Brown patches round edge of Lawn?

[TheEsoo]

Greetings all, about three months ago now we (I ) pulled up the slabs in the garden and had some turf layed for our daughter. It started off really healty and green, but its slowly gone downhill - I think my girlfriend was cutting it too short, plus she was using the grass bucket so loads of thatch :/

It's now recovering, I've been letting it grow a bit, not mowing "bad" areas and adding some lawn feed to areas.

But down one side (and to some extent along the top edge) it has brown, crappy looking areas.. What could be causing this? I notice the tuft hasn't "taken" so well in these areas, ie I could probably still pull it up along the edge. Also, there's not a massive amount of sun due to the hedge etc.

Like I say I've been feeding, I've tried to aerate, I've watered well...

Any tips for improving it? It's become a bloody obession this small lawn heh

Untitled

• TheEsoo
• 26 Aug 2011
• 1

probably should have rotated it first

 

[r896neo]

mow it all a bit longer and keep watering especially the bit along the hedge, it looks very dry. Hard to give much more help without more better photo's

 

[lasors]

Is that a concrete edging just under the hedge there? Does it have a significant concrete haunch? If so there might not be enough soil under the edge of the turf and it's draining off far too fast and is baking in the warm weather. If it doesn't get any direct sunlight, being at the base of a hedge, that won't help the grass grow either.

 

[TheEsoo]

Is that a concrete edging just under the hedge there? Does it have a significant concrete haunch? If so there might not be enough soil under the edge of the turf and it's draining off far too fast and is baking in the warm weather. If it doesn't get any direct sunlight, being at the base of a hedge, that won't help the grass grow either.

It is concrete edging, it can be removed really, I just left it as I thought it looked tidier. Not sure what concrete haunch is by the way :/

the top of the lawn had concrete like that too which I removed and it's also brownish like this although not quite as bad.

I'll keep watering it.. What do you think about the feed? I've been doing specifically the "bad" patches every two weeks with some miracle gro stuff, although I did read overfeeding can lead to brown patches?

 

[lasors]

You're right, overfeeding could lead to scorching of the grass. I see miraclegrow lawn treatments as merely a booster, it shouldn't be used all the time to force a lawn to grow.

A haunch is just a concrete foundation packed against the side of the edging to stop it moving. It would usually extend at a downward angle away from the edging, but if whomever installed it got a bit carried away it could be bigger than needed. Grass needs a good depth of soil under it to put down a good root system. The soil underneath holds moisture for the grass and if there's not enough of it it will drain off too fast and the grass will be starved of water.

Have you got any idea of the soil structure under the lawn? If there's areas of shallow soil, filled with concrete or rubble, they won't be as healthy.

 

[TheEsoo]

You're right, overfeeding could lead to scorching of the grass. I see miraclegrow lawn treatments as merely a booster, it shouldn't be used all the time to force a lawn to grow.

A haunch is just a concrete foundation packed against the side of the edging to stop it moving. It would usually extend at a downward angle away from the edging, but if whomever installed it got a bit carried away it could be bigger than needed. Grass needs a good depth of soil under it to put down a good root system. The soil underneath holds moisture for the grass and if there's not enough of it it will drain off too fast and the grass will be starved of water.

Have you got any idea of the soil structure under the lawn? If there's areas of shallow soil, filled with concrete or rubble, they won't be as healthy.

Certainly have since I became very familiar with it whilst dragging up 65 concrete slabs!

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• TheEsoo
• 27 Aug 2011
• 1

Basically a mixture of soil topped with sand

It's been raining overnight and through some of the morning and it looks a bit better today, I did water it every day for about two weeks at one point. But I also read that overwatering can lead to thatching :/

As for the concrete it's just a thin piece, probably only about an inch in height and maybe two inches across?

 

[lasors]

So the concrete strip has no depth at all?

When you say topped with sand, how much sand?

It just sounds like it's a bit dry. If it has serious problems with thatch this could be promoting shallow root growth. Rake some of the thatch out, fertilise, consider aerating and brushing in a top dressing soil... and water! Lots!

 

[TheEsoo]

nah no dept to the concrete really, it's just like a long "plank" so to speak.

There was quite a lot of sand I suppose, it was all compressed and flat after five years of slabs on top so I raked it up a bit but didn't want to lose its "natural" flatness.

Rake some of the thatch out, fertilise, consider aerating and brushing in a top dressing soil... and water! Lots!

Will do!

 

[r896neo]

Are you saying that you simply lifted the slabs and laid the turf on the sand?

 

[TheEsoo]

Are you saying that you simply lifted the slabs and laid the turf on the sand?

Well, its soil mixed with a sprinkling of sharp sand methinks, more soil than sand. I gave it a raking and then yes basically, the rest of the lawn is in good condition if that makes a difference?

 

[hotrod]

What do you think about the feed? I've been doing specifically the "bad" patches every two weeks with some miracle gro stuff, although I did read overfeeding can lead to brown patches?

Which specific Miracle Gro product are you using? They do about 4 different feeds. I laid my lawn 3 months ago (like you) and have been feeding it every 2 weeks with 'feed only' miracle gro and it's looking well.

http://www.keengardener.co.uk/product/view/7047/miracle-gro-water-soluble-lawn-food.rails

I only water it once a week if it hasn't rained but I drench it. I only feed or water it when the sun's going down as I read the water sitting on it can get scorched by the sun.

 

[r896neo]

Cool, as long as you dug it over a bit as i'm sure it was very compacted. The sand would do it good as long as there is not too much of it.

I would keep watering. Apart from a pre turf fertilizer and plenty of water new lawns don't need treatments of any kind for the first year.

 

[TheEsoo]

What do you think about the feed? I've been doing specifically the "bad" patches every two weeks with some miracle gro stuff, although I did read overfeeding can lead to brown patches?

Which specific Miracle Gro product are you using? They do about 4 different feeds. I laid my lawn 3 months ago (like you) and have been feeding it every 2 weeks with 'feed only' miracle gro and it's looking well.

http://www.keengardener.co.uk/product/view/7047/miracle-gro-water-soluble-lawn-food.rails

I only water it once a week if it hasn't rained but I drench it. I only feed or water it when the sun's going down as I read the water sitting on it can get scorched by the sun.

That's the stuff yah.

r896neo, will do. It does look better at the moment since its been raining.