Hi there,

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).

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.

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

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

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?

5. etc etc

Cheers

Lord0

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.
--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

I'm presuming you've got a moss problem?

Ya - lots of it


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.

I suspected as much

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.

Hehe

A good lawn takes constant work to get right. What sand are you using -
builders sharp sand? or the fine silver sand?

Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time

"Lord0" wrote in message
...

I'm presuming you've got a moss problem?

Ya - lots of it


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.

I suspected as much

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.

Hehe

A good lawn takes constant work to get right. What sand are you using -
builders sharp sand? or the fine silver sand?

Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time

sharp sand is no god for ur lawn it will not blend with your soil profile
creating a root break use proper lawn sand or just keep ur lawn aerated
regularly and top dress each autumn with a 70/30 sand soil mixture

pied piper wrote:

"Lord0" wrote in message ...

Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time

sharp sand is no god for ur lawn it will not blend with your soil profile
creating a root break use proper lawn sand

I dont agree.
Even my local garden centre has stopped selling anythng other than sharp
sand. They used to sell it as 'Horticultural Sharp Sand', now it is just
plain 'Sharp Sand', the same as from a builders merchants.
Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.

If you are using a garden fork to improve drainage you should also be doing this in the summer when the ground is dry. You will need a very sturdy fork as the best method is to drive it into the ground, then give a really good push and pull on the handle. This widens the holes and also cause lateral cracks in the soil structure vastly improving drainage and aeration. Personally, I prefere not to use any sand unless the holes are unsightly.

"A.Lee" wrote in message
...
pied piper wrote:

"Lord0" wrote in message ...

Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time

sharp sand is no god for ur lawn it will not blend with your soil profile
creating a root break use proper lawn sand

I dont agree.
Even my local garden centre has stopped selling anythng other than sharp
sand. They used to sell it as 'Horticultural Sharp Sand', now it is just
plain 'Sharp Sand', the same as from a builders merchants.
Alan.

whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly proven
that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u was to
look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles are non
porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder grass
growth..

pied piper wrote:
"A.Lee" wrote in message
...
pied piper wrote:

"Lord0" wrote in message ...
Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time
sharp sand is no god for ur lawn it will not blend with your soil profile
creating a root break use proper lawn sand
I dont agree.
Even my local garden centre has stopped selling anythng other than sharp
sand. They used to sell it as 'Horticultural Sharp Sand', now it is just
plain 'Sharp Sand', the same as from a builders merchants.
Alan.

whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly proven
that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u was to
look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles are non
porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder grass
growth..



Surely being non-porous is what defines free-draining.

"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
...
pied piper wrote:
"A.Lee" wrote in message
...
pied piper wrote:

"Lord0" wrote in message ...
Sharp sand - how much should I spread at a time i.e. how deep should
it sit on the lawn?

and thanks for your time
sharp sand is no god for ur lawn it will not blend with your soil
profile
creating a root break use proper lawn sand
I dont agree.
Even my local garden centre has stopped selling anythng other than sharp
sand. They used to sell it as 'Horticultural Sharp Sand', now it is just
plain 'Sharp Sand', the same as from a builders merchants.
Alan.

whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly proven
that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u was to
look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles are
non porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder
grass growth..

Surely being non-porous is what defines free-draining.

The water will not drain through it and the solidity will prevent it from
blending with your current root zone.

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
| "Stuart Noble" wrote in message
| ...
|
| whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly proven
| that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u was to
| look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles are
| non porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder
| grass growth..
|
| Surely being non-porous is what defines free-draining.
|
| The water will not drain through it and the solidity will prevent it from
| blending with your current root zone.

The above is almost complete nonsense. The free-draining properties
of sharp sand come from the gaps between the grains, and its benefits
on clay come from the fact that it is NOT porous, and so doesn't
expand and contract as the amount of water changes. That, in turn,
causes breaks in the clay, which is what the water drains through.

But, no, being non-porous is not what defines free-draining. You
can have all four combinations.

I have no idea where you got the ideas of "clay root zones", "root
breaks" and it not blending with clay from, but I can assure you that
most clay soils include some sand and most sand soils include some
clay. They blend perfectly well, and roots grow from one to the
other perfectly well. My soil is 60% sand, 18% silt and 22% clay,
and is a very typical sandy loam.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
| "Stuart Noble" wrote in message
| ...
|
| whether u agree or not is besides the point its been scientificaly
proven
| that adding sharp sand to clay root zone causes a root break.If u
was to
| look at sharp sand under a microscope u would see that the particles
are
| non porous so it will also not aid in drainage . It will also hinder
| grass growth..
|
| Surely being non-porous is what defines free-draining.
|
| The water will not drain through it and the solidity will prevent it
from
| blending with your current root zone.

The above is almost complete nonsense. The free-draining properties
of sharp sand come from the gaps between the grains, and its benefits
on clay come from the fact that it is NOT porous, and so doesn't
expand and contract as the amount of water changes. That, in turn,
causes breaks in the clay, which is what the water drains through.

But, no, being non-porous is not what defines free-draining. You
can have all four combinations.

I have no idea where you got the ideas of "clay root zones", "root
breaks" and it not blending with clay from, but I can assure you that
most clay soils include some sand and most sand soils include some
clay. They blend perfectly well, and roots grow from one to the
other perfectly well. My soil is 60% sand, 18% silt and 22% clay,
and is a very typical sandy loam.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay content just
throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u bothered to
read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was suggested to
dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a dressing of
sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This is not my
idea but a fact.

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
|
| Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay content just
| throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u bothered to
| read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was suggested to
| dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a dressing of
| sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This is not my
| idea but a fact.

You can, of course, provide evidence for that statement?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
|
| Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay content
just
| throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u bothered
to
| read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was suggested
to
| dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a
dressing of
| sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This is not
my
| idea but a fact.

You can, of course, provide evidence for that statement?


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
yes having worked for over 30 years in the sports pitch construction
industry and having a diploma in groundsmanship I can .

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
|
| | Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay content
| just
| | throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u bothered
| to
| | read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was suggested
| to
| | dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a
| dressing of
| | sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This is not
| my
| | idea but a fact.
|
| You can, of course, provide evidence for that statement?
|
| yes having worked for over 30 years in the sports pitch construction
| industry and having a diploma in groundsmanship I can .

Then please do.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...

In article ,
"pied piper" writes:
|
| | Of course u can mix clay with sand but if u have a high clay
content
| just
| | throwing sharp builders sand on it will have no benefit.If u
bothered
| to
| | read the whole thread u might have learnt something as it was
suggested
| to
| | dress using a 70 30 sand loam mixture.Its a fact that applying a
| dressing of
| | sharp sand will cause a root break as it will not blend in .This
is not
| my
| | idea but a fact.
|
| You can, of course, provide evidence for that statement?
|
| yes having worked for over 30 years in the sports pitch construction
| industry and having a diploma in groundsmanship I can .

Then please do.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Years of seeing sharp sand being put on sportpitches the damage it causes in
sever cases the whole pitch had to have the top 4 inches removed and
suitable loam replaced . Its false economy people use it because its cheap
but it does more harm than good.Before u bang on about it I am talking about
SHARP SAND.For proof just buy any book on grass maintenance printed in the
past 5 years.