Hallo :-)
Two years ago I got a lot of moss on the front lawn. I put this stuff down
which turned the moss black. It was also supposed to feed the lawn. Looked a
right mess.
Last year the lawn was okay.
This year I have loads of brown patches and lawn looks a mess. I've tried
that Miracle Grow stuff. Not much use.
The wife has made me rake the moss up. I've done that and put some of that
Miracle Grow down.
Is there any easy answer to the moss problem?

North facing garden, Lancashire.

Thanks

Steve

"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

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?

"David Hill" wrote in message
...
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?

Well, it looks like an ordinary pitchfork. Spear and Jackson.
One side of the spikes is hollow.
It was in the garage when I moved in here.
I try with my garden but I'm not very good.
I watered weeds for two years before the bloke next door sneeringly informed
me that they were weeds.
I have also planted bulbs upside down.

On Wed, 8 May 2013 13:08:07 +0100, "Mr Pounder"
wrote:

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.

Odd fork - but as long as it opened big- and deep-enough holes which
you then filled with some sharp sand, you'll have got some drainage
in. If you don't brush in sand, the earth around the holes will pack
back in as you walk over the grass and your spiking effort will be
wasted!

The wife was dispatched and came back with Evergreen Complete granules -
ahem. I used it sparingly.

Just like a DIY project, you need to follow the instructions. Not sure
what you mean by "used sparingly" but if you used granules above the
instructed rate, you'll scorch the grass (it'll turn black but will
recover in time) and waste a lot of granules; below the instructed
rate and the concentration of the stuff in the granules won't be
enough to do the job properly - the difference between paint runs on
your doors and spreading the paint too thin.

The advantage of the liquid form is merely that it's almost impossible
to overdose and you're less likely to under dose by leaving gaps
between the areas you apply it to.

It would seem that when the moss turns black I rake it up?

If you've used enough of the stuff to do the job and it turns black
then yes. You really need a spring tine rake or scarifying rake for
this job.

If I do the same thing every year, will this keep the moss at bay?

If you're lucky, yes. Spiking and sanding the lawn probably every
other year if you do it properly.

Incidentally, when using sand in the garden, it's best to get
horticultural grade and not builders' sand - the pH is different.

HTH

--
Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling from the East end of Swansea Bay where it's May
and I'm worried about minus zero temperaturess forecast

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 8 May 2013 13:08:07 +0100, "Mr Pounder"
wrote:

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.

Odd fork - but as long as it opened big- and deep-enough holes which
you then filled with some sharp sand, you'll have got some drainage
in. If you don't brush in sand, the earth around the holes will pack
back in as you walk over the grass and your spiking effort will be
wasted!

The wife was dispatched and came back with Evergreen Complete granules -
ahem. I used it sparingly.

Just like a DIY project, you need to follow the instructions. Not sure
what you mean by "used sparingly" but if you used granules above the
instructed rate, you'll scorch the grass (it'll turn black but will
recover in time) and waste a lot of granules; below the instructed
rate and the concentration of the stuff in the granules won't be
enough to do the job properly - the difference between paint runs on
your doors and spreading the paint too thin.

The advantage of the liquid form is merely that it's almost impossible
to overdose and you're less likely to under dose by leaving gaps
between the areas you apply it to.

It would seem that when the moss turns black I rake it up?

If you've used enough of the stuff to do the job and it turns black
then yes. You really need a spring tine rake or scarifying rake for
this job.

If I do the same thing every year, will this keep the moss at bay?

If you're lucky, yes. Spiking and sanding the lawn probably every
other year if you do it properly.

Incidentally, when using sand in the garden, it's best to get
horticultural grade and not builders' sand - the pH is different.

I did not use any sand. The wife's fault for not getting any. But the lawn
only gets walked on when I mow it.

Cheers for the help.