In article ,
says...
From: Spider
Newsgroups: uk.rec.gardening

On 20/02/2014 14:28, Janet wrote:

In message , Spider
writes
On 19/02/2014 13:02, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing.

Has the time come for the first cut?

I doubt the ground will be truly dry until the grass reaches waist height.

Cheers

Dave R

Before I do my first cut, I shall aerate the lawn first, to help it
drain more freely. Why not see if you can walk on yours and try
aerating it before mowing?

Haven't you followed weather reports?



Of course I have.



In the many areas where months of heavy rain have either raised local
water tables or saturated subsoil and topsoil, aerating the lawn will
make not a blind bit of difference. Just as pulling out the bathplug
won't solve a blocked drain.

Janet.

I was replying to David, who had sunny weather and a growing lawn.

He lives in Suffolk, which has been heavily flooded. Sunny weather at
this time of year has minimum evaporation effect so won't reduce the
water held in saturated soil. Nor will "aerating the lawn".

If
his lawn was too saturated to work (whether mowing or aerating), it
would probably be suffering from anaerobic topsoil/subsoil and not
growing well or at all.

Nonsense. Our grass is growing, the ground is completely saturated,
it is not suffering from anaerobic topsoil/subsoil. Just a very wet
winter.

If you had read my post, you would see that it implicitly suggested that
*if* he could walk on it, he *might* try aerating it. This would make
it less compacted and to some extent freer draining.

No, it will not make it freer-draining while the soil is saturated.


In turn, this
would cause less damage when he walks on it to mow it, *when* he mows it.

Walking (and working) on saturated lawn is going to cause more damage
not less.

I was offering David what I believed to be sound advice served with
caution. If you've got some genuinely good advice, then I suggest you
give it to David.

I did that by counteracting your dodgy advice and explaining why it
was faulty.

Janet.

On Thu, 20 Feb 2014 18:48:59 +0000, Janet wrote:

snip
He lives in Suffolk, which has been heavily flooded. Sunny weather at
this time of year has minimum evaporation effect so won't reduce the
water held in saturated soil. Nor will "aerating the lawn".
snip increasingly pointless argument

I fear that you are mis-informed.

Where I live in Suffolk has not been 'heavily flooded' - in fact if we
were heavily flooded some people a bit nearer sea level would be in very
deep trouble indeed.

So it was a serious question, and advice to consider aerating the lawn
before mowing seems reasonable.

The water table is not as high as the lawn - there are lower areas of the
garden which are not flooded.

So the ground seems soggy but not water logged.

Cheers

Dave R

Spider Wrote :-

Good for you! Bet you're grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat!
Perhaps Spring is around the corner after all.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Never mind round the corner - it is here -- here in Cheshire (:-)(:-)(:-)

Pete

"Peter & Jeanne" wrote in message
news



Spider Wrote :-

Good for you! Bet you're grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat!
Perhaps Spring is around the corner after all.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

Never mind round the corner - it is here -- here in Cheshire (:-)(:-)(:-)

Pete
==============================================


Lovely and sunny here on the south east coast of the Isle of Wight.

Slight chill in the wind, but OK in a windcheater.

Mike




---------------------------------------------------------------
www.friendsofshanklintheatre.co.uk
www.hmscollingwoodassociation.com
www.rneba.org.uk
www.nsrafa.org

On Thu, 20 Feb 2014 18:48:59 -0000, Janet wrote:

In article ,
says...
From: Spider
Newsgroups: uk.rec.gardening

On 20/02/2014 14:28, Janet wrote:

In message , Spider
writes
On 19/02/2014 13:02, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing.

Has the time come for the first cut?

I doubt the ground will be truly dry until the grass reaches waist height.

Cheers

Dave R

Before I do my first cut, I shall aerate the lawn first, to help it
drain more freely. Why not see if you can walk on yours and try
aerating it before mowing?

Haven't you followed weather reports?



Of course I have.



In the many areas where months of heavy rain have either raised local
water tables or saturated subsoil and topsoil, aerating the lawn will
make not a blind bit of difference. Just as pulling out the bathplug
won't solve a blocked drain.

Janet.

I was replying to David, who had sunny weather and a growing lawn.

He lives in Suffolk, which has been heavily flooded. Sunny weather at
this time of year has minimum evaporation effect so won't reduce the
water held in saturated soil. Nor will "aerating the lawn".

Even though you know more than anyone else on this NG, I'm still
surprised that you know better that the OP just how wet his lawn is.


gratuitous rudeness snipped

On 20/02/2014 21:51, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
On Thu, 20 Feb 2014 18:48:59 +0000, Janet wrote:

snip
He lives in Suffolk, which has been heavily flooded. Sunny weather at
this time of year has minimum evaporation effect so won't reduce the
water held in saturated soil. Nor will "aerating the lawn".
snip increasingly pointless argument

I fear that you are mis-informed.

Where I live in Suffolk has not been 'heavily flooded' - in fact if we
were heavily flooded some people a bit nearer sea level would be in very
deep trouble indeed.

So it was a serious question, and advice to consider aerating the lawn
before mowing seems reasonable.

The water table is not as high as the lawn - there are lower areas of the
garden which are not flooded.

So the ground seems soggy but not water logged.

Cheers

Dave R




Thank you, David, for confirming that I had interpreted your question
correctly. We have a cold but brilliantly sunny day here. If you have
anything like it, you will probably enjoy a bit of lawn work.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On 21/02/2014 09:20, Peter & Jeanne wrote:



Spider Wrote :-

Good for you! Bet you're grinning like the proverbial Cheshire Cat!
Perhaps Spring is around the corner after all.



I'm delighted to hear it. It is increasingly in evidence here. Today
is gloriously sunny, but very cold.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay

On Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:02:19 +0000, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing.

Has the time come for the first cut?

I doubt the ground will be truly dry until the grass reaches waist
height.


Damn!

Need to mow the lawn AGAIN!

Curse this unseasonable weather.

Cheers

Dave R

On 06/03/2014 12:07, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
On Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:02:19 +0000, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing.

Has the time come for the first cut?

I doubt the ground will be truly dry until the grass reaches waist
height.


Damn!

Need to mow the lawn AGAIN!

Curse this unseasonable weather.

Cheers

Dave R


I scarified my (small) front lawn yesterday. That produced a full
wheelbarrow load of moss and thatch, and there's still plenty of moss in
the lawn.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

On 06/03/2014 12:07, David.WE.Roberts wrote:
On Wed, 19 Feb 2014 13:02:19 +0000, David.WE.Roberts wrote:

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the grass is growing.

Has the time come for the first cut?

I doubt the ground will be truly dry until the grass reaches waist
height.


Damn!

Need to mow the lawn AGAIN!

Curse this unseasonable weather.

Cheers

Dave R


Yes, I was looking at my lawns the last few days and thinking they need
cutting. I don't think I've ever cut the grass in March before.

"Bob H" wrote in message
m...



Yes, I was looking at my lawns the last few days and thinking they need
cutting. I don't think I've ever cut the grass in March before.

March - lol
February here in Cheshire !!
Did cut two yesterday (:-)

Pete