I've destroyed my lawn......again

[overthinkersanonnymus]

For the second time in 5 years, I think I've killed my lawn 😫

My lawn has been looking a bit unhealthy so I put soMe after cut down last night and watered it right away, came home from work and it's all patchy! There are the discoloured bits where it's killing the moss etc but it also has bald patches all over it.

My dp has been trying for years to get me to agree to artificial grass but I hate the thought of all the bugs and families that live underneath it being killed! But I clearly can't look after a bloody lawn to save my life.

And advice on how to rescue it and look after it would be greatly appreciated.

I can thoroughly recommend GreenThumb. They come out and treat your grass every few months and you get a beautiful green weed-free lawn.

Please don't get plastic grass, it's so terrible for the environment and nature, as you know.

Was also going to recommend green thumb. Good price for what you get.

I don't know what aftercut is, but you can't expect an overnight miracle. You need to scarify, seed, water and wait a few weeks - it's not going to sprout from nothing.

Artificial grass is so, so horrible. Just don't.

If I ruled the world, artificial grass would be banned.

The patches are where you've killed the moss. Now give it time for the grass to come back.

Another fan of Green Thumb. They really make a difference to your lawn.

Please don’t get artificial grass. So awful for the environment and biodiversity. Maybe ask at local garden centre for advice?

Give grass a good rake and get rid of as much of dead grass as possible, then repeat in day or so. You can then get some repair patch grass shed and just sprinkle on and water. I also stab the fork all over my grass to make sure the water gets underneath not just the top of grass. It will take a few weeks

Moss is a beautiful natural covering, coukd you consider leaving it be in future? The fashion for green grass only lawns is fading as people realise the benefits of diversity.

You haven’t killed the grass, you’ve killed the moss. Which is good. All you need to do is rake all the dead moss away and the grass will grow in its place. Throw a few grass seeds in the big patches and give it a good feed. I use Evergreen but there’s loads to chose from.

But a beautiful weed free lawn isn't great for the environment either, and you have to pay for the privilege. Who knows what chemicals they're putting on your lawn to keep all the weeds out.

OP moss, daisies, clover etc are all good for diversity and wildlife. Stop putting anything that kills stuff on your lawn, it'll also probably kill insects and could affect birds and animals. Accept you have a damp lawn and don't worry about the moss. Just put grass seed down on any bald patches each year, it's cheap and easy.

Best advice regarding lawns I have ever been given was from an elderly neighbour who told me "as long as its green, leave it".

It has worked for me for years. My lawn looks great even though on close inspection some patches are decidedly mossy

I burnt my grass with fertiliser a few weeks ago. You really need a proper spreader to ensure even coverage (I did use one but didn't check the hole size setting. Doh!).

As PP, rake up the dead moss. If there are lots of big patches in your lawn try Gumtree for "end of roll" turf cuttings to do a repair.

I rate the grass seed from Wilko. It's pay by weight so also great if you only need a small amount. You will need to sow it on bare soil and keep it very well watered and the pigeons off.

Keep your mower on a fairly high height and mow often - twice a week in warm wet weather.

Alternatively, have a No Mow June and let it settle and recover.

Longer term, if your soil is clay, hire a hollow tine aerator, and sprinkle grass seed in the holes. Pick up the plugs and store them in a plastic bag for a year. They'll break down to make a lovely top dressing - reducing the need for artificial fertilisers.

We have green thumb four times a year. My parents used to run a franchise so that’s how we started. They’ve retired so now we pay the local company.

Greenthumb aren’t great for nature (but artificial grass is worse still)

No you're all right with what you're saying about GreenThumb, I agree weeds are valuable in their own right. I should have said, I only have GreenThumb do my smallish front lawn and our much larger back garden is completely wild and beautiful in its own way. We've just done no-mow May and it's got some gorgeous wildflowers in it.

I'm always wrestling with the thought of the stuff GreenThumb use being harmful though and considering cancelling them. Are they really so bad?

I don’t know what products green thumb use and how harmful they are. I would say though that is harmful in itself to have a lawn which is just grass as nature needs diversity. Also once your lawn has been treated for several years I suspect regular mowing would be all that is needed to keep it.

In a similar situation OP although in my case i was expecting the patches as we had so much moss in the lawn. As another poster said - rake out the dead moss, scarify and put down grass seed. I have found Miracle Gro patch magic to be the best. It will take a few weeks but in the end your lawn will be better for it.

I am currently using green thumb and just joined to revive my grass. I pay a monthly subscription of £30 but so far they have only made 1 visit back in March, should I not have had more by now? How often do they visit?