Heavy machinery has damaged my lawn.

Posted by Graeme on October 9, 2010, 7:48 am

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Hi,

The nature strip in front of my home was recently damaged by some heavy =
machinery making it very difficult to mow. There are several depressions =
in the earth which I have to mow around. Grass doesn't seem to want to =
grow in the gaps. My neighbour suggested planting some runners but I =
think this will take too long or be ineffective. What is the best way to =
level out the earth? Should I just buy a new load of soil to fill in the =
gaps? Would it be better to buy some new grass, make an attempt at =
leveling the soil and relaying sections of the nature strip?

Thanks for your advice,

Graeme.
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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hi,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The nature strip in front of my home was recently
damaged by some heavy machinery making it very difficult to mow. There =
are
several depressions in the earth which I have to mow around. Grass =
doesn't seem
to want to grow in the gaps. My neighbour suggested planting some =
runners but I
think this will take too long or be ineffective. What is the best way to =
level
out the earth? Should I just buy a new load of soil to fill in the gaps? =
Would
it be better to buy some new grass, make an attempt at leveling the soil =
and
relaying sections of the nature strip?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Thanks for your advice,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Graeme.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Posted by David Hare-Scott on October 9, 2010, 8:23 am

Graeme wrote:

Have you asked the person who wrecked it to fix it?

The treatment depends on how big the damage is.  The soil has been compacted
where the machinery went and displaced to the side.  Loosen the soil with a
garden fork in and next to the damage and then rake it back to an even
surface.  This will make it smoother so you can mow and allow the grass to
spread in that area as it will continue to grow poorly in compacted soil.
Maybe some extra soil from elsewhere in the garden or a few bags purchased
will make it easier to level.

Depending on how wide the scar is you can just wait for the grass to grow
back (many roots and bits will still be alive and it will also spread in
from the edges) or overseed or plant runners from elsewhere.  Water and feed
it.  This is a good time of year for growing grass so it should repair quite
quickly.

Re-laying the whole lot or buying a load of soil seems excessive to me
unless the whole area is completely destroyed.

David

Posted by Graeme on October 11, 2010, 7:35 am

Hi David,

Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm going to try your suggestion of loosening
the soil with a fork, backfilling with soil and then over-seeding. My only
dilemna then is in trying to identify the type of grass in my nature strip.
Do you think if I took a sample to Bunnings them might be able to identify
it?

Thanks,

Graeme.

Posted by atec77 on October 11, 2010, 7:39 am

On 11/10/2010 9:35 PM, Graeme wrote:

The way things are being wetted a month or two and once filled the grass
will cover anyway

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Posted by David Hare-Scott on October 11, 2010, 7:41 am

Graeme wrote:

No, at bunnings they sell stuff they don't know anything.  What does it
matter?  Buy some cultivar that suits the climate and situation.  The world
will not end if your nature strip looks a little patchy.  I promise.

D