Reply With QuoteIts nice Al. What's the problem?
I hate gardening and cutting the grass! As you can see it’s a mess with 60% of it being clovers and other assorted weeds/flowers (whatever they are!).
What’s the quickest method to get the lawn looking half decent with minimal work involved please? I’d there any particular weed killer that’s best and do I need one of them spray can things?
Cheers and here’s the mess.
Its nice Al. What's the problem?
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Give your local Greenthumb franchise a call, they'll put down some proper weed killer. Or if you really hate gardening fake lawn or patio.
I'm with Dave on this one. I'd much prefer that over a sterile green billiard table impression. However as Chris says, if you really want maintenance free uniformity go artificial. It's still dear but the VFM seems to be on the rise.
Not the cheapest but the easiest for me as I hate mowing as well. Get a gardener in who can lay artificial grass. Looks good all year round and no cutting. There are a wide rang of artificial grass types around with different colours and depths. Mine has some light brown bits in it to make it look less artificial.
I thought that, until they quoted me £3500 per year to do itOriginally Posted by chrisparker
I posted something similar a few months back was advised by numerous members to try green thumb.
Before
After one treatment
They’re actually coming back tomorrow to do the second treatment. They have an online cost calculator. My lawn is about £45 a treatment .
Very pleased with them.
There are loads of weedkillers round for lawns. They kill the weeds and leave the grass. Just go to your local garden centre and get a lawn weedkiller, then follow the instructions to the letter.
They generally work pretty quickly.
Pete
No patio. Seriously no, no, no. Ask a gardener to help you.
Over the last 10 or so years, we've encountered more flooded rivers etc after intense rainfall. The idea is that climate change is a large contributor to that. Guess what: two scientists from a Dutch university have studied the various forms of (heavy) rainfall here in Holland. Data goes back to 1900. The results are remarkable:
In the 50s and 60s there was much more rain / big deluges than over the last 10 years. Both scientists think that the flooding of streets and houses is the result of more patios, concrete and industrial estates on the outskirts of towns were meadows used to be. So, keep it natural to prevent flooding.
Menno
I'm with these guys, you're looking at it from the wrong angle, what you've got is an amazing place for bees, insects, hedgehogs and wild birds, better than a sterile 'bowling green' garden,
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I too like the look personally, but if you want to keep the worst stuff in check without resorting to a plastic lawn you could do worse than running up and down with a dose of weed and feed once or twice a year. Not a perfect, sterile lawn but not a mass of weeds either. I think you should be able to get product and spreader within the £45 budget for one green thumb.
How many acres?
Buy a Husqvarna Automower! Mad as that may sound... here's my reasons (for my own garden):
1. I've reclaimed 3hrs a week of time spent cutting the hateful stuff
2. My lawn is rapidly improving week by week
3. Moss is down
4. The fine mulch acts as a feed, saving on fertilising costs
5. Its just damn cool... as it comes out of its garage every day and potters about! we treat the "bot" like a pet. He now parks inside a converted bin made into a garage in the hedge.
Here are before and after pics of the results in the front lawn... showing the results after just 11 days of installation. Wish I'd done it YEARS ago....
Last petrol mower cut. Brutal on the lawn (and yes.. the blade was sharpened over the winter during a service). Taken on 29 May 2018:
Same shot, taken on 7th June. About 1 week of automower cutting and nothing else...
Yesterday, 11th June. You can start to see the consistency of finish. The moss is being mulched daily... bit by bit... and the best bit, I haven't had to lift a finger!!
You are jesse pinkman and i claim my five poundsBuy a Husqvarna Automower! Mad as that may sound... here's my reasons (for my own garden):
1. I've reclaimed 3hrs a week of time spent cutting the hateful stuff
2. My lawn is rapidly improving week by week
3. Moss is down
4. The fine mulch acts as a feed, saving on fertilising costs
5. Its just damn cool... as it comes out of its garage every day and potters about! we treat the "bot" like a pet. He now parks inside a converted bin made into a garage in the hedge.
Here are before and after pics of the results in the front lawn... showing the results after just 11 days of installation. Wish I'd done it YEARS ago....
Last petrol mower cut. Brutal on the lawn (and yes.. the blade was sharpened over the winter during a service). Taken on 29 May 2018:
Same shot, taken on 7th June. About 1 week of automower cutting and nothing else...
Yesterday, 11th June. You can start to see the consistency of finish. The moss is being mulched daily... bit by bit... and the best bit, I haven't had to lift a finger!!
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
0.75
That's not a garden, that's a park!
Far too much like hard work. Get Green Thumb I’m and they’ll have it looking great in no time with zero effort needed on your part.
That Husqvarna is moving up. A few years back, my neighbour across the street had one and he had lots of trouble getting it properly set-up and running. These days, it looks like problems are over. I even spotted one mowing a lawn next to a canal - with no fence between the canal and the lawn! Still, the owner must be convinced that the 'bot will maintain it's course on dry land!
I see an electric or petrol powered lawnmower; even a 'push' version as well... I love gardening and yes, I like mowing the lawn. But 0.75 acres with a simple mower? Perhaps not! I've looked it up and some Huqvarnas are capable of mowing 1.2 acres! Wow.
Best action now? I suppose I would have a professional 'on site' to kick-start your lawn (once) and have a Husqvarna take over. But whatever you do: no slabs, no concrete. Besides: 0.75 acres of concrete... that's larger than a Tesco parking! It's Ikea territory!
Menno
Last edited by thieuster; 12th June 2018 at 16:24.
Most of the robot mowers have a buried wire, they won't cross this so don't need a physical borders. I researched quite heavily about 18 months back but read a lot of people had break downs so didn't think the tech was quite there, but sounds like its improving .
were recently in our new house and the garden is beautiful. I've just bought a Honda propelled mower. I've recently raked out the moss and some weeds. I've seeded to affected areas. Just need to be patient and let it recover.
Looking forward to hearing some hints n tips from to more experienced green thumbs on here.
Thanks everyone. I’ll give green thumb a call 👍
I don’t mind a few Daisy’s and couple of weeds there’s hardly any grass!
All i see is a beautifully established natural lawn, but each to their own
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
This is a quick pic of our back garden. This was pre moss and weed attack. Probably 2 months back
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Nuke it from orbit.
Another thumbs up from for Greenthumbs. We’ve been using them for about 2 years now and the difference is well worth the £20 it costs us per treatment.
Come off it Dave! It looks like I’m growing cabbages!
I’m sure there’s nettles in there!
Have a look at THIS thread where I've commented quite a bit on Husqvarna Robotic Mowers - I now have two.
To treat your lawn:
- Spray the lawn with Weedol lawn weedkiller now and again in about Sept/early Oct before the grass stops growing or slows down markedly for the Winter. Spray it again in March as the lawn begins to grow. Don't be tempted to put this off as some weeds are only apparent on the surface in the early Spring and need to be caught then. Depending on the weeds in your lawn then spray twice a year in Spring and Autumn.
- If there is a lot of moss and/or thatch (build up of dead grass) then get the lawn scarified. It will look terrible following this but will recover quickly. Do this before your robotic mower is installed as you won't be able to do it afterwards as if you do you destroy the mower's perimeter and guide wires.
- Buy a robotic mower.
- Get a wheeled spreader and buy Westland/Evergreen Feed and Weed granules. Apply this about 4 weeks after the first dose of weedkiller and then every 6 to 8 weeks. Water this in well if heavy rain isn't imminent. DO NOT over apply the granules as it will 'burn' the grass.
- In the Autumn apply an Autumnal feed e.g. Westland Aftercut All-in-One granules.
- Repeat.
The frequency of applications of all will reduce as the weeds die and the self fertilising of the lawn occurs from using the robotic mower. Your lawn will look great by the Autumn and even better next Summer.
Last edited by Skier; 12th June 2018 at 19:18.
Brilliant advice... thanks!! I had applied Evergreen "no rake" moss killer to mine about a month before installing the robotic mower. It has a bacterial action, turning the moss slowly to dust. Certainly seems to be working combined with the mulching action of the Husqvarna. I'll take a read at your linked thread now... Cheers.
I should add that when considering which robotic mower to buy DO NOT go for one with a low run time. Get the largest run time you can afford or are comfortable with. Even with a lawn well within the area capabilities if you get one of the smaller (battery) capacity models you will get tracks in the lawn where it continually has to return to the charging station.
You could always dig a large rectangular hole, post a pic and get people to guess what it might become.
J
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Ha! It’s nowhere near big enough to show off about!
Neither was his.
I like my Husqvarna automower, but then i would say that, lol. If anyone has any questions about them, i'll be glad to help
Last edited by Brighty; 13th June 2018 at 10:42.
i've only had mine 2 weeks... but regarding "blades".. have you tried any of these after-market ones on amazon and eBay? The OE ones are £9 for 3, whereas these are MUCH cheaper. Just wondered if its a false economy.
I have some questions. My new place has a garden which is 600sqm. I’ve got a landscaping company in with the diggers soon as the house hadn’t been lived in for over ten years and needs clearing and returfing. Once this is done and the new turf laid, would you recommend the robotic lawnmower over a push lawnmower? I’m having wall to wall turf so it’s got no obstacles and it’s all flat. 50ft wide by 120ft long of hopefully just grass for the kids to play on. The robotic mower sounds right up my street. Is it advisable to use on freshly laid lawn?
Last edited by Yeti; 13th June 2018 at 12:33.
Buy a large number at once, far cheaper. For example: SPARE BLADES.
I would intuitively think it's great for a newly laid lawn, you won't be getting your big yompy boots all over it after all. Must be gentler. I'm just off to lay 300 sqm. Great time of year to do it. Not.
I think a robotic mower would be ideal though whilst the lawn is establishing I'd set it to cut at the highest setting and cut every other day or so for a month or so, and water regularly. One lawn area of mine is just over 600m^2 and I have last year's Husqvarna 430X on it, it copes easily. If buying Husqvarna do not go lower down the spec that the current 430X as they don't have a long enough run time and you will get tracks in the lawn as it returns to the charging station frequently.
+1 for the Husqvarna.
Personally I would opt for an Atco (like I have) but I like mowing the grass... even thinking about new patterns: circles, 45 degrees angles, fish-tale patterns... I know, I know.
Wonderful vids on YT: https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...+lawn+patterns
Thanks for the tip!
So do I. Find it therapeutic because my two toddlers are scared of it and it gives me 20 minutes to myself !
Last edited by eagletower; 13th June 2018 at 14:51.
And the main reason why you have a lawn, is for your toddlers! Our boys have played for hours and hours on the lawn. Completed 3 WC ships 1-on-1 soccer easily.
As already suggested, buying in bulk will be cheaper. Can't comment on where's cheapest to get OE ones, i've not needed any new ones yet, but when i do, they're readily available from work FOC.
As for buying after market, i'd be a little wary of buying cheap Chinese knock-offs as the spec for the blades is pretty stringent in terms of grade of steel and hardness etc, also weight, to ensure it doesn't cause any out of balance issues. Not sure a knock off would be made to the same standards
Get rid of the grass all together and plant a creeping thyme or chamomile lawn. You'll never need to mow again, and while it doesn't create the perfect sward, it does look green and pleasant:
Al, I've spent many years following loads of online tips on how to get my grass looking good. I've also spent plenty of money on special grass seed and fertilizers. I also mow it with a sharp bladed mower every week (oddly therapeutic).
It looks OK, but my neighbour pays Green Thumb to treat hers 3/4 times a year, and has an old guy to mow it at £10 a go, and it looks better than mine. Appreciating that GF is a franchise so you take your chances, I'd go with them if I wasn't a glutton for punishment!
That Husqvarna is becoming a Forum' Favorite! Perhaps an idea for 'branching out' TZ-UK
It is as if I see more and more of these 'bots when I ride my bike in town. This thread has 'opened my eyes' for them. Interesting.
Menno
Not sure if you have pets Alex?? But be careful if you have and are going to use sprays.👍
Yeah mate, I’ve got a cat. Meant to ask about the fertiliser with pets!
I thought they were a pure gimmick... but am blown away by my little entry level 105 Husqvarna. My front lawn is about 250m2 and the rear, about 350. The 105 copes admirably - spending about 1hr on charge, 1hr cutting. We've modified a pair of cheap plastic bins to make a little home for him - and the whole family love to watch it. Me... well I'm delighted to regain a couple of hours a week back into the family.That Husqvarna is becoming a Forum' Favorite! Perhaps an idea for 'branching out' TZ-UK
It is as if I see more and more of these 'bots when I ride my bike in town. This thread has 'opened my eyes' for them. Interesting.
Menno
If you fancy seeing how obsessive some get.. I'll kick you off with this:
Google 'pimp my automower' to see what some people have done to their Husqvarna's
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