On Apr 21, 10:04*am, lasors wrote:
I realise the above does nothing to address the problem of why the moss
is forming, which I believe to be poor drainage, which could be linked
to a mass of thatch holding moisture?

Get a flat spade and take out a sq ft of turf in a few
spots. Look at it from the side. A half inch or so of
dead material is normal. If you have an inch or two of
thatch, then you have a problem. You can google to
find some pics.



Would aeration/drainage be better coming later on, once I've tried to
get the grass growing again?

--
lasors

If the drainage is related to compaction, then aeration will
help. But it could also be due to other factors, like that
area of the soil having a higher water table. Or it could
be that there is a clay layer a few inches down. If the
cause is those, then aeration isn't going to solve it. Aeration
is generally a good thing though, so no real harm in doing it
and it should help the grass grow.

The only negative is that while you can do it anytime, I'd
prefer to do it in Fall. That's the best time to seed and if
you do the aeration now, disturbing the soil, you're giving weeds an
opportunity to grow. In the Fall, that's less of a
problem. But you can always go after the weeds with
a herbicide.