How to get great looking lawn

K09

Hi,

My lawn is in a poor state. It was covered for a number of years with weed membrane and gravel. I removed that and dug and turned the soil. This was 3 years ago.

The lawn quality has never improved after seeding it.
I want to get it right this year.
Any advice?
Thanks!

mikeycoz

I wouldn't do anything with it yet. In march or April I would rake all the dead bits out. Then I would loosen the soil with a fork. Then brush a mixture of compost and sand into the loosened gaps. I wouldn't cut it so low. You have worm castings so your soil is healthy enough.

K09

This website suggests spraying the lawn with weedkiller. Is it best to do this and then reseed the lawn?

CJhaughey

K09 wrote: »

This website suggests spraying the lawn with weedkiller. Is it best to do this and then reseed the lawn?

I wouldn't do any spraying just do as Mikey suggested.
Weedkiller will cause more problems.
Good lawns won't happen over a year they need time to establish themselves.

K09

CJhaughey wrote: »

I wouldn't do any spraying just do as Mikey suggested.
Weedkiller will cause more problems.
Good lawns won't happen over a year they need time to establish themselves.

It's been a lawn for 3 years now but has never looked good. I will remove all moss/weeds (quite a lot of them!), and then loosen the soil.

The lawn as is is very hard & compact, and the soil does not loosen easily. Any suggestions on this?

Thanks!

CJhaughey

K09 wrote: »

It's been a lawn for 3 years now but has never looked good. I will remove all moss/weeds (quite a lot of them!), and then loosen the soil.

The lawn as is is very hard & compact, and the soil does not loosen easily. Any suggestions on this?

Thanks!

Soil density is related to what its made from, if its clay then it will pack hard, adding sand and compost as Mikeycoz said above will loosen the grain structure and allow the soil to drain more freely.
Enrich the soil and the grass will also be rich and thick.

K09

OK. Should I hire an aerator to loosen the soil since it is clay and very dense or just use a fork?

Then I get a top dressing. This one? And should I mix it in with Moss Peat?

Once this is done how long before seeding?

Thanks again!

Norfolk Enchants_

You don't want to use peat moss, you're just adding moss to you lawn, which you'll be getting rid of at a later date, use a good quality sand and seed mix.

K09

Why sand? From what I have read sand does not help in heavy compacted soil.

Would multi purpose compost work?

lazybones32

Sand allows for better air movement, drainage, and is a good root-zone material for grass (think golf-courses and sports pitches) and allows for more traffic. It warms quicker too but may also cool faster. Adding manures and organic material isn't the solution to a heavy soil either; it takes many years to turn clay into loam and needs a nice bit of manual work.