Now I'm looking at the photo on my laptop rather than my phone I think I can see some wormcasts .... small coiled heaps of soil? If you have lots of worms in your lawn that is definitely a good thing
However if you don't brush the wormcasts with a stiff broom to disperse them they can form a pad of mud over the grass in wet weather.
Could that be part of the problem, coupled with it being North-facing so not getting a lot of sunshine even in the summer ... particularly in the areas that in the shadow of buildings.
Also, if the lawn treatment killed a load of moss in the autumn that will have left you with some bare patches ... nothing will improve over winter, but overseeding in the late spring will work wonders.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I think I'd be saving all that money you're spending on lawn care, and just tending to the grass myself. It's such a tiny area. Your money could be spent on proper drainage instead
If it's just soggy in that small area, and the excess water gathers there, you could even just dig it out and put in a soakaway. That's quite easy to do. Dig down a couple of feet, remove the soil, and put in gravel to about 8 inches from the surface. Cover with a layer or two of landscape fabric, then fill with decent soil [mixed with some compost if you like] and leave to settle over winter. It would need a top up next spring as the level will drop. Then re turf or seed. That will help filter away the water feeding down to that area, and keep the top foot or so in better condition. A north facing site is always more difficult for grass though, regardless of the ground conditions and climate, and the type of grass seed used.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Personally l think your best bet would be to start again in the Spring. It's causing you a lot of frustration and l think it would take so much work to get the existing lawn to how you want it, you may as well start again from scratch. There's clearly a drainage problem, so that's the main thing you need to address. As @Fairygirl says, it may be worth investing in a French drain. A bit of googling should help and give you an idea of the work involved. If you don't fancy doing it yourself, you can get some quotes, and also check out the work done for previous customers.
The fact the site is North facing doesn't help, as you say, it won't get much sun. You may want to consider getting rid of the lawn in the worst affected part if you can afford to lose some of it. Sometimes we just have to admit defeat.
Obviously as a member of a gardening forum l'm going to have 40 fits at the mention of plastic grass 😁, but sometimes it's the only solution, particularly if you have children and/or pets that need somewhere to play.
With the greatest respect to the lawn treatment guys, l think you need to save your money and spend it on the ideas described above. Spend the Winter months doing your research and weighing up the pros and cons of the actions you can take .
As for the hole, my money's on a rat as well. If you have a neighbour that feeds the birds, it may be that's the direction they're coming from. You may want to consider investing in a trap if the damage keeps happening. Hope this helps
Thanks guys. Interesting on the soak away as when I removed the plastic sheeting someone said to me maybe it was there for a soakaway but I think it was more to do with the pond that was there before.
Regarding the treatment, it costs me about £17/quarter for the front and back and in fairness the front has never looked so bad.
The lawn originally went to the wall when we first started it about 5 years ago but I was told it was drainage so to pull it back and border with gravel which we have done.
I did spike it a month or so ago but I didn't have a proper hollow tine one so just ended up pushing the compacted soil down which I guess may have made things worse.
The plan was to overseed it again in the spring, the wife has had enough although it was her idea to put her toes through it but we didn't think it would be so difficult. I don't mind seeding again as I'm sure it would cost several hundred to put any alternative in.
The camera corner is damp and I think shielded by the wall because the stones go green in the winter and moss grows.
If you're going to over-seed (or re-seed after installing a drain) choose a seed mix for shady areas - examples here, other sellers/brands available (I used a verve one from B&Q last time I overseeded, but my soil is well-drained and sandy so tho opposite soil problem, not really comparable to yours). It won't be as hardwearing as ryegrass utility lawn seed, but it should do better in the shade as long as you don't expect it to take heavy wear as well.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
In late winter/early spring, just go to any garden centre or B&Q [as @JennyJ indicated] and pick a seed suitable for shade. I've used any old stuff from cheapo outlets or B&Q, and they're all as good as each other. However, if the drainage is that bad, it won't make any difference what you sow - it will be boggy. There aren't any shortcuts if you want decent drainage, and without it, I'm afraid grass won't thrive.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
In late winter/early spring, just go to any garden centre or B&Q [as @JennyJ indicated] and pick a seed suitable for shade. I've used any old stuff from cheapo outlets or B&Q, and they're all as good as each other. However, if the drainage is that bad, it won't make any difference what you sow - it will be boggy. There aren't any shortcuts if you want decent drainage, and without it, I'm afraid grass won't thrive.
Yep definitely, just need to work out the best method of improving the drainage
Posts
However if you don't brush the wormcasts with a stiff broom to disperse them they can form a pad of mud over the grass in wet weather.
Could that be part of the problem, coupled with it being North-facing so not getting a lot of sunshine even in the summer ... particularly in the areas that in the shadow of buildings.
Also, if the lawn treatment killed a load of moss in the autumn that will have left you with some bare patches ... nothing will improve over winter, but overseeding in the late spring will work wonders.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Your money could be spent on proper drainage instead
If it's just soggy in that small area, and the excess water gathers there, you could even just dig it out and put in a soakaway. That's quite easy to do. Dig down a couple of feet, remove the soil, and put in gravel to about 8 inches from the surface. Cover with a layer or two of landscape fabric, then fill with decent soil [mixed with some compost if you like] and leave to settle over winter. It would need a top up next spring as the level will drop. Then re turf or seed. That will help filter away the water feeding down to that area, and keep the top foot or so in better condition.
A north facing site is always more difficult for grass though, regardless of the ground conditions and climate, and the type of grass seed used.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
There's clearly a drainage problem, so that's the main thing you need to address. As @Fairygirl says, it may be worth investing in a French drain. A bit of googling should help and give you an idea of the work involved. If you don't fancy doing it yourself, you can get some quotes, and also check out the work done for previous customers.
The fact the site is North facing doesn't help, as you say, it won't get much sun. You may want to consider getting rid of the lawn in the worst affected part if you can afford to lose some of it. Sometimes we just have to admit defeat.
Obviously as a member of a gardening forum l'm going to have 40 fits at the mention of plastic grass 😁, but sometimes it's the only solution, particularly if you have children and/or pets that need somewhere to play.
With the greatest respect to the lawn treatment guys, l think you need to save your money and spend it on the ideas described above. Spend the Winter months doing your research and weighing up the pros and cons of the actions you can take .
As for the hole, my money's on a rat as well. If you have a neighbour that feeds the birds, it may be that's the direction they're coming from. You may want to consider investing in a trap if the damage keeps happening.
Hope this helps
Regarding the treatment, it costs me about £17/quarter for the front and back and in fairness the front has never looked so bad.
The lawn originally went to the wall when we first started it about 5 years ago but I was told it was drainage so to pull it back and border with gravel which we have done.
I did spike it a month or so ago but I didn't have a proper hollow tine one so just ended up pushing the compacted soil down which I guess may have made things worse.
The plan was to overseed it again in the spring, the wife has had enough although it was her idea to put her toes through it but we didn't think it would be so difficult. I don't mind seeding again as I'm sure it would cost several hundred to put any alternative in.
The camera corner is damp and I think shielded by the wall because the stones go green in the winter and moss grows.
https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/easygreen-lawn-grass-seed?pv=34
I've used any old stuff from cheapo outlets or B&Q, and they're all as good as each other.
However, if the drainage is that bad, it won't make any difference what you sow - it will be boggy.
There aren't any shortcuts if you want decent drainage, and without it, I'm afraid grass won't thrive.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...