How easy is it to grow grass + have non muddy?

[enginestar]

My wife wants fake grass... I want real grass!

Right now we have sand over soil (with weeds growing plenty).

How easy is it to grow grass?
Is it a bad idea to grow in summer time?

The area I have is:

525cm x 490cm + 320cm 220cm - this is one side
210cm x 490cm - this is the other side
(In the middle I have a path to my garden office)

That's a total of 44 square metres.

What would the cost be to lay new grass using seeds?

I looked up the price of turf and that would cost less than £150.

IMPORTANT: how do I make it 'non muddy' when it's not sunny!?
This is the worst aspect of having the grass... before... we had grass... and there were large patches of where the grass had stopped growing... these became really muddy.

If I could at least minimise the muddiness I could live with that to be honest.
So is the answer just look after the grass and keep it growing?

Any replies would be great.

Thanks.

 

[alp]

You have to improve the drainage. I myself prefer real grass. Don't go to Poundland to buy their grass (I have learned this to my absolute horror. The grass grows very fast and is always taller than the existing old one!). Have some research or ask grass company what kind of grass is good for your area. You just sow them as per instruction. There is a lot of knowledge in grass, see if you can talk to any qualified gardener about them. They might be able to give you more advice.

 

[enginestar]

thanks alp.
i'll definitely get some advice.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Have some research or ask grass company what kind of grass is good for your area

Yep, agree. have many types of "lawn" grass seed. remember grass is a perennial plant. so it depends what works best. you may need, depending on the size of your property, where sun hits or does not hit, two or three types of seeds. we went through this years ago as some areas of our property is heavy shaded, some lessor etc. its a fun little research. They will also make a mixture in grass seed bags. Some folks like to add clover seeds to their lawn for the smell and the little purple flowers. but yes, your soil needs to be fixed first.

 

[Sheal]

The fact that your lawn gets muddy and you live in London suggests you may be gardening on clay. Try digging well down under the sand for a sample. Squeeze it in your hand and if it holds together then it's likely to be clay, if it crumbles then probably sandy.

How deep is the sand? if you have clay soil then it would be a good idea to dig the sand into the soil ( a good spades depth) to help keep it drained and stop the 'muddiness'. If you have sandy soil (free draining) then I would remove the sand completely and dig in compost or horse manure, this will help to retain moisture and nutrients which disappear quickly with sandy soil.

 

[enginestar]

@Sheal... I didn't see your reply until now. Sorry.
Soil: it holds together.
Currently, the sand is maybe 3cm deep all around.

Keep the sand? Dig and then sew seeds?
Thanks.

 

[Sheal]

Not a problem @enginestar. It would seem your soil is clay. Yes, I'd dig the sand in but your soil would also benefit from organic matter such as horse manure or compost, but I'd leave this until the winter months or early spring now as it would be to rich for starting seeds in. What ever you decide to use, if not both, it can be spread on the surface and left to worms to work in.

If your soil is lumpy it may be worth raking to break it down and then sow your seeds.