A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

On 11 May, 19:49, NoSpam wrote:
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

You don't say how you prepared the site,
Did you Dig it over?
Did you rotovate it?
Or did you do both?
You say you let it settle, did you tread it down?
In my youth we had to cover every inch of the site walking the soil
down, than rake it level, spread the base fertilizer, then walk again,
and so on till the surface was realy bump free, then rake the surface
and sow the grass seed, or lay turf.
Most problems with new lawns are dur to poor/insuficient preperation.
Personaly I'd go for good quality Turf every time.
You say soft bumps where the grass has grown.
I wonder if you have ants starting to colonise your lawn.
David Hill

"NoSpam" wrote in message
...
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and about a
year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably an
additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two different
sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the grass
grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn is
pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

On my 'lawn' those lumps and bumps are caused by moles. Grrrr....

Dave Hill wrote:
On 11 May, 19:49, NoSpam wrote:
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

You don't say how you prepared the site
Did you Dig it over?
Did you rotovate it?
Or did you do both?
The existing grass was stripped-off, the high parts were dug out and the
low parts in-filled. In total about 20 Tonnes of additional top soil was
added (some from the local supplier and some from a place in the SW that
offered top soil that was "special" in some way but I can't recall the
details now). No added fertiliser.

You say you let it settle, did you tread it down?
Yes, with boards

In my youth we had to cover every inch of the site walking the soil
down, than rake it level, spread the base fertilizer, then walk again,
and so on till the surface was realy bump free, then rake the surface
and sow the grass seed, or lay turf.
Most problems with new lawns are dur to poor/insuficient preperation.

Personaly I'd go for good quality Turf every time.
with hindsight I might agree, it was the cost that put me off turf

You say soft bumps where the grass has grown.
I wonder if you have ants starting to colonise your lawn.
If so it would be rather a lot of the bu&&ers. I suggested that maybe
some of the seeds grew upside down but my Wife doesn't agree ;-)

David Hill

On 12 May, 11:04, NoSpam wrote:
Dave Hill wrote:
On 11 May, 19:49, NoSpam wrote:
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

You don't say how you prepared the site
Did you Dig it over?
Did you rotovate it?
Or did you do both?

The existing grass was stripped-off, the high parts were dug out and the
low parts in-filled. In total about 20 Tonnes of additional top soil was
added (some from the local supplier and some from a place in the SW that
offered top soil that was "special" in some way but I can't recall the
details now). No added fertiliser.

You say you let it settle, did you tread it down?

Yes, with boards

In my youth we had to cover every inch of the site walking the soil
down, than rake it level, spread the base fertilizer, then walk again,
and so on till the surface was realy bump free, then rake the surface
and sow the grass seed, or lay turf.
Most problems with new lawns are dur to poor/insuficient preperation.
Personaly I'd go for good quality Turf every time.

with hindsight I might agree, it was the cost that put me off turf

You say soft bumps where the grass has grown.
I wonder if you have ants starting to colonise your lawn.

If so it would be rather a lot of the bu&&ers. I suggested that maybe
some of the seeds grew upside down but my Wife doesn't agree ;-)



David Hill- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Firming with a plank is not very good as the plank will sit on the
hard bits and doesn't firm the hollows.
As for the ants, just one queen ant is needed to start a nest and thus
an ant heap .
Remember flying ants are the young queens and there can be hundreds of
them land on your lawn in one swarm of flying ants.
David Hill

On 11 May, 19:49, NoSpam wrote:
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

Are you sure the birds did not view your seeding efforts as one giant
banquet?

The only other thing I can think of is the quality of your so-called
'topsoil', some unscrupulous traders may mix all sorts of stuff and
call it topsoil. Mushroom compost is one that springs to mind, and you
might have difficulty getting anything to grow on that.

wrote:
On 11 May, 19:49, NoSpam wrote:
A couple of years ago we stripped and levelled one area of lawn and
about a year ago did the same to a second one. In all there's probably
an additional 20T of top-soil compared to when we started, from two
different sources.
Both areas were allowed to settle and then thoroughly seeded but the
grass grew in patches rather than evenly and the overall quality of lawn
is pretty awful. The first area also has soft bumps where the grass has
grown.

Any lawn experts out there? What's going on and how can I fix it?

Dave

Are you sure the birds did not view your seeding efforts as one giant
banquet?

The only other thing I can think of is the quality of your so-called
'topsoil', some unscrupulous traders may mix all sorts of stuff and
call it topsoil. Mushroom compost is one that springs to mind, and you
might have difficulty getting anything to grow on that.

We had strings and silver foil over it but have a lot of birds here; the
doves and pigeons are certainly not looking under nourished. The first
batch of top soil came from ecosoil.