Operation Improve The Lawn

[24HoursFromTulseHill]

My lawn is in a terrible state and after we come back from holiday I plan to embark on Operation Improve the Lawn to try to revitalise it.

I'm dealing with:
Dandelions
3 corner leek
A furrow underneath the washing line
Baking sunshine at one end and near constant shade at the other.

I like the idea of a grass & clover mix, as although I hate the dandelions I do want the garden to be wildlife friendly.

I have a dandelion grabber tool, a rake and an aerator and plan to buy some top soil as well as grass / clover seed.

What job should I tackle first - pull out all the dandelions, aerate the soil, add top soil to the furrow and then scatter the seed?

Do I need grass feed as well or is that unecessary?

No idea! Sounds like my 'lawn' so following and hoping for tips 😁

Keep some dandelions. They're a burst of colour in late spring and essential for bees.

Grub out the dandelions with as much root as you can get.

Does the grass grow ok in the bits that have grass? If so mow mow mow regularly, but not too short especially at the sunny end. And I wouldn't bother with aeration/feed if the grass does OK. Decent edges make the grass look better.

Nope, the dandelions must go!
(Actually impossible to remove them all as they're so numerous)
My beds, climbers & containers are filled with flowers for pollinators and the insects, bees & butterflies have been happily buzzing away since spring but dandelions are one step to far for me. They'll have to make do with clover.

Oh the dandelion grabber gets the whole root out and is very satisfying to use. Much easier than my previous technique of shanking them out with a screwdriver.

The grass grows OK in the sunny end but I felt after 5 years of neglect I should do something to improve it's overall health. I use a strimmer to cut it because the lawn's too small to warrant having a lawnmower so it's a bit uneven and shaggy looking. Where I pulled up the 3 corner leeks there's some bald patches I'm hoping to fill with seed.

In the shadey end there's also moss and hazel nut shells from the squirrels that drop them from above.

I would start by removing as many larger weeds as possible with a trowel.
Then rake/scarify short, scrubby areas to remove dead thatch.
Then mow.
Then cut in a new edge, to make the lawn sharp and tidy.
Then weed and feed and sow new grass seed in the bare patches at the end of the summer.

I agree with @menopausalmare

Have you watched Beechgrove Garden on Tv? I caught an episode about reviving dead lawns. They recommended raking up all the moss and dead grass , then putting down grass seed, then a layer of compost and grass seed, then another layer of seed. Tread it down firmly and keep watered. Then don't cut it till it's six inches long! Also needs to be fed with seaweed feed regularly in the growing season. I am trying that as I have a lot of grey fungal like matter and virtually dead grass.