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My poor lawn

(69 Posts)
gillybob Mon 08-May-17 11:39:58

Are there any lawn experts out there?

My lawn was grown from seed around 4 years ago when we moved into our new build house. DH looks after it well and it was beautiful (despite being used regularly by the children) but this year we have had a lot of moss. We applied a lawn feed with moss remover/killer (which worked) and removed the dead thatch with a lawn rake. So far so good.

Moving on 4 weeks we sprinkled top soil in the bare areas and re-seeded. Not a blade to be seen. Moving on another three weeks we have repeated the procedure with a sprinkling of top soil and more grass seed. Still nothing.

Could the moss killer have "killed the soil" making it so nothing would grow in it? We have watered well but it seems the seed will not germinate. What are we doing wrong?

glammanana Mon 08-May-17 11:49:54

gillybob my very tounge in cheek answer would be to relay with artificial grass lol,I would imagine the moss killer is still working on the soil and you may have to turn the soil quite a few times to get any growth.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 12:05:44

Oh wash your mouth out glammanana Artificial grass indeed!

My neighbours on the left have it, however you look at it, its still artificial. My son has part of his garden done in artificial lawn as my DGS is a keen footballer and their poor "real" lawn couldn't cope with the sliding tackles!

I think maybe you're right about the moss killer still working on the soil. I wish we had just lived with the moss, it wasn't that bad.

Jalima1108 Mon 08-May-17 12:05:55

Do you have a lot of birds which visit your garden gillybob? They could be having a dawn feast!

Can you put netting over the lawn while the new seed germinates?

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 12:08:31

We don't get many birds tbh Jalima1108 as living close to the sea the rats with wings seagulls keep the nice garden birds away.

Jalima1108 Mon 08-May-17 12:08:32

Did you put fertiliser down afterwards?
www.lawnsmith.co.uk/topic/moss-control-removal/after-getting-rid-of-moss

However, DH thinks the birds do eat quite a lot of the seed when he has filled in patches on our lawn - little so and so's - they get fed with bird seed as well!

merlotgran Mon 08-May-17 12:08:45

It could be that the weather is just too dry at the moment, gilly. If things don't improve there will be hosepipe bans so this may not be a good time to do any re-seeding.

I think September would be the best time to have another go if you can live with a patchy lawn till then by which time we will ALL have patchy lawns grin

Jalima1108 Mon 08-May-17 12:10:15

We don't live near the sea but get seagulls as well - someone round here must feed them as they come swooping in once a day nearby and then visit other gardens to see if there is any bread going spare.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 12:12:41

Living on the NE coast I can't imagine we will ever be hit by a hosepipe ban merlot (I nearly said "I wish"). We have been watering the seed though as we haven't had much rain lately.

merlotgran Mon 08-May-17 12:16:34

Probably birds then like jalima said.

Jalima1108 Mon 08-May-17 12:18:31

They will ignore the bird seed and head straight for the lawn seed grin
I don't know why we don't just buy bags of lawn seed for them - it would be cheaper.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 12:19:17

Thanks for the link Jalima1108 some useful tips. DH has been watering with a general purpose fertiliser but might be wise to invest in some specially made for lawns.

Norah Mon 08-May-17 12:49:47

When we kill moss we have splotchy grass for at least 6 months. This is that year, quite ugly. Seed, water, wait.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 13:12:29

I am so impatient though Norah and wish we had never used the stupid moss killer, which was DH's brilliant idea.

Do you think I should keep seeding?

Norah Mon 08-May-17 13:22:05

DH says that if you do not kill moss it will spread and ultimately kill all the grass. I asked to leave the moss this year (like last year) but it was too much and had to be done and raked. Thin layer of bagged special soil, seeded, grass fertiliser, and a bit of water. We will keep reseeding through June. It will take, eventually.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 13:27:59

DH talking about removing the bare bits and replacing it with slices of turf. I will take your advice and keep at it until June Norah . When you said special soil, is it just a good fine top soil or special soil for grass?

Norah Mon 08-May-17 13:37:59

I shall ask, but I believe it was just best quality bagged fine top soil. I was potting, I dusted extra potting soil over the grass last we seeded. I'll let you know if that helped later this month. We need a certain amount of soil warmth for the seeds to start, pretty cold yet.

Have you changed colours of hydrangeas by amending with fertiliser? I like some big fluffy pink and some big bunches of blue for contrast.

Norah Mon 08-May-17 13:39:41

Not until June. Through June. grin You need to wait.

rosesarered Mon 08-May-17 13:45:51

For grass seed, it needs lots of water, and it has been a drought for a long time!
It needs covering up with fine soil.Unless you water it a lot, it won't grow, and yes, birds do take a percentage of it.
Hyrangeas can be made to change to blue, there are lots of things if you look in a garden centre.Sorry can't remember the names ( and I have two lots of it sitting in the shed.) grin

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 13:48:16

Thank you again Norah I have been using fine (bagged) topsoil but DH said the same as you that the ground might still be too cold for germination. Fingers crossed we will see a difference soon. As I said earlier I am sooooooo impatient.

My Hydrangeas are all sorts of colours from the deepest pink to the brightest blue, purple and the palest green. I think there are some of last years in my early photos. I have managed to change the colour of two that I have in containers by playing around with the PH of the soil. I have only managed to change pink ones to blue, not the other way around. Hard to change the ones in the ground.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 13:50:47

My photos are on the patio thread not this one. silly me.

Norah Mon 08-May-17 14:14:51

I was correct, just very fine topsoil, no lumps or clods (thus the best at the garden center). DH did allow that the earth is entirely too chilly for germination. I wonder why we bothered yet?

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 14:18:05

Exactly Norah why didn't we wait until June?

Never mind, it's done now. I will just watch, wait and water. smile (and occasionally sprinkle more seed).

Norah Mon 08-May-17 14:26:15

I believe that it may be best to kill the moss early in the season before it gets stronger?

Or that is what the silly gardener I live with thinks.

gillybob Mon 08-May-17 14:29:43

I suppose that makes sense though, so maybe "your head gardener" knows what he is talking about.