Ready Lawn...anyone had experience with this?

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484 posts

Ultimate Geek

#928743 7-Nov-2013 13:01

We spayed the moss in our lawn and it turned out half our lawn was effectively just moss. The other perennial annoyance for us (and probably contributing to having half a lawn of moss) is grass grub.

We've probably reduced our lawn areas by about 50% since refreshing our landscaping and less time needed for mowing.

timmmay

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#928757 7-Nov-2013 13:24

Those pellets you get for grass grub can work. In the end I found it cheaper and easier to get a professional in, he changed about what it would've cost for me to do my lawn a couple of times with the DIY products and he had access to a much wider range of chemicals, including stronger ones than consumers can buy.

k1wi

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#928765 7-Nov-2013 13:31

Yeah, just a matter of keeping on top of it... A few distractions later...

minimoke

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Ultimate Geek

#928800 7-Nov-2013 14:15

I didn’t go the ready lawn route. Heard there were problems. Namley the soil preparation tends to create a firm “skin” which the ready lawn roots find hard to penetrate. Also water / rain doesn’t drain as well. I tested these thoughts by wandering around sub division with ready lawn and found that they didn’t look that flash a few months months after laying.

So I went the renew route. Got out the glyphospahate and liberally applied to lawn. Once it was dead got in a wee tractor and rotary hoe and hoed it all up. Used the back blade to flatten. Water and waited for seeded weeds to grow and hit it with the glyphosphate again.

Once second lot of weeds had died I raked the surface to loosen it up and flattened it off again.

Then laid irrigation pipes with pop up sprinklers. Compacted over where the pipes got laid and then raked the surface.

Final raking and flattening ( a length of 4 x2 on a pole) then sowed my own seed. Used an irrigator for spray head every couple of days over ground until seeds took off. Then hand watered every four days or so for a couple of weeks.

Seems like a bit of work but it’s a 400sqm lawn so ready lawn would probably have been too expensive. Anyway I look at it now with a certain amount of pride as the kids dig it up playing cricket and footy.

timmmay

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#928804 7-Nov-2013 14:33

Everything I've read suggests new seed needs to be kept moist. I had four sprinklers on timers going every two hours when my seed was brand new, stopping in the evening so it didn't get too wet. It worked well.

kiwitrc

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#928812 7-Nov-2013 14:45

Magnesium Sulphate is great for killing moss, its used as a horse supplement, dont know why maybe it makes them taste better once they are in a can of Fido.

Its a powder and you chuck it over the moss. No need to rake it afterwards unlike Sulphate of Iron, and it doesnt look like an oompa loompa melted on your concrete.

Also heard that hydroseeding is the way to go as opposed to ready lawn.

I tend to chuck seed down, water it and then wait for the German Shepherd pup we have to dig massive holes in it.

berry

61 posts

Master Geek

#929357 8-Nov-2013 12:37

We did ready lawn at our investment place in henderson Auckland, we got a 50m2 pallet and I think it was just under $500 including GST, delivery and the pallet deposit (reminds me I need to boss husband into returning the pallet). We laid it ourselves in August. It's easy to lay, but needs a bit of looking after - we kept people off it for 3 weeks (but the dogs kept sneaking on to lie and roll around on it). Ours seems to have taken and we don't have any major dead areas but the front lawn was quite dried out last time I saw it, it would be better with more regular watering.

I would definitely do it again, we ripped out concrete and horrible old cracked pavers and the ready lawn was a great solution. Between birds and dogs I've never had much luck with grass seed.

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timmmay

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#929358 8-Nov-2013 12:39

Automatic sprinkler timers are almost essential when you're doing new lawns. I think I paid $100 for two sets of double tap timers, though I got a good deal. They're just sitting in the shed not being used often, anyone in Wellington wants to borrow them flick me a message - if I don't know you I'd probably ask for a deposit is all.

mattwnz

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#929395 8-Nov-2013 13:31

I have always had good success sowing my own lawn. So never used ready lawn, and if you don't lay ready lawn properly and quickly, it can be a waste of money. Sowing your own lawn must be a lot cheaper, and I think there are now seed packs which have something around the seed to keep it moist. I have also seen overseas a company that sprays the lawn with a mix of solution and seed which keeps it moist. Not sure if it is in NZ.

Handsomedan

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#929414 8-Nov-2013 13:44

Thanks everyone.

Lots to ponder.

Being essentially a lazy git, I'll probably go talk to a grassologist and either have a spray on lawn or ready lawn done for me...BUT I now know I'll also have to deal with a lot of watering.

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kiwitrc

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#930361 10-Nov-2013 19:27

Handsomedan: Thanks everyone.

Lots to ponder.

Being essentially a lazy git, I'll probably go talk to a grassologist and either have a spray on lawn or ready lawn done for me...BUT I now know I'll also have to deal with a lot of watering.

Thats the attitude!

richms

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#930374 10-Nov-2013 19:57

I have the opposite problem. Lawn and weeds keep coming back despite application of great quantities of expensive "once a year" weedkiller.

Richard rich.ms

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#930379 10-Nov-2013 20:24

And when you end yup with a new learn Danno, don't make the mistake of mowing it too short. Keep it short and it will dry quicker in summer, brown off, and probably in you case grow moss in the loverly dampness of winter Auckland.

But you do have to add water in summer and spray the odd weed to let the grass own the space...... Its not really that hard dispite your ambition to do owt.

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#930898 11-Nov-2013 17:24

oxnsox: And when you end yup with a new learn Danno, don't make the mistake of mowing it too short. Keep it short and it will dry quicker in summer, brown off, and probably in you case grow moss in the loverly dampness of winter Auckland.

But you do have to add water in summer and spray the odd weed to let the grass own the space...... Its not really that hard dispite your ambition to do owt.

I shall take that as the encouragement I think it's meant to be, Ox in Jocks.

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1eStar

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#930966 11-Nov-2013 18:43

Best time to sow lawn is autumn so you don't have to water it all summer. Be warned that all Auckland readylawn is clay these days, they sold all the topsoil years ago.

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