This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Breaking the cycle..
Desthemoaner
Posts: 191
Sorry if I'm asking a question which has been asked and re-asked many, many times before, not least by me before I gained a bit of knowledge about lawns through this site.
We live in Wales, where it rains a lot, the sun comes out occasionally and the grass grows pretty well.
Unfortunately, and especially because our lawn is largely sloped, we have become trapped in the "rain falls, grass grows, moss grows, moss killer applied, moss dies, rake out dead moss, scarify, top dress reseed...rain falls...etc" cycle.
My question being, is there any way of BREAKING that cycle?
0
Posts
Dig up the lawn? Either that or do something bout your drainage which can range form poking in your large garden fork as deeply as you can and wriggling it back and forth to open the holes then pour in/brush on dry sharp sand - not wet, round builders' sand - to fill the holes and provide air and drainage for grass roots. You need to do these every few inches across the whole lawn and, ideally, do it every year until the problem is significantly reduced.
A more serious solution is to get some drainage pipes for lawns but that requires excavations and, probably, experts.
The RHS offers this advice - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=475
Not a grass expert but do have a moss-y area and I put that down to shade and poorer drainage in that bit. Are either of those a factor with your lawn?
Would you consider either leaving it as is (at least moss is green)? Or consider losing some of the lawn and planting alternatives?
I'm sure others will have tried-and-tested remedies.
(Posted before seeing Obelixx's good advice)
Last edited: 30 September 2017 18:00:28
Thanks for that.
I've done the garden fork thing wherever I can, but in places the lawn has clearly been built on rubble because the fork will only go in so far before striking what feels like rock. The rest of it is heavy clay, and we all know what THAT does for drainage.
I also have a hollow-tined hand aerator which works fairly well, and where I have managed to do the sharp sand thing, mainly on the flatter parts of the lawn, I think its reaped rewards.
The task of installing land drains on the sloping parts which are worst affected would involve a degree of effort which is way beyond anything I would consider, and I can't afford to pay someone to do it, so I guess we're stuck with the "cycle" forever and a day.
You would of course be justified in saying "why ask the question if you're not willing to put into practice the answer", but I guess I was hoping for a less back breaking and wallet emptying solution.
The moss does actually look quite attractive, but presumably if left it will spread, and eventually completely obliterate the grass.
The question of alternative growing is more interesting, but again it depends on how much effort I'm willing and able to put in. The answer as things stand is "not much more than I'm putting in now", so maybe the cycle ain't such a bad option after all.
Last edited: 30 September 2017 18:08:26
Hi Des,
I garden in a Scottish valley, also on heavy clay .... so I am familiar with the "squelchy" lawn issue.
One thing I've found really helpful was to create a bit of an island in one of the wettest lawns and plant a small copse of trees / shrubs that like wet conditions. The idea is that they will take some of the moisture out of the area and help dry up the surrounding lawn.
So far so good .... and the trees are not that big just yet so I'm hoping for further improvements.
Not sure if you've got the room to consider this.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Japanese+moss+gardens&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJytv4vc3WAhXJBsAKHRPgD7oQsAQIJw&biw=1138&bih=
See these images ; who needs grass??
Bee, that's an excellent suggestion, but we probably don't have the room for more trees. However, we could probably accommodate a small copse of shrubs, at a push. I'll look into that.
The suggestion that I let the moss run riot and enjoy its undoubted aesthetic appeal instead of fighting it every autumn is an angle I hadn't considered. I suppose I could extend the "laissez faire" principle to other aspects of homecare and stop painting the house, then I can enjoy the beauty of peeling paint whilst I'm squelching through my moss garden. ;0)
Last edited: 30 September 2017 19:45:55
If you do go for shrubs, consider willows as there are several that come with colourful stems that is renewed each year when you coppice all the old wood back to stumps in spring.
Another shrub suggestion would be hydrangeas.
I've got Hydrangea aspera 'The Ditch' in a really damp spot .... it's looking really lovely at the moment. I have some Camassia Esculenta bulbs planted with it which are also happy.
Bee x
A single bee creates just one twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime
We do already have a handful of hydrangeas around the garden, and they seem to do well in this heavy clay soil and this damp climate. I wouldn't object at all to planting a few more, nor to introducing a few willows. In the meantime I'll expand the aeration regime as best I can.
The flat parts of the lawn are mainly clear of moss, and the sloping parts, which are hardest to work on, are suffering most. Hence the latter have tended to be neglected.
Thanks all for your assistance and advice. ;0)
Last edited: 01 October 2017 09:17:25