about them, everything is done on a tight budget so may not be the quality you'd expect which could explain the problemsyou are having with the gardens
we did....we had a 'yearly review' thing..after the house was built for a year..a list as long as your arm...thats why they agreed to re turf it..(we're part ownership with Soveriegn housing)...
think they are sickof us calling them lol

[Whassat]

bump for TJ....sorry, im not stalking you...lol....just to say i put pics on..thanks :unsure:

[Tanya]

dh says have you seen alot of crane flies (daddy long legs) hovering over your lawn or large white maggot type things

[Whassat]

dh says have you seen alot of crane flies (daddy long legs) hovering over your lawn or large white maggot type things

no not daddy long legs....but 1st thing in the morning there were loads of tiny midgie flies...haven't seen them for a while...i only saw them for about 2 weeks....loads of them hovering around by the drain (got a drain in the middle of the garden)

[Tanya]

dh thinks it may be this, he see's this problem all the time at work but it may not be what is damaging your lawn but it is a thought

http://www.rolawndirect.co.uk/page.php?page=facts&subject=4&topic_id=26

[Whassat]

ergh..(i 'was' eating then lol) ...aww thanks TJ...can you thank your dh for for me....i will be inspecting the lawn first thing tommorrow for the cretters!....(or maybe i'll send dh to inspect)....
I'll let you know my findings lol...