I've just killed my lawn with all in one weed and moss killer. Help needed

[Oxygene]

I've spent years getting my lawn just right but a few weeks ago I applied evergreen all in one and unaware that my lawn was so mossy it's killed half of it off. As well as this i've managed to kill some of the grass turf I layed down last September as I think i've applied it when the weather was too hot and burned the grass which is now dead.

Anyway i've waited 2 weeks and given the grass a thorough soaking to try to wash away most the weed killer but i've got dead patches all over my lawn that's taken me so darn long to get right.

I called Green Thumb who paid me a free of charge visit today who advised I rake out the dead moss or else my grass won't have a chance of growing back. Trouble is because it's so mossy i've now got huge patches of earth where i've raked out the moss to the point my garden now looks like it's been through world war 2. Huge patches of bare thatch and soil where there used to be grass or moss.

What can I do? It's getting late in the year and my grass has stopped growing.
I'm not looking for the perfect lawn I just want it patch free. I've bought a bag of seed which I scattered all over and has been down for the last 2 weeks but there's no sign of it germinating. But i've only just raked it out tonight so don't know whether to leave it and see if the grass will grow back or apply a good dose of miracle grow patch repair.

I just feel that the more I do the worse it's starting to look.

I think I prefered the moss as at least it didn't look bare.

Any tips or advice greatfully appreciated.

[TheSkiingGardener]

Well the good news is that it will look much better when you've repaired it. Re the patches of bare soil in good condition for seed sowing? Rake them to give it more of a tilth or sprinkle top soil on those areas to make it a good germination environment, then sprinkle with seed every week until you see some germination. The birds may be eating what you sow so putting cotton across may help. You should still have a month or two to get some grass off oodles good start, and then in spring it will really take off.

[MaggotMummy]

Yes it is good advice to remove all the dead from the lawn
Totally understand this will make it look very bare but you can seed right up to to the end of October and expect it to green up before the frosts of winter.
Avoid anymore feeding because the moss killer has a lot of iron in it and that takes a long time to move through the soil
It is just a lot of work to work it over to get it back to a good state but you have done the right things up until now, you will get a good thatch of grass back
Dictated by DH who is a garden designer and the cheeky bugger just asked would you like someone to do it for you, are you SE?

[Oxygene]

Actually I wouldn't mind someone else doing it for me. Not because I don't have the time (which I don't really) but because I can't really afford to pay someone and also because i'm brown fingered. i.e everything I touch turns to shit. Everything I try to plant always dies despite my best efforts.

[Oxygene]

Do I need to make sure Every bit of the moss is out or just get the majority of it out. Bearing in mind i'm not really bothered about the moss anymore I just want it back to the way it was before. I've raked it thoroughly but it's so thick with the stuff it won't all come out unless I get on my hands and knees and pull it out by hand or dig the whole patch up.

[TheSkiingGardener]

Recover from the last fake and then give it another rake. The more the better but don't kill yourself to get every last scrap out!

[Oxygene]

Well i've given it a thorough rake and got most of it out but it's looking pretty bald. It's down to the bare soil in places. Do I reseed or leave it to see if the grass will grow through. I really don't know because some people tell you to leave it and others say seed it because if you don't get something in there the weeds will take over. It's so confusing to know what's right.

I didn't realise the lawn was so full of moss. I think I prefer to leave it from now on. It may have been a bit spongey but at least it looked nice and green. Now it just looks terrible.

[MoreBeta]

Dont worry. You have only killed the moss. I had this with a really bad lawn. The brown patches looked horrendous but the moss was so bad the grass was actually growing horizontally under it desperatley looking for light. Once I got rid of the moss it sprouted up. You could plant some seed in mid September as well that will help fill in the patches.

If you have a lot of moss and a big lawn you might want to buy a powered wheel mounted scarifier. You can buy cheaper push along ones too. Raking is very hard work.

[Oxygene]

Well I thought about scarifying but after the mess that a bit of evergreen all in one has done I think I prefer to keep the moss. At least you can't see any bare patches. Not after the perfect lawn I just want a nice even green patch with no holes, bare patches or dead stuff. Anyway I've aerated the lawn with a fork and sprinkled on some patch magic seed and coir' and given a good rake over then watered it.

[Littlemissimpatient]

We did this a few months ago it's frightening I didn't realise we had so much moss. It took quite a bit of raking, maybe twice a week for a few weeks but then we put down some patch magic and I cant believe how quickly it's taken and looks 'normal' again

[Oxygene]

Thanks. That's reassuring to know. I've bought one of those big £25 bags which says it does something like 16 patches. I'd thought i'd have more than enough but I think I may need another one as there's some really big deep bare patches and there just wasn't enough to do my whole lawn. I just hope it works as it's really expensive.

I keep looking out every day waiting for something to happen but I guess i'm just impatient. I know it will come back eventually but it's getting late in the year and I don't really want it looking like crap for the next 6 months.

Everyone says to just leave it and it will come back on it's own but I had a patch in my lawn for 4 years and there was no sign of it repairing itself naturally until I decided to reseed it. I spent years throwing grass clippings on this bare patch trying to fill it in and encourage some grass to grow but nothing happened.

I've already tried normal grass seed 3 weeks ago but for some reason it's not taken. I think because of the heavy rains it's been disturbing the seed too much and not given it chance to bed in and now it's just all sitting on top of the soil and turned brown. Hopefuly this patch magic will have better results. Once i've got it back to normal i'm not gonna mess with it again. Who cases about moss. Better than huge brown bare patches.

[Happylander]

Thanks for this topic. My lawn is horrendous, have weeds the size of triffids, burnt patches where I have tried to kill them, lots of moss and different types of grass that all grow at different speeds. I have just emailed the green thumb people to see what they can do/charge. I would love a lawn but I am a plant killer too

[Dave88uk]

Can anyone help I've put lawn moss killer on small part of my lawn which had turned black has been for last 4 weeks now . Phone local gardener who told me buy some patch magic which I have still no change in grass turning green or growing . There's been a lot of wet weather so haven't had too touch it but no idea what to do next the lawn doesn't seem to get much sun on it in nice weather pretty much in the shade most of the time what can I do has its driving me mad now

[shovetheholly]

I suspect your lawn isn't growing back because it is winter and therefore not the growing season for grass!

If you wait until spring and then do a patch repair, it will grow back. Have a look on Youtube for 'lawn repair' and there are lots of helpful videos.

[gingeroots]

This is from another thread ( thank you holly ) and is great

and this
www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/video-projects/how-to-improve-your-lawn/179.html

I must say I feel rather daunted - that sticking the fork in business is hard work . Still I expect howver little I manage it will all help .

And I have so many daisies .Which as my friend says ,don't like sharing !