hi
I've recently moved into a new house with a garden, which is a first for me.
The lawn was in bad shape, mossy, bald patches, uneven growth, ( a bit like
me actually). I was advised to use a lawn feed which would nourish and
revitalise whilst killing off the weeds. I think I may have sprinkled out
too much because the grass first turned black and is now turning white. The
lawn is now covered in black and white and green stripes due to my uneven
sprinkling.
Half of the lawn stays in permanent shade and this half looks the worst.
Will the lawn recover from this and how can I help it
My first attempt at 'gardening'..........

thanks for any help

homer

"homer" wrote in message
...
hi
I've recently moved into a new house with a garden, which
is a first for me.
The lawn was in bad shape, mossy, bald patches, uneven
growth, ( a bit like
me actually). I was advised to use a lawn feed which would
nourish and
revitalise whilst killing off the weeds. I think I may
have sprinkled out
too much because the grass first turned black and is now
turning white. The
lawn is now covered in black and white and green stripes
due to my uneven
sprinkling.
Half of the lawn stays in permanent shade and this half
looks the worst.
Will the lawn recover from this and how can I help it
My first attempt at 'gardening'..........

What did you put on the lawn?
Did you stick to the recommended dosage?

Franz

In article , homer
writes
hi
I've recently moved into a new house with a garden, which is a first for me.
The lawn was in bad shape, mossy, bald patches, uneven growth, ( a bit like
me actually). I was advised to use a lawn feed which would nourish and
revitalise whilst killing off the weeds. I think I may have sprinkled out
too much because the grass first turned black and is now turning white. The
lawn is now covered in black and white and green stripes due to my uneven
sprinkling.
Half of the lawn stays in permanent shade and this half looks the worst.
Will the lawn recover from this and how can I help it

Yes, it will recover . . . eventually!!!
Just water it and mow what tufts there are on a high cut when it gets
too long and by the end of the summer you will have some grass
again!!!!!!!!! Then try top dressing it this coming autumn and next
spring you should be back to square one ))

--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

On 31 Mar 2004 22:29:32 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

Yes. A thing that is often forgotten is that lawns are a natural
ecology in the UK. Any open area in most of the country that is
close-grazed (or mown, the mechanical equivalent) for a year or
so will turn into a lawn. It really is that simple.

Of course, it won't be a FLAT lawn :-)

Yes and of course these natural lawns are subject to a variety of
grazing and other pressures so you get the close cropped downland turf
of southern england, the woodland lawns where deer graze etc.....
In the same way your climate and site conditions + just how and when
you mow and use your lawn will have a profound effect on the type of
lawn you get irrespective of any other treatments you do.

Rod

Weed my email address to reply
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

On 31 Mar 2004 22:29:32 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

Yes. A thing that is often forgotten is that lawns are a natural
ecology in the UK. Any open area in most of the country that is
close-grazed (or mown, the mechanical equivalent) for a year or
so will turn into a lawn. It really is that simple.

Of course, it won't be a FLAT lawn :-)

Yes and of course these natural lawns are subject to a variety of
grazing and other pressures so you get the close cropped downland turf
of southern england, the woodland lawns where deer graze etc.....
In the same way your climate and site conditions + just how and when
you mow and use your lawn will have a profound effect on the type of
lawn you get irrespective of any other treatments you do.

Rod

Weed my email address to reply
http://website.lineone.net/~rodcraddock/index.html

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jane Ransom wrote:
In article , homer
writes
hi
I've recently moved into a new house with a garden, which is a first for
me.
The lawn was in bad shape, mossy, bald patches, uneven growth, ( a bit
like
me actually). I was advised to use a lawn feed which would nourish and
revitalise whilst killing off the weeds. I think I may have sprinkled
out
too much because the grass first turned black and is now turning white.
The
lawn is now covered in black and white and green stripes due to my
uneven
sprinkling.
Half of the lawn stays in permanent shade and this half looks the worst.
Will the lawn recover from this and how can I help it

Yes, it will recover . . . eventually!!!
Just water it and mow what tufts there are on a high cut when it gets
too long and by the end of the summer you will have some grass
again!!!!!!!!! Then try top dressing it this coming autumn and next
spring you should be back to square one ))

Yes. A thing that is often forgotten is that lawns are a natural
ecology in the UK. Any open area in most of the country that is
close-grazed (or mown, the mechanical equivalent) for a year or
so will turn into a lawn. It really is that simple.

Of course, it won't be a FLAT lawn :-)

But the general rule for people worried about lawn damage is not to
worry, because most forms can be cured by simply carrying on as if
it had not happened. After a while (a few months, or a year or so)
the damage will have be repaired. There are, of course, exceptions
to this.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Thanks everyone for your advice and reassurance. I wont be feeding it again
in a hurry!
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this true
and how do you go about fixing this?

thanks

"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Jane Ransom wrote:
In article , homer
writes
hi
I've recently moved into a new house with a garden, which is a first for
me.
The lawn was in bad shape, mossy, bald patches, uneven growth, ( a bit
like
me actually). I was advised to use a lawn feed which would nourish and
revitalise whilst killing off the weeds. I think I may have sprinkled
out
too much because the grass first turned black and is now turning white.
The
lawn is now covered in black and white and green stripes due to my
uneven
sprinkling.
Half of the lawn stays in permanent shade and this half looks the worst.
Will the lawn recover from this and how can I help it

Yes, it will recover . . . eventually!!!
Just water it and mow what tufts there are on a high cut when it gets
too long and by the end of the summer you will have some grass
again!!!!!!!!! Then try top dressing it this coming autumn and next
spring you should be back to square one ))

Yes. A thing that is often forgotten is that lawns are a natural
ecology in the UK. Any open area in most of the country that is
close-grazed (or mown, the mechanical equivalent) for a year or
so will turn into a lawn. It really is that simple.

Of course, it won't be a FLAT lawn :-)

But the general rule for people worried about lawn damage is not to
worry, because most forms can be cured by simply carrying on as if
it had not happened. After a while (a few months, or a year or so)
the damage will have be repaired. There are, of course, exceptions
to this.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Thanks everyone for your advice and reassurance. I wont be feeding it again
in a hurry!
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this true
and how do you go about fixing this?

thanks

"homer" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your advice and reassurance. I wont be feeding it
again
in a hurry!
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this
true
and how do you go about fixing this?

Well actually feeding is something that will help to some extent with
moss - it puts the grass in a better state to compete with the moss and
some feed ingredients scorch the moss anyway. Along with this improve the
soil by aeration and adding gritty top dressings. You've probably noticed
with your problems that the moss has taken more damage than the grass. You
probably never will have very good grass in the shaded bit.

"homer" wrote in message
...
Thanks everyone for your advice and reassurance. I wont be feeding it
again
in a hurry!
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this
true
and how do you go about fixing this?

Well actually feeding is something that will help to some extent with
moss - it puts the grass in a better state to compete with the moss and
some feed ingredients scorch the moss anyway. Along with this improve the
soil by aeration and adding gritty top dressings. You've probably noticed
with your problems that the moss has taken more damage than the grass. You
probably never will have very good grass in the shaded bit.

In article , homer
writes
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this true

Not entirely!
It is caused by too much damp, certainly, but also a certain amount of
shade. And one thing about a damp lawn is that it stays green in a dry
summer when everyone else's has dried up and burned off!!!!!!!!

and how do you go about fixing this?

How well do you want it fixed?
Do you really want a bowling green or just a workaday lawn?

You could lay drainage pipes in your lawn provided there is somewhere to
drain the water to . . but if you are in a hollow, you are stymied

We have heavy soil and used to have plenty of moss every year.
The spousal unit started to spike it every autumn and give it a top
dressing (loam, peat and sharp sand). We thought it was having a good
effect until we had one exceptionally wet winter when all the moss came
back

Still, we haven't given up and weed/feed/mosskill every spring, scarify
a couple of times during the summer and spike/top dress every autumn. I
think the lawn is looking better but have come to the conclusion that,
in this country, we just have to learn to live with moss ((((((
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

In article , homer
writes
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this true

Not entirely!
It is caused by too much damp, certainly, but also a certain amount of
shade. And one thing about a damp lawn is that it stays green in a dry
summer when everyone else's has dried up and burned off!!!!!!!!

and how do you go about fixing this?

How well do you want it fixed?
Do you really want a bowling green or just a workaday lawn?

You could lay drainage pipes in your lawn provided there is somewhere to
drain the water to . . but if you are in a hollow, you are stymied

We have heavy soil and used to have plenty of moss every year.
The spousal unit started to spike it every autumn and give it a top
dressing (loam, peat and sharp sand). We thought it was having a good
effect until we had one exceptionally wet winter when all the moss came
back

Still, we haven't given up and weed/feed/mosskill every spring, scarify
a couple of times during the summer and spike/top dress every autumn. I
think the lawn is looking better but have come to the conclusion that,
in this country, we just have to learn to live with moss ((((((
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see

"Jane Ransom" wrote in message
...
In article , homer
writes
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this
true

Not entirely!
It is caused by too much damp, certainly, but also a certain amount of
shade. And one thing about a damp lawn is that it stays green in a dry
summer when everyone else's has dried up and burned off!!!!!!!!

and how do you go about fixing this?

How well do you want it fixed?
Do you really want a bowling green or just a workaday lawn?

You could lay drainage pipes in your lawn provided there is somewhere to
drain the water to . . but if you are in a hollow, you are stymied

We have heavy soil and used to have plenty of moss every year.
The spousal unit started to spike it every autumn and give it a top
dressing (loam, peat and sharp sand). We thought it was having a good
effect until we had one exceptionally wet winter when all the moss came
back

Still, we haven't given up and weed/feed/mosskill every spring, scarify
a couple of times during the summer and spike/top dress every autumn. I
think the lawn is looking better but have come to the conclusion that,
in this country, we just have to learn to live with moss ((((((
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see


Just a workaday lawn would do me fine (is there a workanight lawn too?!)
I think I'll stick with the weed/feed/mosskill approach, but this time I
will stick to the recommended dosage!
There must be something constructive moss can be used for?

my lawn is pretty bumpy in places, is there an easy fix (for a novice) for
this?
otherwise, yes I will learn to live with it along with the moss, the
stripes, the shade......
the neighbours caught my brushing out the excess feed from the lawn this
evening. The sight of someone brushing their lawn with a broom! And I've
only just moved here....

"Jane Ransom" wrote in message
...
In article , homer
writes
I have been told that moss in lawn is caused by poor drainage, is this
true

Not entirely!
It is caused by too much damp, certainly, but also a certain amount of
shade. And one thing about a damp lawn is that it stays green in a dry
summer when everyone else's has dried up and burned off!!!!!!!!

and how do you go about fixing this?

How well do you want it fixed?
Do you really want a bowling green or just a workaday lawn?

You could lay drainage pipes in your lawn provided there is somewhere to
drain the water to . . but if you are in a hollow, you are stymied

We have heavy soil and used to have plenty of moss every year.
The spousal unit started to spike it every autumn and give it a top
dressing (loam, peat and sharp sand). We thought it was having a good
effect until we had one exceptionally wet winter when all the moss came
back

Still, we haven't given up and weed/feed/mosskill every spring, scarify
a couple of times during the summer and spike/top dress every autumn. I
think the lawn is looking better but have come to the conclusion that,
in this country, we just have to learn to live with moss ((((((
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason, put ransoms
at jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see


Just a workaday lawn would do me fine (is there a workanight lawn too?!)
I think I'll stick with the weed/feed/mosskill approach, but this time I
will stick to the recommended dosage!
There must be something constructive moss can be used for?

my lawn is pretty bumpy in places, is there an easy fix (for a novice) for
this?
otherwise, yes I will learn to live with it along with the moss, the
stripes, the shade......
the neighbours caught my brushing out the excess feed from the lawn this
evening. The sight of someone brushing their lawn with a broom! And I've
only just moved here....

In article ,
homer wrote:


Just a workaday lawn would do me fine (is there a workanight lawn too?!)
I think I'll stick with the weed/feed/mosskill approach, but this time I
will stick to the recommended dosage!
There must be something constructive moss can be used for?

Hell, NO!!!

Learn to love your moss. Look, what are the characteristics of a good
lawn plant? It is naturally low-growing (little mowing), drought
resistant, waterlogging resistant, frost resistant, soft underfoot
and has attractive flowers. Well, moss misses out on the last :-)
But daisies don't ....

I use my moss for lining pots, making up compost for carnivorous
plants, and so on. Very useful.

More seriously, you can weed, feed and kill moss, but don't feel you
have to. I remove thistles, plantains and other weeds that annoy me,
but otherwise let them fight it out. I positively LIKE scarlet
pimpernel, vetches, eyebright, daisies etc.

my lawn is pretty bumpy in places, is there an easy fix (for a novice) for
this?
otherwise, yes I will learn to live with it along with the moss, the
stripes, the shade......

Seems reasonable to me. I have, for 25 years :-)

the neighbours caught my brushing out the excess feed from the lawn this
evening. The sight of someone brushing their lawn with a broom! And I've
only just moved here....

Start as you want to continue! That is good, traditional gardening
practice. Seriously.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
homer wrote:


Just a workaday lawn would do me fine (is there a workanight lawn too?!)
I think I'll stick with the weed/feed/mosskill approach, but this time I
will stick to the recommended dosage!
There must be something constructive moss can be used for?

Hell, NO!!!

Learn to love your moss. Look, what are the characteristics of a good
lawn plant? It is naturally low-growing (little mowing), drought
resistant, waterlogging resistant, frost resistant, soft underfoot
and has attractive flowers. Well, moss misses out on the last :-)
But daisies don't ....

I use my moss for lining pots, making up compost for carnivorous
plants, and so on. Very useful.

More seriously, you can weed, feed and kill moss, but don't feel you
have to. I remove thistles, plantains and other weeds that annoy me,
but otherwise let them fight it out. I positively LIKE scarlet
pimpernel, vetches, eyebright, daisies etc.

my lawn is pretty bumpy in places, is there an easy fix (for a novice) for
this?
otherwise, yes I will learn to live with it along with the moss, the
stripes, the shade......

Seems reasonable to me. I have, for 25 years :-)

the neighbours caught my brushing out the excess feed from the lawn this
evening. The sight of someone brushing their lawn with a broom! And I've
only just moved here....

Start as you want to continue! That is good, traditional gardening
practice. Seriously.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.