On 27 Feb, 09:39, "Rupert \(W.Yorkshire\)"
wrote:
"Chris Hogg" wrote in message

...

I have a lot of moss in my 'lawn'. It gets worse every time I scarify
it! Clearly there's an underlying problem such as compacted soil that
I need to address in the fullness of time (I have aquired a
hollow-tine aerator for the purpose). In the interim, I'm thinking of
lawn sand to kill the moss. Prof. Alan Gemmell (sp?) of GQT fame many
years ago, had a recipe for lawn sand involving ferrous sulphate. Can
anyone remember the recipe? Is it worth making my own, or is
commercial stuff with modern chemicals more effective these days?

--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Chris - depending on your definition or age lawn sand is just a mixture of
Ferrous Sulphate with a diluent such as sharp sand. Most versions now
contain a bit of Nitrogen containing stuff, such as Ammonium nitrate.
You can make your own,but I doubt that it is still legal to prepare your own
products for garden use. In any event mixing these three ingredients is a
pain. Expect an armed visit from the authorities if you start to actively
seek out pure Ammonium nitrate:-)
Save your money and get the drainage right first and then perhaps use a bit
of lawn sand, ready made.

The recipe we used in the seed shop I worked in for a short time in
the 1960s had Ammonium sulphate instead of 'Nitram', the one we were
given for City & Guilds was similar. If you mix a lot of the dry
ingredients your teeth will be stained black (temporarily) by the
Ferrous Sulphate.