On 08/05/2013 13:08, Mr Pounder wrote:
"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 07 May 2013 18:43:11 +0100, Chris Hogg wrote:



3) Improve the drainage, either by going over it with a hollow-tine
fork (BTDT etc. A useless bit of kit; all promise and no performance;
only works on lawns that don't actually need hollow-tining), or going
over it with an ordinary garden fork, driving it in deeply (full depth
of the tines if you can) and wiggling it a bit to make the holes a
little larger. Do this all over the lawn, at about a 12 inch spacing.
It's hard work. After you've done that, brush coarse gritty sand all
over the lawn and into the holes you've made, to keep them open and
improve the drainage. This will achieve a more lasting improvement and
the moss should stay away for several years.

Drainage is a real issue. Don't think of moss as a problem - it's a
symptom. Apart from drainage, shade is another moss promoter. If your
lawn is very shady, it might be worth over-seeding it with a grass mix
designed for shade. Strong-growing grass will fight a moss invasion
better. Now is about the end of the spring seeding time so be quick.
Then reseed again with the shady mix in mid September.

I'm not a fan of Miracle Grow in any of its guises. If you want to
treat your lawn, use something like Evergreen Complete - if you're
confident use the granules but I always suggest liquid is better as
you won't scorch the grass by overdosing it. This feeds the lawn and
also kills weeds and moss. Use it BEFORE you do any reseeding - you
cannot use a treatment like this for a year after.

Thanks to both of you gentlemen for the advice.
I went over it with a fork that did not have solid spikes. This is the only
fork I have. I gave it a good wiggling around.
The wife was dispatched and came back with Evergreen Complete granules -
ahem. I used it sparingly.
It would seem that when the moss turns black I rake it up?
If I do the same thing every year, will this keep the moss at bay?

Thanks again

Steve


I'm intrigued,
What sort of fork do you have?