Spring lawn treatment?
 

It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Cheers

Dave R

--
Windows 8.1 on PCSpecialist box

Spring lawn treatment?
 

On 05/03/2016 14:35, David wrote:
It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Once it is growing strongly then there is no problem. If you treat too
soon then the cold dormant weeds and moss are less affected and active
ingredients will wash away in the rain before they take effect.

Unless you are after a bowling green Chemlawn (US tradename) standard
finish then it might be more cost effective to spot weed any dandelions
and other nuisances. Killing moss in a lawn with poor drainage makes it
look a mess and the moss will return unless the drainage is sorted out.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Spring lawn treatment?
 

In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:
On 05/03/2016 14:35, David wrote:
It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Once it is growing strongly then there is no problem. If you treat too
soon then the cold dormant weeds and moss are less affected and active
ingredients will wash away in the rain before they take effect.

And it can harm the grass, a bit.

Unless you are after a bowling green Chemlawn (US tradename) standard
finish then it might be more cost effective to spot weed any dandelions
and other nuisances. Killing moss in a lawn with poor drainage makes it
look a mess and the moss will return unless the drainage is sorted out.

It's not just poor drainage - shade will do it as well, and there's
not much most people can do about that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Spring lawn treatment?
 

David wrote:
It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Cheers

Dave R


Are you planning to do a 3-in-1 sort of thing? I gave up on that,
because it seemed to me that wetter seasons were a better time to treat
moss, and summer was a better time to treat weeds. So, I've already
been out and killed what moss there was with ferrous sulphate, but not
yet fed the grass or killed any weeds. Having said that, I don't get
much moss any more, so there aren't that many black patches. I've no
idea how empirically 'correct' all this is, but it works well for me,
and I've settled on it.

Spring lawn treatment?
 

On 17/03/2016 11:14, Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Martin Brown wrote:

Unless you are after a bowling green Chemlawn (US tradename) standard
finish then it might be more cost effective to spot weed any dandelions
and other nuisances. Killing moss in a lawn with poor drainage makes it
look a mess and the moss will return unless the drainage is sorted out.

It's not just poor drainage - shade will do it as well, and there's
not much most people can do about that.

I have one awkward patch in shade and with a natural spring in winter. I
gave up on grass entirely and switched to mosses and ferns instead. It
looks much better as a fern garden than it ever did as a lawn.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Spring lawn treatment?
 

On 17/03/2016 11:30, Dan S. MacAbre wrote:
David wrote:
It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Are you planning to do a 3-in-1 sort of thing? I gave up on that,
because it seemed to me that wetter seasons were a better time to treat
moss, and summer was a better time to treat weeds. So, I've already
been out and killed what moss there was with ferrous sulphate, but not
yet fed the grass or killed any weeds. Having said that, I don't get
much moss any more, so there aren't that many black patches. I've no
idea how empirically 'correct' all this is, but it works well for me,
and I've settled on it.

It is slightly better to add both ferrous sulphate (to kill moss) and
ammonium sulphate (to feed the grass) at the same time best cut with
sand or water to avoid overdosing and burning the grass. Basically
feeding one whilst killing the other maximises the effectiveness.

If I can get it on half price end of year garden centre clear out (prior
to the Halloween/Xmas grotto erection) I use which ever mix I can get.
Otherwise grass doesn't seem to mind being ignored or any yellow bits
fed with a general purpose fertiliser.

I tend to use spot weeding spray or a 12" screwdriver for weeds. I allow
a few wild flowers like daisies, speedwell and bella in the lawn but I
draw the line at buttercup and dandelion. The latter go with a really
satisfying crack when you pull them out right.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Spring lawn treatment?
 

Martin Brown wrote:
On 17/03/2016 11:30, Dan S. MacAbre wrote:
David wrote:
It seems a little early for lawn treatment but the lawn seems to be
growing vigorously (as is the moss) so when is it safe to treat?

Are you planning to do a 3-in-1 sort of thing? I gave up on that,
because it seemed to me that wetter seasons were a better time to treat
moss, and summer was a better time to treat weeds. So, I've already
been out and killed what moss there was with ferrous sulphate, but not
yet fed the grass or killed any weeds. Having said that, I don't get
much moss any more, so there aren't that many black patches. I've no
idea how empirically 'correct' all this is, but it works well for me,
and I've settled on it.

It is slightly better to add both ferrous sulphate (to kill moss) and
ammonium sulphate (to feed the grass) at the same time best cut with
sand or water to avoid overdosing and burning the grass. Basically
feeding one whilst killing the other maximises the effectiveness.

I might try some ammonium sulphate, then. I like the idea of buying the
chemicals, because they're so much cheaper than the mixes. But I don't
feed the grass much - maybe it's happier because I don't try to keep it
particularly short. For the past few years, I've left the clippings on,
and they seem to disappear quite quickly. Perhaps they just get blown
away, or something. But I like to think that some of the nutrients are
going back.

If I can get it on half price end of year garden centre clear out (prior
to the Halloween/Xmas grotto erection) I use which ever mix I can get.
Otherwise grass doesn't seem to mind being ignored or any yellow bits
fed with a general purpose fertiliser.

I tend to use spot weeding spray or a 12" screwdriver for weeds. I allow
a few wild flowers like daisies, speedwell and bella in the lawn but I
draw the line at buttercup and dandelion. The latter go with a really
satisfying crack when you pull them out right.


Someone bought me a little two-pronged thing, like a large reptile's
tongue, and that works well enough on dandelions. I don't get many
other weeds. What I mostly get is a few patches of selfheal that I can
live with.