Lawns, hedges, Paths & Drives FAQs
I had a new lawn put down with turf 2 years ago. It has been fine but I now have several patches of wide blade grass coming up which I think is couch grass. How can I get rid of this without damaging the lawn?
We have a dreadful problem with ants. We have tried Ant powder but this only seems to get rid of them temporarily. I have been told that hot water is the solution but would sooner not scorch the grass. Do you have any other suggestions?
I seeded a new lawn in the late autumn and have yet to cut it and it is very long and scruffy. Would it be alright to cut it now? [March]
We live in Clevedon on the top of the hill and get some strong winds occasionally. We would like to plant a dark-blue spring-flowering Ceanothus hedge which eventually grows to between 1.5 and 2 metres. Which variety would you recommend?
My lawn has more moss than grass at the moment. What can I use to get rid of it?
My brother has yarrow in his lawn which is proving very difficult to eradicate. Is it possible to eradicate it without harming the grass? Can you help please?
This is a really tough weed to control on lawns! Repeated applications of Verdone or Lawn Clear may eventually get rid of it but it is easier to kill any weed when they are growing rapidly so avoid applying in a drought. It also helps to use a sprayer to get a fine droplet size and to add a little washing up liquid to the spray [just a drop!] to lower the surface tension of the spray and make it stick on the leaves better. Also, allow the lawn to grow to a bit longer [7-8cm] before applying so that there is plenty of leaf to absorb the spray. These weedkillers are what is called 'hormone' weedkillers and they only affect broad-leaf plants, not the grass family. Cutting through the yarrow to a depth of about 10 cm with a knife before mowing each time may check its' spread. Your grass will probably tolerate that but it will weaken the yarrow. Raking the edges of each patch towards the centre will raise the spreading tips of shoots to be cut off by the mower. Keeping your lawn well fed helps too.
I had a new lawn put down with turf 2 years ago. It has been fine but I now have several patches of wide blade grass coming up which I think is couch grass. How can I get rid of this without damaging the lawn?
If it is couch grass, or indeed any other coarse bladed grass, you have very little choice but to spray out the affected section with a weedkiller containing glysophate such as ?Roundup? and ?Tumbleweed?. You will then have to either re-seed the patches or re-lay turf. Either way there will be a difference for a while. There are no weedkillers available that will kill the couch without killing your grass too so it is best to bite the bullet and use the best couch grass killer.
We have a dreadful problem with ants. We have tried Ant powder but this only seems to get rid of them temporarily. I have been told that hot water is the solution but would sooner not scorch the grass. Do you have any other suggestions?
I find 'Ant Stop' is the most effective product and can't be seen after applying. The tiny droplets of this are carried back to kill the nest.
I seeded a new lawn in the late autumn and have yet to cut it and it is very long and scruffy. Would it be alright to cut it now? [March]
It should be okay to cut it now but avoid frosty spells and keep the blades up high. If the lawn is really wet, keep off it for that reason too. As it thickens up in spring you can lower the blades to cut at about 1.5 to 2". Newly sown lawns should not receive any weedkillers until 6 months after sowing.
We live in Clevedon on the top of the hill and get some strong winds occasionally. We would like to plant a dark-blue spring-flowering Ceanothus hedge which eventually grows to between 1.5 and 2 metres. Which variety would you recommend?
I would think carefully before planting Ceanothus as a hedge because it resents being pruned! Most varieties would get higher than 1.5 to 2m high very quickly. They are a good choice for a windy site...provided that they get well rooted as they suffer from roots being snapped off easily if not well anchored. Alternatives to Ceanothus that would make a good hedge for a windy spot in Clevedon are Escallonias, Aucuba japonica Variegata, Berberis darwinii, Elaeagnus ebbingei, Fuchsia Riccartonii, Grisellinia littoralis or Ligustrum ovalifolium Aureum [variegated privet].
My lawn has more moss than grass at the moment. What can I use to get rid of it?
Moss is encouraged on lawns that are shaded, poorly drained, compacted and hungry. It is often caused by a combination of several or all of these factors. Shadiness is the tough one to cure, particularly if its? a house causing the shade! There are times when it is better to switch from a lawn to shade loving plants. The other factors can be worked on. Poor drainage and compaction can be improved by spiking or forking the lawn and brushing coarse sand into the holes. Hungriness can be addressed in early March with an application of lawn fertiliser, preferably containing a mosskiller too. Scotts Evergreen Complete would be suitable but Vitax Green Up Mossfree seems to be more effective at actually killing the moss.