http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike

--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................

On 21/01/2012 16:30, 'Mike' wrote:
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike



I would have thought that homemade compost material would be too light
and crumbly for a satisfactory lawn infill. You need something
loam-based. Better still, use soil from elsewhere in the garden so that
it matches the lawn soil in that area. Otherwise, you could end up with
two bold stripes of a different shade of green.

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the
soil, causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and
aerate the soil here before you start filling in.

Hope this helps.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 21/01/2012 16:30, 'Mike' wrote:
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike



I would have thought that homemade compost material would be too light and
crumbly for a satisfactory lawn infill. You need something loam-based.
Better still, use soil from elsewhere in the garden so that it matches the
lawn soil in that area. Otherwise, you could end up with two bold stripes
of a different shade of green.

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the soil,
causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and aerate the
soil here before you start filling in.

Hope this helps.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider indeed it does help. I did try at one point to rake and open it up,
but it seems quite solid. As far as 'elsewhere' is concerned, there is no
'elsewhere', the whole lot, about 2 acres, being landscaped and as far as
possible maintenance free and more for socializing than anything else, such
as the 50th birthday of a friend in the barn last week. (No photos of that
but http://www.myalbum.com/Album=IKAF3YLN typical)

Thanks for your comments.

Mike


--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................

On 21/01/2012 18:07, 'Mike' wrote:


wrote in message
...
On 21/01/2012 16:30, 'Mike' wrote:
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike



I would have thought that homemade compost material would be too light and
crumbly for a satisfactory lawn infill. You need something loam-based.
Better still, use soil from elsewhere in the garden so that it matches the
lawn soil in that area. Otherwise, you could end up with two bold stripes
of a different shade of green.

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the soil,
causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and aerate the
soil here before you start filling in.

Hope this helps.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider indeed it does help. I did try at one point to rake and open it up,
but it seems quite solid. As far as 'elsewhere' is concerned, there is no
'elsewhere', the whole lot, about 2 acres, being landscaped and as far as
possible maintenance free and more for socializing than anything else, such
as the 50th birthday of a friend in the barn last week. (No photos of that
but http://www.myalbum.com/Album=IKAF3YLN typical)

Thanks for your comments.


Any chance of rotavating along the tracks to break up the compaction?
Then /gently/ firm. Cut turves from along the edge of the wall and lay
those along the tracks. Reseed where the turves have been removed (it
won't look so bad by the wall!). If you don't care too much what the
grass looks like, and don't mind the expense, you could always order
some turves for the job rather than cut them yourself.

--

Jeff

On 21/01/2012 18:07, 'Mike' wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 21/01/2012 16:30, 'Mike' wrote:
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike



I would have thought that homemade compost material would be too light
and crumbly for a satisfactory lawn infill. You need something
loam-based. Better still, use soil from elsewhere in the garden so
that it matches the lawn soil in that area. Otherwise, you could end
up with two bold stripes of a different shade of green.

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the
soil, causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and
aerate the soil here before you start filling in.

Hope this helps.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider indeed it does help. I did try at one point to rake and open it
up, but it seems quite solid. As far as 'elsewhere' is concerned, there
is no 'elsewhere', the whole lot, about 2 acres, being landscaped and as
far as possible maintenance free and more for socializing than anything
else, such as the 50th birthday of a friend in the barn last week. (No
photos of that but http://www.myalbum.com/Album=IKAF3YLN typical)

Thanks for your comments.

Mike



As you have found, something more penetrating than a rake is required.
It may be necessary to cultivate the soil to at least a spade's depth
and possibly twice the width of the damaged area. It is a big job.

This may be impertinent, but it seems likely that the damage was caused
by a contractor's dumper truck. Could this be so? If this is the case,
can the contractor be persuaded to 'help out' with the application of a
landscaping-class cultivator? Otherwise, I'm afraid it's just hard
grind until you have a tilth fine enough and level enough to seed.

Looking at your pic, it seems Christmas was celebrated in style. If the
same energy is applied to the garden, the lawn should be pure velvet by
summer! Good luck.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 21/01/2012 18:07, 'Mike' wrote:


"Spider" wrote in message
...
On 21/01/2012 16:30, 'Mike' wrote:
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike



I would have thought that homemade compost material would be too light
and crumbly for a satisfactory lawn infill. You need something
loam-based. Better still, use soil from elsewhere in the garden so
that it matches the lawn soil in that area. Otherwise, you could end
up with two bold stripes of a different shade of green.

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the
soil, causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and
aerate the soil here before you start filling in.

Hope this helps.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Spider indeed it does help. I did try at one point to rake and open it
up, but it seems quite solid. As far as 'elsewhere' is concerned, there
is no 'elsewhere', the whole lot, about 2 acres, being landscaped and as
far as possible maintenance free and more for socializing than anything
else, such as the 50th birthday of a friend in the barn last week. (No
photos of that but http://www.myalbum.com/Album=IKAF3YLN typical)

Thanks for your comments.

Mike



As you have found, something more penetrating than a rake is required. It
may be necessary to cultivate the soil to at least a spade's depth and
possibly twice the width of the damaged area. It is a big job.

This may be impertinent, but it seems likely that the damage was caused by
a contractor's dumper truck. Could this be so? If this is the case, can
the contractor be persuaded to 'help out' with the application of a
landscaping-class cultivator? Otherwise, I'm afraid it's just hard grind
until you have a tilth fine enough and level enough to seed.

Looking at your pic, it seems Christmas was celebrated in style. If the
same energy is applied to the garden, the lawn should be pure velvet by
summer! Good luck.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay

Something has got to be done with the wet here
http://www.myalbum.com/Album=4HVWX4UN like put a sump/trench/channel into
the pond or stream, therefore some earth 'will' be available to fill the
tracks. (Forgot about that problem)

Thanks for all the comments.

(That Christmas was two years ago but we did the same again last Christmas
:-)

Mike

--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

On Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:48:18 +0000, Spider wrote:

In some of your pics, the dumper tracks appear to have compacted the
soil, causing water to lie on the surface. You need to open up and
aerate the soil here before you start filling in.

Yes, particularly the snakey path between the plants. That really
needs forking open to the depths of a fork. Some of the others don't
look to bad just single back and forth pass? I'd be tempted to leave
those and see what they look like once the grass has started to grow
and the rain has washed the squidged up mud off.

If by late spring/early summer there is a noticable dip I'd cut down
the center of the dip cut and fold the turf back, bung some top soil
in, lightly compact and fold the turf back down and roll.

If it all needs doing it might be (will be!) easier to hire a turf
cutting machine and lift the turf rather than just a slit and fold
back.


--
Cheers
Dave.

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...
http://www.myalbum.com/Album-UXYIAXS...-of-Other.html

Propose using some of the compost heap to fill then seed.

Any other suggestions?

Mike

--

...................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

...................................

If you are seriously considering repairing the damage then you have a major
job to do. Digging up the tracks, then levelling to match the surrounding
lawn. Re-seeding would be one answer or returfing - if you can get matching
turves. Someone mentioned a turf cutting machine, I doubt this would work
properly.

Another alternative would be to make the track a permanent one, properly
laid. This, I think, is not the sort of answer you want to hear.

Bill

On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:19:21 -0000, Bill Grey wrote:

Someone mentioned a turf cutting machine, I doubt this would work
properly.

Not for the sections that have really sunk, only for those bits that
just look a bit muddy and squashed grass and after letting it have a
chance to recover.

--
Cheers
Dave.

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.co.uk...
On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:19:21 -0000, Bill Grey wrote:

Someone mentioned a turf cutting machine, I doubt this would work
properly.

Not for the sections that have really sunk, only for those bits that
just look a bit muddy and squashed grass and after letting it have a
chance to recover.

--
Cheers
Dave.




Thanks everybody for your tips and advice, including those who emailed me
AND the IOW Urglers, John and Penny who came to visit and see :-))

Wonderful helpful lot, ................. mainly ;-)

ACTION decided. Fork, as has been suggested, the tacks which snake between
the plants to ease compaction. Fork in a small amount of compost and leave
slightly raised for settling. Grass already there should spread across and
not show ..................... we hope.

The rest, which is very wet, fork and rake and wait and see what happens.
Doesn't show in the pictures, but the grass 'is' there, but it has been left
rough, so with forking and raking, it might recover.

The contractors are now down at the the Restaurant sorting out the Function
Room on the first floor and the apartment on the top floor. Got to take some
progress shots today as the kitchen is due to start today. Mustn't hold that
up, the Function Room is wanted for St Valentine's Day ;-))

Thanks for your great interest and help. A lot goes on off screen ;-)))

Mike

--

....................................

I'm an Angel, honest ! The horns are there just to keep the halo straight.

....................................