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The worst lawn

beachboyslightalbumbeachboyslightalbum Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi , old garden was very lumpy and we had a dog that was peeing on it and killing parts of it. Was historically damp but manageable and grass did grow. Last April I returfed taking out large stones and was able to make it flatter. Trained dog not to pee on it. Left it to take and for first few months looked great and did feed it.  When I first cut it last summer (at a decent height) some of the cuttings left on the grass seemed to mat when it rained and over the last year the grass has thinned out and now it’s mostly bare soil or matted old grass. Tried raking and makes no difference and seems to make worse if anything. Have overseeded but no joys. The ground  is now permanently damp and squelchy and can’t let kids or dog out on it. It looks awful. First photo  were taken after very heavy rain and the close up a few days later - still sodden. Any ideas or thoughts welcome.
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  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    Blimey, I thought mine got soggy! What sort of soil do you have? It definitely needs some drainage help. 
  • beachboyslightalbumbeachboyslightalbum Posts: 6
    Hi assume it’s clay, but not sure. Difficulty is digging up any trench with the roots from the large apple tree.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The drainage is clearly a problem. 
    Is there a burst pipe somewhere, or a neighbouring garden causing water to feed in ?
    Even in a wet part of the country, on clay, it doesn't get like that unless there's a serious problem with the drainage.
    I never leave clippings on mine - always collected. 

    What kind of prep did you do before you seeded it? I hope you didn't add sand [the wrong type] and compact it all...
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • McRazzMcRazz Posts: 440
    edited March 2023
    It is March don't forget.

    Mine looks identical to that but by the time April/May arrives it always bounces back.

    Yes my drainage could be better too (i'm on thick clay) but its never really been an issue other than from about Jan-March but that's when the garden gets little use anyway. 

    Also, you have a dog (and kids?!), I haven't had to scarify my lawn since our pooch arrived 2 years ago...
  • beachboyslightalbumbeachboyslightalbum Posts: 6
    Fairygirl said:
    The drainage is clearly a problem. 
    Is there a burst pipe somewhere, or a neighbouring garden causing water to feed in ?
    Even in a wet part of the country, on clay, it doesn't get like that unless there's a serious problem with the drainage.
    I never leave clippings on mine - always collected. 

    What kind of prep did you do before you seeded it? I hope you didn't add sand [the wrong type] and compact it all...
    No bust pipe and no sand. It is probably too compacted so have recently aerated. Possibly McRazz is right, it is what it is.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Were you using it while it was newly turfed? That won't have helped. 
    If it's been consistently getting compacted, that's always going to be a problem. It's how it is with kids though - you won't have a nice lawn while it's being used, especially when it's not a very big site  :)
    I've never had anything but clay soil, and I'm in a very wet part of the country. We didn't go on the grass unless it was necessary from around October until April to avoid compacting it further. 
    You also seem to have a very shady site so that won't help either. It won't dry out as easily as an open sunny site, especially if it's compacted. My front grass is always squelchy and mossy at this time of year, but the worst bit of yours looks like it's also in a very shady part so it won't dry out easily. 
    All you can do is aerate, but avoiding using it in winter is also the solution.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Simone_in_WiltshireSimone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073
    That garden looks like ready for a "Garden Rescue". Can see Charlie saying "it's a bit of a challenge, not really much to see here".
    I think the lawn tells you that it doesn't like being in this garden. It depends how much effort you want to spend, but I would take out the lawn, improve the soil, and do something different.

    I ♥ my garden.

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I'm inclined to agree with you re your second sentence @Simone_in_Wiltshire. Grass is great when you have small children, but it doesn't take long to get in a mess - especially when it's a small area, and it's shady. 
    Our old house was across from a large area of grass which the local kids played on. Despite it being large, and quite open, it was a muddy, manky swamp most of the year. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited March 2023
    Looks dire.  First find the underlying problem.  Main suspect, excess surface water.

    TV garden fixers would fix it, but the problems would still be there when the cameras have left.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • beachboyslightalbumbeachboyslightalbum Posts: 6
    Simone_in_Wiltshire said:
    That garden looks like ready for a "Garden Rescue". Can see Charlie saying "it's a bit of a challenge, not really much to see here".
    I think the lawn tells you that it doesn't like being in this garden. It depends how much effort you want to spend, but I would take out the lawn, improve the soil, and do something different.
    Hi yes moving away from a traditional lawn certainly becoming more of an option 
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