Case Study 1
We were called upon to take over the lawn care on a large formal garden that had been badly maintained in the past by another company.
Core samples were taken around the lawn and the average depth of thatch was no less than 25mm! while some thatch should always be present, this was too much for a healthy lawn. It was very thick and dense and needed to be reduced to aid the lawns health.
A plan of action was drawn up for the year to start making a dent in to the thatch levels. Unfortunately we were asked too late into spring to be able to scarify so had to wait until the cooler temperatures of Autumn. A high Iron and Magnesium feed was used as a stop gap to get on top of any moss and improve the photosynthesis capability of the grass to help it through the Summer. Once Autumn was here, we could start with the full renovation.
The first part of the renovation was to scarify two ways as deep as possible whilst still keeping the lawn looking like a lawn as its used for events! We got to a depth of around 12mm into the thatch so this proved to be the best solution.
Once scarified, the lawn was then aerated with our Bannerman fracture tine aerator. We achieved depths of between 4" and 5" across the lawn which was unexpected given how dry it had been. This depth means the tines had broken through the thatch and would allow more air, water and nutrients to reach the roots.
Once scarifying and aerating was complete, the lawn was lightly overseeded with a seed mix to match the existing lawn. This was then brushed in to the slits left by both the scarifier and aerator using a dragmat. The last thing was to apply a balanced fertiliser which wasn't too high in nitrogen as Autumn was approaching.
Revisit
Following an application of seaweed after 3 weeks, a light cut was achieved at 4 weeks and a follow up cut at 8 weeks. The following photos are 8 weeks post renovation in Autumn. Another full renovation is planned for Spring to further reduce the thatch content and aid the health of the lawn with a view to reduce the number of bare patches still evident.
