Hello, Great videos, youve encouraged me to try a DIY renovation! I've got the typical newbuild heavy clay soil. When combined with aeration, Would compost or topsoil be best for topdressing, or a mix of both? I've been trying compost but having difficulty brushing it down as the clays starting to swell with all the rain & the compost I bought wasnt dry & crumbly like you mentioned in the video. I was thinking topsoil would help break it down and stop it being so sticky, but I really dont have a clue what im doing beyond the videos ive watched :) Maybe I need to forget topsoil, stick with compost and try it when the compost and lawn is drier? Only did a small section before abandoning thanks to the rain. Thanks in advance
Hi.. Yes it's a bloomin nightmare to put anything on when it's wet so best to wist till it's all dried out if that's ever going to be possible. Ultimately whatever ryou put on the lawn will help because your changing what would have been 100% clay to say 98% clay with either soil or compost or even lawn sand at times so it's a gradual improvement. Of course also adding gypsum and or humic acid can also help. For me tho compost wins as it feeds the soil microbes, as well as introducing organic matter which will attract earthworm etc and help improve the soil habitat
Good advice. Adding some compost or other organic top dressing is an important treatment, especially in spring and autumn. I’m not sure how long the top dressing takes to fully break down, but it possibly feeds the micro organisms in the soil for several months.
Hi it's pretty hard to find them these days at least for the domestic market sadly.. They are slowly getting banned too.. In the industry if you're licensed you can talk to suppliers who can provide products that will help but again soon they won't be around so we need to look at other approaches to better handle it.. Like adding the various products I've bene adding to my own lawn this year, verticutting etc
Hi.. So there never really is a final mow as such, I still mow in winter, but only on a dry day and not as often. Probably at best once every 6 weeks. A bit of length is good so it can absorb what little sunlight we do get. So def not too short
Great job! I guess organic fertilizer does similar things? I have a 20kg bag of terralift that smells like crap ha. I've been avoiding using it this time of year as I think it may attracts the worms. The soil I have can't compact so worms are not needed to aerate it.
Mornin Dont know if the council over by you sell bulk compost off By us its not too bad - can pick it up for about £6 a metric ton. Stick it through you rolling sieve to get the bottle tops and condoms out and its ideal for the lawns.
Hi have you done this s yourself? I've shy'ed away.. Our recycling farm offers it cheap too but he did say it was super 'hot' as in too much for the lawn to handle in its current state so I held off and have held off for years hmm 🤔🤔
Yep we create about 6 cubic mtrs during the summer months but when we do trailer it in we need about 3-4 ton. The council stuff is not too bad as they produce it to official standards. You can even get it cheaper delivered from the local mushroom farms. (Minimum delv. 10 ton) I have a 80cm diameter by 70cm wide tow behind compost roller. The trailered compost i barrow it out to the roller and then tip it in (usually takes two full barrowfuls). Then i just ride it out. I then have a drag behind harrow (two heavy duty 4cm thick rubber mats (1mtr wide by 80cm long) My biggest challenge each year is when to do it. I alternate each yr between mulching and up the leaves. It finding that space after the leaves before the first frost.
compost is rubbish these days bought 2 bags today put it on with a compost roller and had a bag of sticks and rubbish left🤒😏and that was supposed to be a reputable brand will be spending out on the field compost in future
Yeah most are like that.. I've used b and q verve in purple bags many times previous years, home bargains do a purple bag called growmoor and it's pretty decent stuff
yeah ive tried many brands they are all crap, what i found tho i had a bag left over for like 6 months and it was great, far less crap in it and dry, so i think its better to buy the bags months in advance lol
I applied compost to my lawn in the US just recently and the bags were full of plastic bits and trash. Very disappointing that manufacturers willingly sell the stuff like that. Almost oxymoronic... organic compost full of bits of garbage.
From 05:40 minutes onwards is the most perfect work. Thank you for teaching us.
Thanks 😊
Where do you purchase your compost love the ideas of the green bags
Hi I have all details at lawnright.co.uk/compost many thanks
Great video Shaun
Cheers Robbie 👋👋
Hello, Great videos, youve encouraged me to try a DIY renovation! I've got the typical newbuild heavy clay soil. When combined with aeration, Would compost or topsoil be best for topdressing, or a mix of both? I've been trying compost but having difficulty brushing it down as the clays starting to swell with all the rain & the compost I bought wasnt dry & crumbly like you mentioned in the video. I was thinking topsoil would help break it down and stop it being so sticky, but I really dont have a clue what im doing beyond the videos ive watched :) Maybe I need to forget topsoil, stick with compost and try it when the compost and lawn is drier? Only did a small section before abandoning thanks to the rain. Thanks in advance
Hi.. Yes it's a bloomin nightmare to put anything on when it's wet so best to wist till it's all dried out if that's ever going to be possible. Ultimately whatever ryou put on the lawn will help because your changing what would have been 100% clay to say 98% clay with either soil or compost or even lawn sand at times so it's a gradual improvement. Of course also adding gypsum and or humic acid can also help. For me tho compost wins as it feeds the soil microbes, as well as introducing organic matter which will attract earthworm etc and help improve the soil habitat
Love the videos they are a great help, but could you let us know when you're doing it, ie, September, June, it would really help.
Thanks..
Good advice. Adding some compost or other organic top dressing is an important treatment, especially in spring and autumn. I’m not sure how long the top dressing takes to fully break down, but it possibly feeds the micro organisms in the soil for several months.
Yeah even if it's only done a few times a year it can only be beneficial
Hello, you sometimes mention fungicide for the lawn. What products or active ingredients do you recommend?
Hi it's pretty hard to find them these days at least for the domestic market sadly.. They are slowly getting banned too.. In the industry if you're licensed you can talk to suppliers who can provide products that will help but again soon they won't be around so we need to look at other approaches to better handle it.. Like adding the various products I've bene adding to my own lawn this year, verticutting etc
Field compost is the best stuff I've used for lawns. Amazing and worth every penny. What was the herbicide you used ?
Praxys
@LawnRight thank you Sir. Thank you for all the advice.
Hi Shaun. What size of the landzie roller would you recommend?
Hi mines the smaller one.. It's still fine to use. Bigger ones will help get things done quicker so personal choice really 😊👍
Hi.. So there never really is a final mow as such, I still mow in winter, but only on a dry day and not as often. Probably at best once every 6 weeks. A bit of length is good so it can absorb what little sunlight we do get. So def not too short
@@LawnRight great, thank you so much!
Shaun wouldn’t it be better to buy a good granual or liquid feed to get the nutrients you get from compost ?
As he said compost attracts microorganisms and worms.
Hi it's just a simple alternative way to add some nutrients to the lawn which is also good for the soil and organic
Great job! I guess organic fertilizer does similar things? I have a 20kg bag of terralift that smells like crap ha. I've been avoiding using it this time of year as I think it may attracts the worms. The soil I have can't compact so worms are not needed to aerate it.
Hi.. It should do, it's just the same chemical composition ultimately
Mornin
Dont know if the council over by you sell bulk compost off
By us its not too bad - can pick it up for about £6 a metric ton. Stick it through you rolling sieve to get the bottle tops and condoms out and its ideal for the lawns.
Hi have you done this s yourself? I've shy'ed away.. Our recycling farm offers it cheap too but he did say it was super 'hot' as in too much for the lawn to handle in its current state so I held off and have held off for years hmm 🤔🤔
Yep we create about 6 cubic mtrs during the summer months but when we do trailer it in we need about 3-4 ton.
The council stuff is not too bad as they produce it to official standards.
You can even get it cheaper delivered from the local mushroom farms. (Minimum delv. 10 ton)
I have a 80cm diameter by 70cm wide tow behind compost roller.
The trailered compost i barrow it out to the roller and then tip it in (usually takes two full barrowfuls). Then i just ride it out.
I then have a drag behind harrow (two heavy duty 4cm thick rubber mats (1mtr wide by 80cm long)
My biggest challenge each year is when to do it.
I alternate each yr between mulching and up the leaves.
It finding that space after the leaves before the first frost.
Thank you Sir.
Can compost be applied once every month? Wouldn’t that raise the level of the lawn?
Hi yes it can be applied regularly. It won't increase the level as it breaks down to nothing in a few weeks so all the nutrients seep into the soil
hi . would leaving the lawn clippings on it do the same over time .
Yes but you need to mow almost daily so the clippings are very small and breakdown easily
Hi Shaun,
Looking to scarify, over seed and top dress with compost.
Should I add seaweed before or after that?
Cheers 👍
@@nigelpowell90 hi honestly any order is fine with seaweed
@@LawnRight Very grateful, thank you 👍
Enjoy you content.
Thanks 😊💪👋
Nice work man!
Cheers mate
compost is rubbish these days bought 2 bags today put it on with a compost roller and had a bag of sticks and rubbish left🤒😏and that was supposed to be a reputable brand will be spending out on the field compost in future
Yeah most are like that.. I've used b and q verve in purple bags many times previous years, home bargains do a purple bag called growmoor and it's pretty decent stuff
yeah ive tried many brands they are all crap, what i found tho i had a bag left over for like 6 months and it was great, far less crap in it and dry, so i think its better to buy the bags months in advance lol
Had similar issues as well. Since the big push to remove peat, it's given them a licence to fill it up with crap
I applied compost to my lawn in the US just recently and the bags were full of plastic bits and trash. Very disappointing that manufacturers willingly sell the stuff like that. Almost oxymoronic... organic compost full of bits of garbage.
I Agree compost these days is rubbish,why not try making your own.
Overkill at this time of year, something I wouldn’t do up north at this time of year and my lawns are top notch