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lawn
rosemummy
Posts: 2,010
our east facong back lawn is awful,it's nearly 2 years old and only looked good for the 1st 3few months it was laid as turf, last september i thoroughly aerated it, scattered sand and a little topsoil, reseeded ...and i may as well have done nothing, most is patchy, but where we have the paddling pool in summer is just mud, it looks loke it stays really wet, we have cut the fig tree back a lot ( nov) so hope this will get a bit more light to it, shall I REPEAT THE AERATING, SAND, SEED AGAIN? AM i ONTO A TOTAL LOSER? OH EXCUSE shouting hadn't noticed had done that sorry!! any advice very welcome
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Is it in shade? Is it badly drained? Do you feed it? If you put a paddling pool on it that bit will probably die and be compacted slimy mud in winter.
Kids + paddling pool = mudbath. If it's a regular feature then you'll need to be prepared to sacrifice a small area for a while. I'd get some tanalised wood from the builders merchants and create a square, lay membrane and put down play sand so the pool can sit on top.
As for the lawn, even though it's east facing it should get some sun.
Drainage must be an issue, so regular spiking and brushing in sharp sand will improve it. Use a grass seed for shade to reseed it and use a mixture of sharp sand and compost to sow the seed into.
Lifting the lawn each spring increases air in the soil which combats compaction (You push a fork into the grass and literally lift it till the surface cracks).
Over time it will improve, but it's hard work.
Hi lizzie and Dave, thanks both, it does seem badly drained, I don't feed it, that's really good advice re the paddling pool, I will get seed for shade and see about a sand area ( could maybe double as sandpit?) thanks again, I'll get working on it and let you know
Our back lawn is east facing and shaded for part of the day as it has large trees on the eastern boundary. We aerate with a fork and scarify with a rake every spring (I really don't know why I don't look like Elle McPherson - I should be so honed and toned
)
We use seaweed powder on this lawn rather than Evergreen 80 type as we have frogs, newts, hedgehogs etc and I don't want to use weedkiller or mosskiller - I just keep raking the moss out in the spring
I agree with Dave about the pool - it needs permanent provision while the children are small. At my last workplace the lawns were expensively re-turfed, then the following summer a large bouncy castle was left in place for the whole of the summer holiday - staff wondered why the grass had died - I did warn them
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Thanks dove, yes, how strange I don't look like a supermodel too....nothing to do with too many biscuits... i don't want to use any chemicals so seaweed powder sounds good,I knew the pool would wreck the lawn,I'm not precious about it, just want it to be reasonably nice grass for them to play on, had a good go at it in autumn but should have thought I was wasting time and waited til spring, I'll do it this month
Hi Rosemummy, when we moved into this house the lawn was awful. Full of weeds and at the end of the garden it was dead as they had had a trampoline there. It's fine now, but it has taken around 3 years. I spike and scarify in the autumn putting seed down on the bare bits. I also feed in the autumn and spring. A lot of the weeds have been removed by hand. This year I have decided to have a company come in and look after the lawn for a 12 month period just to see how good it can get. They come in 3 times and charge £15.00 per visit. Not bad as I don't have to buy any feed etc.
ooh yvie, that osnds like a fair deal, can you tell me the company? are they nationwide? pm me if you like
Its a franchise Rosemummy, you would have to go to their website and insert your postcode to see if they cover your area. Mine is a relatively small garden and they base the cost on the size of your lawn and the care plan you choose. They are called green thumb and their web site is www.greenthumb.co.uk I think there are a few companies that do a similar deal. Their tele number is 0800 0111 222.
I have been having greenthumb for just over a year, my grass is still thin, patchy and has bare muddy patches!
mine's like that denise, i could charge anyone for rubbish grass, i'm great at it!!!