"Zarch" wrote in message
...

Pat Kiewicz Wrote:
Zarch said:-

As you can see from the pictures that the problem is mainly in the
front left portion of the garden.

This has part of garden has plenty things NOT going for it.

1) this is where i walk to get to the shed and to water the border
every other day
2) this part of the garden in virtual full sun throughout the day
3) I believe the roots for the large Silver Birch tree are right under
there
4) i've only created the border this spring and so this part of the
garden has really took some hammer under foot.-

I think between #1 and #4 (with a bit of #2 thrown in) you have an
explanation. The soil is compacted and the lawn stresses out in the
sun.
(#3 isn't helping the lawn at all, either.)

The solution might be to core aerate the trampled parts and then
spread
a top dressing of compost over it. Watch for water stress and maybe
give it some supplemental watering.

--
Pat K. ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)


Many thanks for the that Pat. I'm glad to hear its nothing that some
care and attention can't sort out.

Could you explain to me what you mean by "Core Aerate" please? Should
i just get out there with a fork? or would some sort of rotary aerator
be better?

http://tinyurl.com/dzfn7

Would the "Rotary Lawn Aerator" or the "Hollow Time Aerator" from the
abive link be your recommendation?

Thanks again

Mick


--
Zarch

The hollow time might be, but looks like a lot of work. Core aerators have
hollow tines that push into the soil and remove a plug as they go whereas
the spike type generally force a solid spike into the ground to create a
hole and removes no soil. Many believe (myself included) that spike type
aerators, while they do make holes, worsen the compaction of the soil in the
long run because they make the hole by compacting the soil surrounding the
spike entry point outward from the hole.

Best bet, if you have or can locate a truck would be to go to your local
lawn equipment rental and rent a gas powered core aerator for a few hours.
Or, if you have a garden tractor, you might locate and purchase a tow behind
plug aerator. There are those who would definitely advise against the tow
behind but my experience has been that, if maintained properly, they work
very well on a typical lawn. Either way, your lawn would love you for it if
used yearly at fall, perhaps followed by a nice overseeding.

In a pinch aeration can be done even now and your lawn will benefit from it
but reseeding in the heat of summer is always an iffy proposition but not
necessarily impossible.