Hi,

My lawn was neglected for a couple of years while I was away - over the past
two years it's been cut regularly and had a bit of feed. But there's a lot
of moss and dead grass in it, and when it's cut, it has yellow patches and
a few bald patches because of the weeds, moss and dead grass.

So, what do I do now? Kill all the existing green, wat for 2 weeks and
re-seed the whole thing?
Just buy some turf and lay it?

Or what?

I'm kinda lost at this sort of thing, but I would like to have a nice green
lawn!
Can anyone advise, or point me in the right direction?

Thanks

Nichollette

The message
from "derek" contains these words:

My lawn was neglected for a couple of years while I was away - over the past
two years it's been cut regularly and had a bit of feed. But there's a lot
of moss and dead grass in it, and when it's cut, it has yellow patches and
a few bald patches because of the weeds, moss and dead grass.

So, what do I do now? Kill all the existing green, wat for 2 weeks and
re-seed the whole thing?
Just buy some turf and lay it?

Or what?

I'm kinda lost at this sort of thing, but I would like to have a nice green
lawn!
Can anyone advise, or point me in the right direction?

Buy a small bag of garden lime and a little sharp sand. Mix them, and
distribute as evenly as possible over the lawn.

Pray for rain.

You can use a spring (wire) rake to scarify the surface, rake out moss
and dead grass, and generally distribute the sand and lime.

Later, you can apply a lawn feed, with or without a broad-leaved weed killer.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "derek" contains these words:

My lawn was neglected for a couple of years while I was away -
over
the past two years it's been cut regularly and had a bit of feed.
But there's a lot of moss and dead grass in it, and when it's
cut,
it has yellow patches and a few bald patches because of the weeds,
moss and dead grass.

So, what do I do now? Kill all the existing green, wat for 2
weeks
and re-seed the whole thing?
Just buy some turf and lay it?

Or what?

I'm kinda lost at this sort of thing, but I would like to have a
nice green lawn!
Can anyone advise, or point me in the right direction?

Buy a small bag of garden lime and a little sharp sand. Mix them,
and
distribute as evenly as possible over the lawn.

Pray for rain.

You can use a spring (wire) rake to scarify the surface, rake out
moss
and dead grass, and generally distribute the sand and lime.

Later, you can apply a lawn feed, with or without a broad-leaved
weed
killer.

I'm not sure about the lime, though. I don't think lawns want it on
any but insanely acid soils. And, in my experience, there are some
mosses which will thrive on lime, though it discourages most kinds:
of course, I don't know which kind you've got.

Otherwise, I agree with Rusty. It'll grow back soon enough, but it'll
speed things up if you really rough up your worst patches and sow
some seed when the weather breaks. What you really shouldn't do is
kill off the lot: if you do that, you're committed to cultivating the
whole area before resowing or returfing. Both seed and turf want a
decent bed to grow into, like any other plant.

Meanwhile, don't cut it too short (even if we get reliable rain):
that will give the mosses and low-growing weeds an advantage over the
grass by taking away the green, which is half its life-support
system. On an established general-purpose lawn, three-quarters of an
inch is quite short enough; half an inch is for special mixtures. At
a guess, I'm inclined to suggest an inch might be better for you to
start with. Use the grass-box, too, of course: lumps of mowings lying
about can kill off or slow down the grass underneath.

--
Mike.

The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

I'm not sure about the lime, though. I don't think lawns want it on
any but insanely acid soils. And, in my experience, there are some
mosses which will thrive on lime, though it discourages most kinds:
of course, I don't know which kind you've got.

When I was an anklebiter we moved into a house in Hornchurch, which is
on mildly alkaline soil, and the lawn had been a tennis court before the
war. The court markings were still delineated in lush green, even when
the rest of the grass was a 'orrid ochre colour. Even assuming the last
time it was lined-out was in 1939, and we moved in in 1950, that points
to the influence of whiting (ground chalk) in the soil lasting more than
ten years.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Thanks for that - I'll give it a try!
Nichollette
"derek" wrote in message
...
Hi,

My lawn was neglected for a couple of years while I was away - over the
past
two years it's been cut regularly and had a bit of feed. But there's a
lot
of moss and dead grass in it, and when it's cut, it has yellow patches
and
a few bald patches because of the weeds, moss and dead grass.

So, what do I do now? Kill all the existing green, wat for 2 weeks and
re-seed the whole thing?
Just buy some turf and lay it?

Or what?

I'm kinda lost at this sort of thing, but I would like to have a nice
green
lawn!
Can anyone advise, or point me in the right direction?

Thanks

Nichollette

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:
The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains
these
words:

I'm not sure about the lime, though. I don't think lawns want it
on
any but insanely acid soils. And, in my experience, there are some
mosses which will thrive on lime, though it discourages most
kinds:
of course, I don't know which kind you've got.

When I was an anklebiter we moved into a house in Hornchurch, which
is
on mildly alkaline soil, and the lawn had been a tennis court
before
the war. The court markings were still delineated in lush green,
even
when
the rest of the grass was a 'orrid ochre colour. Even assuming the
last time it was lined-out was in 1939, and we moved in in 1950,
that
points
to the influence of whiting (ground chalk) in the soil lasting more
than ten years.

Sounds conclusive! Books are in boxes, so I can't trace the source of
my conviction, which feels quite deep-seated. I did a perfunctory
Ggl, and found a degree, albeit very modest, of support from my first
hit,
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/lawns/lawn_weeds/

which says:
Soil pH control - control of soil pH can help to control weeds. This
is because most lawn weeds grow best at a pH around 6.5 and the finer
lawn grasses grow best at a slightly lower, more acid pH at around pH
6. The lower pH normally accrues in the course of normal feeding with
high nitrogen feeds.

So, as often in gardening, all are correct, and all shall have
prizes: it clearly depends on the soil in any given case.

(Vaguely on-topic: Did you see all the fairy rings at St Andrews? I'm
glad they hadn't tried to get rid of them from an otherwise
horticulturally tedious golf-course.)

--
Mike.

The message
from "Mike Lyle" contains these words:

(Vaguely on-topic: Did you see all the fairy rings at St Andrews? I'm
glad they hadn't tried to get rid of them from an otherwise
horticulturally tedious golf-course.)

No - I haven't got the haunted fishtank at home.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

"Mike Lyle" wrote
snip
So, as often in gardening, all are correct, and all shall have
prizes: it clearly depends on the soil in any given case.

Another proponent of liming lawns is Bob Flowerdew - I saw him recommend
this on some tv programme or other a few years back. Seeing as how our lawn
at the time was even less bowling-green-ish than usual, my OH tried it and
it turned into the greenest, lushest lawn we'd ever had for a while so it
definitely works.

Mind you, it could do with another dose again now.

--
Sue