Grass solutions

Grass will always regrow once the weather changes - I cannot imagine how much money outdoor lamps and power would cost, but unless you are running a crown bowling green, I would recomment patience as the best medicine. 

Stevie, as a very old gardener I ask why???
Grass is notorious for growing all by itself in any conditions apart from arid.
One of my lawns was put down just before Christmas one year and was up and running by Spring, it was totally the wrong time but nature has its own rules.
I have seen the grass growing greenhouses in Lincoln and Norfolk, that is because they grow it all year round for the instant lawn market and they may give extra daylight but that is only a guess.
Optimum time for sowing lawns is Spring or Autumn and no aids are needed apart from bird scarers. Rolled turf can be put down almost any time apart from very dry or frosty conditions.
I would ask when it is the longest daylight period why use lamps and if heat was the idea a good easterly would ruin that. Now some one will come on and educate both of us.

Frank.

Unless you live on the dark side of the moon, why do you need such an item ? or items ?

Maybe it's the other 'grass'. Naughty naughty.

cufcskim wrote (see)

Maybe it's the other 'grass'. Naughty naughty.

Not so at all. You're quite wrong.

Because 'Stevie 2' previously posted this back in April:
http://www.gardenersworld.com/forum/problem-solving/massive-lawn-help/2930.html

He really is desperate to grow a lawn.

There's supposed to be a huge grow lamp up in the sky, but some of us haven't seen much of if for the past few months. Maybe that will change.

I would have thought that the mild and humid conditions that we've been having were ideal for grass growth. Wimbledon were reseeding their courts just a couple of weeks ago, in order to be ready for the Olympics. I wonder how they're managing.

And I always thought gardening was all about 'Nature' and 'Conservation' and alsorts of benign things.

The grass is growing so strongly at the moment it could do with cutting twice a week-I think Steve if your new lawn isn't growing then you are doing something fundamentally wrong-but what?-perhaps you tell us what the problem is?

You do not need artificial lighting in any shape or form

In Steve's original post he said that he sowed grass seed (in March) and then covered the seed with 2cm of top soil. Alina gave this diagnosis for the seed not coming through:

Alina W wrote (see)

There may have been too much soil covering the grass - it is normally sown virtually on the surface.

If the seed was buried, then it doesn't have much chance, and will rot, I'd have throught.

Grass seeds are not like things like sweet peas which do need a deep covering. Most small seeds can be sown on the surface, or very lightly covered. But not 2cm. When sowing grass, a gentle raking should be enough, so that the seeds just sit among the bits of soil.

Sprinkle some more seed on top, over a small test area, asap, and see what happens.

This is a good time- the ground is wet and warm-it will germinate within 7/10 days-just keep it watered- not saturated-and dont over-obsess-it will grow-grass grows everywhere- a lot of the time in places you don't want it to.

How about getting advice from your neighbour who has "lovely grass" with the "same light issues"? Good luck!

Its suprising how much seed birds can eat! Re seed your dodgy areas, only just covering the seed and then put scare crows everywhere (it wont look very pretty but will work)

I ended up using loads of old CDs on a network of string and bamboo canes all over the lawn and it did the trick

The other thing that you can do is cover the areas with fleece. Make sure that you pin it down well at the edges so birds can't get underneath.

Stevie 2 wrote (see)

... Found a company who quoted me ??120,000 for 100 sq metre coverage...

That's ridiculous. 100 sq metres is only 30 feet x 30 feet (in old money). In terms of a lawn that's actually quite small.

Surely that area only requires 3 or 4 kilos of seed, around £15.

Does Stevie mean lights, I wonder, Gary?