Caring for new build garden

Sully

Have recently moved into a new build and the garden is still growing but lots of weeds starting to popup. The landscaper for the development said it was primarily down to the soil being used by the developers to make the garden and the grass is progressing on well.

Just reaching out for suggestions/ guidance on how to properly take care of the garden to get best results ?:)

ILikeBoats

If your new build "soil" is anything like our new build soil then it's full of all sorts of sh!te. I took out 10 tonnes of what they left and put in 10 tonnes of proper top soil.

Are you in North County Dublin by any chance?

Most new developments like that have thin, poor soil on top of rubble and other rubbish. Dig a test hole and see what you find.

If you want to encourage the grass (looks like it was seeded recently), just pull the big weeds by hand and mow when it gets to 3-4 inches which will encourage growth. Water if it's dry.

If planting up beds, introduce lots of organic material such as compost and manure to improve what is bound to be poor soil.

looksee

Weeds are going to pop up even if you get your garden landscaped by a top quality professional. As dancinpants says, pull out big ones like docks and thistles, mow the rest as the grass gets long enough.

Agreed that, chances are what is there will never make much of a lawn. You can either go at it now, dig it all over, take out the rubbish, add more decent soil or compost, and re-seed, or leave it and see what you get - you might get lucky and find you have a reasonable lawn. Most people's experience is that the first option will happen sooner or later.

Sully

Thanks lads, will work on it over the weekend. Weeds are that bit worse now from the bit of rain we've been having too.

Lumen

Correct mowing at regular intervals will sort this out, with watering and fertiliser if necessary.

Keep it long enough for the grass to be healthy and shade out the low growing weeds.

deisedude

Hey, I'm in a similar boat to the OP. Moved into our house last year and just working on the lawn now. I scarified and aerated the lawn and 2 weeks ago put down the 4 in 1 lawn feed moss killer. I did it by hand and there are some patchy areas. Would I do more harm than good putting some more grass seed on those areas now?

looksee

Wouldn't be any harm to put down grass seed, I don't think you should put down any more feed though.

Paul Tergat

Hope the OP doesn't mind me tagging on a similar issue. I'm in my new build 2 years now and only got the seeding done last Summer from the landscapers but I have the below pics of my lawn and having similar issues in that some areas are thriving and some not as much (although not dead etc).

Last Autumn I aerated the lawn (but didn't feed it - prob just my bad on that one). The lawn was aerated again early Spring and given a feed. There were a lot of struggling patches so I reseeded those parts and gave the whole lawn an overseed too. The lawn is regularly watered when there is a lack of rain and mowed weekly, quite high - top setting for first few cuts of this spring, down one level now for last couple of cuts.

Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get the lighter green areas to catch up to the thicker areas?

No pets by the way so that isn't the cause of any of the patches.

IMG_20220526_090342202_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220526_090344272_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220526_090204238.jpg

looksee

The striped effect of the yellowish patches compared with the green seems as though it would have more to do with how the original site was prepared/fed. The big patch near the patio though, while no where near as bad as some, I suspect that if you were to investigate it a bit you would find builder's rubbish or compressed clay under there. Even the remains of a sand dump, or a place where a concrete mixer stood, can seriously dis-improve the quality of the soil in an area.

Paul Tergat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119116109#Comment_119116109

We challenged the builders on this after we had bought the place (December with a promise to see the grass the next Summer) and in particular when we looked at a raised bed they put in it was only done really to hide some of the support wall but mainly dumped material that they said is standard stuff - the things they do is infuriating.

Do you think it's the case then that stopping short of taking it all up to see what is there and potentially replacing it , that what I have I might be stuck with?

looksee

I'd give it a couple of summers and see how it gets on. If you decide then it is not improving you may have to start again, but I have seen much worse. It may improve, or it could dis-improve.

If people said to builders, no don't do anything with the garden, make me an allowance on it, or get them to stack the soil allowance in a corner - they will usually have decent topsoil as they have removed it from the site in the first place - then sorted it themselves it would be a great benefit to them. Builders are not gardeners, they don't care, so long as it looks superficially tidy. Mind you I have come across landscapers who are the same.

Lumen

I think it looks fine. The problem is that you've nothing else growing so the lawn attracts attention.

Grow all the things 😀

Paul Tergat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119120255#Comment_119120255

This it partially true but with a 2 year old it was about keeping space for her to run around in too!

Sully

I've invested in a sprinkler and I've cleared a big chunk of weeds. There's patches of grass long enough at the back, but it's bare enough and patchy up front.

Hopefully with watering and regular weeding it will grow!

Any other suggestions welcome!

awec

It took a few years for my lawn to not be patchy. I would say yours will be fine eventually.

You could try put more seed down, might be a bit late in the year but no harm in trying. Worst case you have to try again in September. I gave mine a good watering in the evenings on a fairly regular basis during the summer, and also used lawn food / evergreen on it at one stage.

It's full of weeds now, it's no perfect lawn, but it serves its purpose and looks absolutely fine.

looksee

That's pretty poor looking Sully, I'd say in the long run its a dig it up and start again job. What the landscaper said is just waffle, it doesn't make any sense. In the mean time I think I would get some bags of compost of some sort - anything really, Lidl's will do if it works out cheapest, and put a covering on, especially in the bald patches. Even a thin layer will help improve the soil. Rake it in a bit where it is bald. It doesn't matter if you put it on top of already growing grass, rake it gently to encourage it to go to the soil level. Grass will grow through, but it would be improved by a bit more seed in the bald bits anyway. Keep sprinkling it to keep the surface damp.

Sully

I said I'd give a quick update just for those in similar situations to me. I didn't treat the grass and instead watered it pretty frequently at first and then slowed down to just watering the patches twice a week. This is how it currently looks.

The bit at the back wall isn't as strong growth wise compared to the rest of the garden, funnily enough.

magicbastarder

which way does the garden face? i.e. where does the sun hit it?

looksee

Its almost impossible to get absolutely even growth on a piece of grass like that. Its doing extremely well. You have different amounts of sunshine resulting from the shade on the different sides, especially as it is between the house and that very high wall. Also a rain shadow from the wall. Concrete leach from the wall and the effect of the foundations not far down. Even a slightly different patch of soil or compaction from machinery will affect it. It really is remarkably even in the circumstances.

alexandriya

I'm also searching for gardening ideas

Ouch Chinese Byrne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119407031#Comment_119407031

Have you overseeded at all?

Igotadose

When I needed a small patch of lawn to grow well, I took a different approach: feed (like crazy), water (like crazy) and mow very frequently (weekly, sometimes 2x week.) The patch which had never done great in front of the house, looked like a putting green by the time I was done.

I made sure my mower blade was sharp so no fungus issues, too. But basically, I wanted to 'overdose' the grass on goodies. There were never weeds to contend with after an initial by-hand weeding. I don't think I seeded much either. It really worked but was kind of intense work. The fertilizer was just generic stuff.

For a bit I mowed with a push mower, but switched to a small petrol powered one as the grass grew too fast for me....

Now, long term, not sure how that'd work out! But my goal was a picture-perfect patch of grass before the house went on the market, and mission accomplished.

deisedude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119422549#Comment_119422549

How often did you seed or put down fertiliser?

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119424981#Comment_119424981

Seeded heavily at beginning. Fert about every 2-3 weeks.

Sully

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119407060#Comment_119407060

West facing so gets a chunk of sun most of the day, maybe late afternoon we start to loose it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119422521#Comment_119422521

Nope, the landscaper for the developer took a look for me and said it was well seeded and just keep watering it!

We don't actually have a lawnmore yet, we have someone in the estate who pops around and does it when we need them! On the to do list!

Ouch Chinese Byrne

is the developer Cairn? Garden type and patio look familiar.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119425158#Comment_119425158

For what it's worth, I'd take it easy on he fertilising. A good feed in spring and summer is about as much as a lawn needs. Overfertilising a new lawn will only damage it in the long term.

Paul Tergat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119426234#Comment_119426234

my images were mcgarrell reilly but they all seem to do the same thing these days!

Damo 2k9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119426743#Comment_119426743

I have a McGarrell Reilly new build too, in the house just going on a year. Some patches near the fence posts are struggling that I'm trying to sort out at the moment. Clover has taken over unfortunately... But I am happy enough with the grass as a whole, apart from the very bare spot at the end of the patio. I dont have great photos but ill put some better ones up later. Its an ongoing project!

Ouch Chinese Byrne

Are you getting standing water in the grass

Sully

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119426234#Comment_119426234

Sure is.

Damo 2k9

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119427116#Comment_119427116

Not sure if thats aimed at me...but yeah I would get a small bit of water in the baldy patch in the picture.

Ouch Chinese Byrne

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119428451#Comment_119428451

yeah, I guessed there is either compact clay or some rubble under that. You will know by using a Garden fork to see if you are hitting anything there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119428228#Comment_119428228

The patio gave it away and the type of back wall. Mine looked the same when I bought but had horrible drainage issues as the Garden full of clay which meant when it rained we had standing water and summer we have burnt grass.

Fixed now anyway myself.

ps don’t take garden advice from Cairn and start fertilising now and overseeding end of August/Sept

Damo 2k9

Your spot on, its probably the overspill of what they laid the patio on. Is there any way of rescuing it?

(Hope OP doesnt mind me asking questions, might prove a handy thread for others who search new build gardens!)

Ouch Chinese Byrne

First thing to do is to find out what’s there under the soil. I can see that your lawn is not level and has a dip in relation to your patio slabs so you may only need to topdress and level the lawn with a mix of 70% sand 30% topsoil and overseed

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119428652#Comment_119428652

Sully

So following on from the grass, I'm curious to see what people's thoughts are on caring for all the planting that came with the new build. I've been told by a garden center to water them once every 5 days, and the landscapers general feedback was for the trees only-- 4 buckets every 10 or so days.

The last two photos- one I'm told to cut back as its too heavy. The second forgive the awful quality but while it appears fine there's a lot of broken branches, which I thought was odd.

standardg60

Everything looks fine and dandy health wise OP.

Re watering the trees if you have a hose lay it at the base of each, reduce the flow to the slightest trickle and leave it there for a half an hour each once a week. This ensures the water will soak down to the roots rather than flow off the parched ground.

The tree in your last pic is a birch and the broken branches are normal and won't do any harm. Interestingly the first pic looks like cytisus battanderi, the pineapple broom, which is an unusual and fabulous tree. Can you take a closer pic of the second last one though?, find it hard to identify that!

Keep an eye on the straps attaching the trees to the stakes and remove them when they get too tight.

Edit, my mistake, not cytisus but amelanchier on closer inspection. Tree on the other side looks to be a hawthorn.

Sully

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119442530#Comment_119442530

Will send a photo in the morning! I bought myself a lawnmower today - €110 including a strimer. Will cut the grass a bit more, at present it's about once a month. Just need to figure out the strimmer to cut around the walls.

One plant I added myself recently doesn't seem to be serving, which I'm a bit disappointed with.

standardg60

That's a perfectly healthy Agapanthus, you can cut off the faded flower stems

Sully

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119442686#Comment_119442686

That's mad, I assume they'll grow back or is it just how they flower?

Attached is the photo of the tree you wanted a close up off.

Leg End Reject

@Sully, that tree still has the label attached so you can identify it from that.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444651#Comment_119444651

That's no fun!

Anyway the label looks to be for the plant against the wall. The tree looks to be an amelanchier, some nice planting there.

The agapanthus is just how they grow OP.

Leg End Reject

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119445102#Comment_119445102

Could you recommend small trees/large shrubs to provide screening in a small urban garden?

Low maintenance if possible please.

Sully

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119444651#Comment_119444651

Label is for a plant behind the tree that goes up the wall! Pretty sure nothing else has a label!

Sully

Garden to date. Usually cut it once a week but the growth has slowed in the last month or so, and plus it seems to be constantly raining. It seems in good enough nick compared to others nearby but you can see its a little patchy still in spots and there is little growth at the back.

Should I be doing something during the winter months to improve the overall growth quality?