Pimping up this worn lawn

[NewspaperTaxis]

I have a problem with moss - more moss than grass - on the lawn esp after the wet August, and only now I have tried to aerate it with a spiky object.
Also, I put on a moss killer, the Westfield one, and yep, the moss turned black. I won't be doing that in a hurry as I think I went over the same strip a few times in the plastic wheel thing, it left a right pong for a week.

Anyway, you can't blame the product for leaving the lawn in the state it is, once I'd done my best to rake out the moss you can't quite tell where the black moss is and the earth.
On another thread someone mentioned pro mulch on the lawn for a week, then seed it. That was for starting from scratch though. Is there something I could put in the plastic wheely thing - a mix of sand and grass seed - that would help tart up this lawn before autumn sets in? I did try another Pet Friendly Westfield product a week ago, again using the wheely thing but have yet to see any real benefit...

The presence of moss is an indicator that all is not right with the soil (as far as lawn is concerned). Rather than kill the moss, you need to champion the lawn. If the grass grows, the moss will go.

Lawn needs fairly good soil so if your is very thin or light or poor then think about ways to increase the quality. Something like a bulk bag of lawn soil - or even fine compost - raked over the top would help. This will encourage worms which will encourage aeration and will take the nutrients down into the soil bed below.

If you're doing that then also think about seeding at the same time - as it's a good time of year to do it and the added top soil will help protect and germinate the seed. If your lawn is in the deep shade then choose a shade grass seed. If it's not then choose something tough such as seed used to create sports pitches.

Mow less, keep moist until the new seed is well established and the top soil dressing is incorporated into the bed below (about 2 months).

Look again next spring to see if you think you need to repeat that again to keep improving the lawn. If not, then at least give it a good, nitrogen-based feed next spring.

Or, if all that is too much hassle (and who could blame you?) then learn to love a less than perfect lawn. Maybe a wildflower lawn? Or a clover lawn? Both are excellent for wildlife and look lovely in their own right

I was also going to suggest clover if you just want ‘green’.

Thanks for these suggestions!

I've got a really mossy lawn out front, and you know what? It's great!
It always looks green, rarely needs mowing. It supports wildlife, and... it's oddly bouncy.

I think the ideal of 'the perfect lawn' will soon be seen as very old fashioned, and unsustainable.

Moss is not as bad as people make out, its more environmentally friendly than grass.

Maybe add some other plants like violets and reticulata iris bulbs for some spring colour.

Mine is mostly moss in parts and it has it's advantages. It doesn't go brown in a drought and it's less prone to weeds. And as someone said, it's bouncy.

Our lawn was almost all moss before the kids had to spend most of last summer on it. The moss seemed to hate the level of ware and has now died. We turfed one lawn and bought grass seed online for the other. The grass seed came really quickly and was much cheaper than the turf.

x

@LittleHugosMummy

Our lawn was almost all moss before the kids had to spend most of last summer on it. The moss seemed to hate the level of ware and has now died. We turfed one lawn and bought grass seed online for the other. The grass seed came really quickly and was much cheaper than the turf.

x

Yes, I'd planned to buy turf for a side area of the jungly garden of our new house, just for the summer, so that part of the garden was usable in good weather -- but various things meant we ended up sowing grass seed, which came on astonishingly fast with regular watering, and was far cheaper.

Thanks everyone, I've left it too late to do anything for this year re mulch and seeding - that said, a sort of pet-friendly moss suppresser I put out via a wheely trolley seems to have helped. My problem with the moss is that the lawn used not to be like that, so it feels like I let the side down!