Lord0 wrote:

My lawn needs it drainage improved (a common ailment).
Once a year (usually Autumn, sometimes Spring) I go over it with my
garden fork, wiggling the fork around and then brushing sharp sand
over the lawn (and hopefully into the holes).

I'm presuming you've got a moss problem?
It has been a good year for moss, and the vast majority of lawns have
got a good spread of moss on them.
Drainage, iron sulphate, and raking are needed regularly on soggy, mossy
lawns.
Iron sulphate is the key - put it down, then rake the moss up when it
has died off. You may kill some of the grass at the same time.
Dont rake without first killing the moss, as you'll just spread the
spores if it is still alive.

This does seem to help - but not much.
My questions a
1. How often can you do the whole, fork the lawn, brush in sand
process? I suspect I could do it more than once a year but I also
suspect that at some point it will start to do more harm than good.

Unlikely to do much harm if you do it 4 times a year. Football pitches
are treated regularly.

2. Would brushing sand over the lawn (without first forking) be of any
use?

Yes, the sand will be absorbed into the soil over a few weeks.Though it
is nowhere near as effective as first making holes in the ground.

3. Would a "hollow tine aerator" be a marked improvement over the
plain old garden fork?

Yes, as it removes 'spikes' of soil when you put it in, then fill those
holes with sand.

4. Are the shoes you can buy with the spikes on them which are meant
to aerate your lawn any good or just a gimick?

If you are a clown, then they may be good.

A good lawn takes constant work to get right. What sand are you using -
builders sharp sand? or the fine silver sand?
The trend is toward builders sharp sand now, as the sand granules are
all differing sizes with some small stones in there, the thinking is
that the un-uniform texture allows better drainage compared to the very
fine unform sized silver sand, which tend to lump together in the soil,
thus not allowing better drainage.
Alan.
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