Help save my lawn!

[JumpJockey]

We've got a compact and bijou lawn, about 3x5m. Last winter we didn't manage to mow it as it rained pretty much every other day all autumn, and then the freezing started so it's had a lot of time under frost.

It's got pretty long, and the real problem is it's gone all 'tussocky' and there are lots of dead yellow patches that come out when I raked up the leaves. There's also moss growing up, and some areas where a shrub was overhanging and once we cut it back underneath the lawn is all dead down to the soil. What's the best way to save it? We've got plenty of seed that we used on bald patches last year, but will that be enough given the mossiness etc?

Thanks for any advice!

Hi

I would aerate (stick a fork in it and wiggle it), scarify (rake all the dead stuff/moss out - you can rent a scarifier) then feed your lawn, then overseed. It's very good exercise, if that's any compensation!

put some chickens on it for a couple of weeks

then you will have a lovely mud bath blank canvas to reseed or turf

Mitchy alas it was turfed 4 years ago, a bit pricey to be doing that again so soon!

itpiyh I do scarify it in the autumn normally and you're right it leaves me knackered! Now that it's so long it's all dragging out the good stuff as well I guess we need to take a strimmer to the really long areas first, we've only got a push mower (as it's too small to justify having a power on) and it tends to either rip out or just push over long grass!

Dont aerate with a fork...this causes compaction and makes things worse!! Aerate with a 'hollow tine aerator' from garden ccentre.

1. (firstly mow but on a dryish day)Rake the lawn as hard as you can to remove all the dead thatch and moss. Do this soon before it all starts to grow again.

1. if still lots of moss left then use a lawn moss killer.

1. Aerate with the hollow tine thing...do this a few times a year also even when you ahve got lawn back to good condition.

1. Lawn will probably look a bit thin after all this so once the weather picks up (late March-ish), then sprinkle over new grass seed.

May take a few months for it to be looking at its best but this should get it back to its former glory.

Don't you find those hand held hollow tine aerators almost impossible to use even on sandy soil? Mine gets small stones stuck in the tines and I end up spending hours poking the bl**dy things out!

Oooh right didn't know there even was such a thing as an aerator. My dad's probably got one, will ask him for a loan!