2020
Jan - Mar
Iron sulphate for moss. Test different rates as to effects of moss killing, and how much is too much for the fescues at the front, ie makes the grass turn black. ✔ (edit: some info in posts further down this page).
Cut down/move trees.
Gly the celandine in the front fescue grass. ✔
Move black elder tree. Too much shade. ✔ Mar 14th
Start sowing indoor pots of grass seed for plugging. ✔
Core aerate bare areas and sow winter beans as ground cover/green manure for composting and to fix some N in soil. ✔ Feb 14th and 19th.
Aerate, apply lime and top dress with sand and compost from my compost pile. ✔ well, no sand because I didn't get any...
Keep applying lime to adjust my 5.8pH to 6.5pH as per my 2019 soil test (which recommended to apply a total amount of lime at 7t/ha or 700g/m² or 143lbs/M).
Apps done so far: Front area - June 2019 (33lbs/M), Nov 2019 (33lbs/M), March 2020 (60lbs/M).
Back area - June 2019 (33lbs/M), Nov 2019 (33lbs/M), March 2020 (50lbs/M). Retest 2021.
Apr
Gly any celandine in the grass. Plug as required. ✔
Soil temps above 10C, apply Nematrident CT Plus chafer grub nematodes. edit: I've dug a few holes in various spots, it seems like the chafers are destroyed, the nematodes I applied last year have worked. I have noticed leather jacket grubs however, so buy the lj nematodes. https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/en/Products/Overview/NEMASYS-LEATHERJACKET-KILLER.html
Spray Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
Start with organic slow release fertiliser.
Rates: Maxwell Mycorrhiza 7-2-8. 35g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Continue prepping for a reno of front lawn. I'm attempting to condition the soil with Vitax chicken manure, humic, sand and compost. Will crack on with leveling the area which will be akin to a cycling velodrome as per the slope I'm dealing with here.
Will go with my poa supina/kbg seed mix as this front area is on a heavy soil and north and east facing with limited sunlight. The supina will probably dominate as the conditions favour it, I certainly hope so as thats a helluvalot better than the fescue mixes I've tried there which do not thrive.
May
Top dress back lawn with topsoil and compost and plug edges that failed last year. ✔
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite. ✔
Maxwell Advance Generate 12-3-9 ammoniacal based N. 20g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Organic slow release fertiliser. Maxwell Mycorrhiza 7-2-8. 35g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Spoon feed reno grass urea 46-0-0 at 2g/m² (0.2lb/M) dissolve and spray as required.
May 24th PGR 25%AI at 2.5ml/100m². (oops, went with 5ml first app and had phytotoxicity, turned the grass at ground level a squishy yellowey brown)❌
June
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
6X pelleted chicken manure.✔
July
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
PGR 25%AI at 2.5ml/100m² (went with 2ml to be a bit safer, after getting burned in May)
August
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.
PGR 25%AI at 3.5ml/100m²
Start N blitz. ✅
Sept
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.
Crane fly leather jacket nematodes. First adult crane flys hatched Aug 7th. Nematodes go down 2 weeks after peak adult flight time.✅11 Sept
Jan - Mar
Iron sulphate for moss. Test different rates as to effects of moss killing, and how much is too much for the fescues at the front, ie makes the grass turn black. ✔ (edit: some info in posts further down this page).
Cut down/move trees.
Gly the celandine in the front fescue grass. ✔
Move black elder tree. Too much shade. ✔ Mar 14th
Start sowing indoor pots of grass seed for plugging. ✔
Core aerate bare areas and sow winter beans as ground cover/green manure for composting and to fix some N in soil. ✔ Feb 14th and 19th.
Aerate, apply lime and top dress with sand and compost from my compost pile. ✔ well, no sand because I didn't get any...
Keep applying lime to adjust my 5.8pH to 6.5pH as per my 2019 soil test (which recommended to apply a total amount of lime at 7t/ha or 700g/m² or 143lbs/M).
Apps done so far: Front area - June 2019 (33lbs/M), Nov 2019 (33lbs/M), March 2020 (60lbs/M).
Back area - June 2019 (33lbs/M), Nov 2019 (33lbs/M), March 2020 (50lbs/M). Retest 2021.
Apr
Gly any celandine in the grass. Plug as required. ✔
Soil temps above 10C, apply Nematrident CT Plus chafer grub nematodes. edit: I've dug a few holes in various spots, it seems like the chafers are destroyed, the nematodes I applied last year have worked. I have noticed leather jacket grubs however, so buy the lj nematodes. https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/en/Products/Overview/NEMASYS-LEATHERJACKET-KILLER.html
Spray Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
Start with organic slow release fertiliser.
Rates: Maxwell Mycorrhiza 7-2-8. 35g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Continue prepping for a reno of front lawn. I'm attempting to condition the soil with Vitax chicken manure, humic, sand and compost. Will crack on with leveling the area which will be akin to a cycling velodrome as per the slope I'm dealing with here.
Will go with my poa supina/kbg seed mix as this front area is on a heavy soil and north and east facing with limited sunlight. The supina will probably dominate as the conditions favour it, I certainly hope so as thats a helluvalot better than the fescue mixes I've tried there which do not thrive.
May
Top dress back lawn with topsoil and compost and plug edges that failed last year. ✔
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite. ✔
Maxwell Advance Generate 12-3-9 ammoniacal based N. 20g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Organic slow release fertiliser. Maxwell Mycorrhiza 7-2-8. 35g/m² is ½lb/M of N rate. ✔
Spoon feed reno grass urea 46-0-0 at 2g/m² (0.2lb/M) dissolve and spray as required.
May 24th PGR 25%AI at 2.5ml/100m². (oops, went with 5ml first app and had phytotoxicity, turned the grass at ground level a squishy yellowey brown)❌
June
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
6X pelleted chicken manure.✔
July
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.✔
PGR 25%AI at 2.5ml/100m² (went with 2ml to be a bit safer, after getting burned in May)
August
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.
PGR 25%AI at 3.5ml/100m²
Start N blitz. ✅
Sept
Triphos seaweed, humic and phosphite.
Crane fly leather jacket nematodes. First adult crane flys hatched Aug 7th. Nematodes go down 2 weeks after peak adult flight time.✅11 Sept