# How to make grass lushy green color?



## blueshoes (26 Apr 2007)

Hi all. 

Im in new house nearly a year and looking at the grass now it seems to be looking yellow in places.

Most of the other properties on the road are the same, one of the neighbours behind my house has real green grass. 

Is there anything I could use now to get it green? or will I have to wait untill later in the year?

Thanks
Blueshoes


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## Dearg Doom (26 Apr 2007)

[broken link removed]. Chicken manure is great stuff for grass if you can get it.


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## johndoe64 (26 Apr 2007)

I got a bag of 10-10-20 from the local co-op which does the trick the bag was 16euro and is 8 stone so will last me quite a bit of time, be carefull applying it as too much will burn the grass.

Also if you use a fertilizer the grass will grow at a greater pace so you will be cutting it more often.


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## Happy Girl (26 Apr 2007)

johndoe64 said:


> Also if you use a fertilizer the grass will grow at a greater pace so you will be cutting it more often.


 
Be warned!!! I put 10-10-20 on lawn couple yrs ago and had fab green luscious grass. Only problem it needed to be cut twice a week (and I really mean that). Grew at an alarming rate.


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## Thedoc (26 Apr 2007)

Blueshoes,
If you want a really nice green colour in your lawn, you need to apply Sulphate of Ammonia (can be difficult to find it though). It's about 21% N, so would be 21:0:0 The sulphate gives a deep green colour which other Nirogen fertilsers won't. If you apply it in dry weather, be sure to water the lawn well afterwards. Sulphate of Ammonia scorches grass badly if applied in dry weather.

Apply at about 15 grams per square metre. An adult handfull is about 70 grams. You'll probably have to cut a little more often but the improvement will make up for it!

Good luck


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## Firefly (26 Apr 2007)

blueshoes said:


> Hi all.
> 
> Im in new house nearly a year and looking at the grass now it seems to be looking yellow in places.
> 
> ...


 


Water?


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## HighFlier (26 Apr 2007)

10 10 20 will give you a jungle. I think you can get 0 10 20 or something like 5 10 15 which dosent have the nitrogen but will improve quality.


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## johndoe64 (26 Apr 2007)

HighFlier said:


> 10 10 20 will give you a jungle. I think you can get 0 10 20 or something like 5 10 15 which dosent have the nitrogen but will improve quality.


 
It has worked well for me so far, I am cutting the grass once a week but I don't have a massive lawn so it's not any hassle.


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## Thedoc (26 Apr 2007)

Yellowing in almost any plant indicates a lack of nitrogen. This can be due to poor draianage, poor soil, a common condition in new builds where quality top soil is so expensive and builders are not too concerned with what type of soil is used for the lawns. Just a case of get it levelled and sow the seed and forget it! It's possible to have chlorosis due to iron or magnesium deficiency but nitrogen deficieny is the cause in most cases.

Applying a non nitrogen fertiliser seems like a waste of time and money


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## hagimalone (26 Apr 2007)

Potatoe fertilizer is your only man, thats what alot of gardeners use, as it not as strong as 10-10-20, you could end up having no grass by using 10-10-20.


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## oldtimer (26 Apr 2007)

I was listening to local radio this morning and a gardener said '' now is the time to get to work on the lawn - apply *lawn sand* which will eliminate weeds and bring on the grass. Ensure it is well washed in and applied as directed.''


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## priscilla (26 Apr 2007)

Try weed and feed, can be bought in most outlets.


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## Thedoc (27 Apr 2007)

Hagimalone,
Potato fertiliser is almost always 10:10:20 or sometimes 14:7:14. Not sure what you mean by not having any grass if you use 10:10:20. I'm a professional agriculturalist and your comments are far from accurate.


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## demoivre (27 Apr 2007)

priscilla said:


> Try weed and feed, can be bought in most outlets.



I agree and I have seen the evidence that Evergreen works ( the brother uses it and has a lovely weedfree lawn ). He gets it in Woodies.


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## kilomike (27 Apr 2007)

The Doc is right. NItrogen is the answer. I used to use sulphate of ammonia when it was cheap and easy to get. Found a cracker in Aldi by accident at the start of the growing season, 3kg box of grass fertilizer containing 15% Nitrogen, can't remember the other ingredients. It only cost €2.99! I have applied it twice to my front lawn, lush, dark green, neighbours green with envy. If no rain after 2 days water in or grass will burn. Happy gardening


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## Irish Garden (28 Apr 2007)

As other posters have mentioned, Sulphate of Ammonia will give your lawn a lush green colour, if applied with rain following close after.
However, for good all round greening and strengthening of your lawn, try to select a feed with this ratio.....  3/1/2
An agricultural fertiliser with this ratio is 18:6:12
10 to 15 grammes of this fertiliser per mtr sq applied to a lawn every two months, will work wonders on a soil which has the ability to retain it.


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## jrewing (28 Apr 2007)

kilomike said:


> Found a cracker in Aldi by accident at the start of the growing season, 3kg box of grass fertilizer containing 15% Nitrogen, can't remember the other ingredients. It only cost €2.99! I have applied it twice to my front lawn, lush, dark green, neighbours green with envy. If no rain after 2 days water in or grass will burn. Happy gardening


 
I used the Aldi stuff too - great results! However, I do notice a huge increase in growth, so will be cutting more often


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## bskinti (29 Apr 2007)

I'd say the problem is your top soil, its crap and your neighbors is the good stuff,


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## harbo (29 Apr 2007)

Hi, I just got a free sample of a product called Aftercut through the letterbox. It's made by Westland. 

Here's what they say; "Grass, like most garden plants really benefits from a steady supply of nutrients, especially Nitrogen. Choose the new Westland Aftercut product and apply after mowing for the best results. You can use this specially tailored lawn conditioner every 3-4 weeks from February to October and it will keep your lawn looking green and in top condition throughout the year. It creates a quick green-up effect and provides a source of nutrients to the lawn for a few weeks to keep it green and healthy. It's the ideal choice too when you decide to throw a garden party on the coming weekend and need something to green-up the lawn quickly so it looks at its best."

Gonna give it a try and I'll let you know the findings.


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## tosullivan (29 Apr 2007)

I use the Westland Lawn Sand Feed & Weed twice a year and you get the dark green grass with no weeds.
I did the 10/10/20 a few yrs back and the grass grows at a enormous rate.  It gives it a really green colour but you cut it twice a week


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## MOB (30 Apr 2007)

No, wishing to be a party-pooper, but I imagine that a very significant amount of this artificial fertiliser ends up in our surface water, contributing to the enrichment and eutrophication of our inland waterways.  If you are not in a coastal region, the impact is obviously greater, as our fresh water has a more limited ability to absorb this enrichment.

I concede the argument in favour of fertiliser in terms of bringing a lawn from inadequate to adequate, but once your lawn is adequate I think you should stop: we should all bear in mind that these products have consequences for the environment.


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## Thedoc (30 Apr 2007)

Mob,
Decent point you;ve raised, however it's more relevant to intensive farmers who spread maybe 20 or 30 tonnes of fertiliser per year on their farm than to a householder spreading a couple of kilos of fertiliser on their lawn once a year.
The quality of our waterways is certainly a cause for concern and we all need to act responsibly. (Co. Councils included!)


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## IS3218 (30 Apr 2007)

blueshoes said:


> Hi all.
> 
> Im in new house nearly a year and looking at the grass now it seems to be looking yellow in places.
> 
> ...


 

Matter of interest is there a dog in the area using the lawn as a loo?
I had this problem with the neighbours dog not so long ago and I had dead patches of lawn, I invested in a set of gates and this sloved the problem.


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## Macer (30 Apr 2007)

Can anyone advise if using any of the suggestions above on a new lawn would cause harm to new grass (aprox. 6 months set) ?


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## kilomike (30 Apr 2007)

If you want weed and feed B&Q have a good deal at the moment. Evergreen Complete 3.5 Kg with spreader plus 3.5 Kg Evergreen Complete for €15 normal price €23.46.


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