Lawns

the area is 110msq It has been raining lately and there has been puddles on the top left, but will the turf grow okay on top of the 50mm top soil. The clayish surface isn't completely compact together.

I work full time on a clay soil and have now got the lawns, about 6 acres, pretty good, even the croquet area is as good as golf greens. The problem with clay soil is it retains moisture and you get some areas that seem more quoggy than others, some simple tips to help, but not...

I have an elderly friend and her dog piddles all over her lawn terrible mess. Can't you dog lovers train your doggies to wee in one area? Fence a bit off perhaps until it learns.

So far as I know, I believe a wet, soggy lawn to be indicative of moss and thatch - dead grass. So what your lawn needs is scarifying. Take a look at this site, it's a mine of good tips. http://www.lawn-care-tips.co.uk/lawn-maintenance/index.htm

Before you go ahead with your plans to dig up and re-turf, what are the main problems with the old grass? What do you mean by tired? too many weeds? moss? Would it be possable to re-juvinate this sad grass, and save you money, time, and back ache. Lawn sand applied in February will kill off moss...

Grass from seed takes quite a time to make a hard useable lawn, 2 years at least and you need a mix with ryegrass for strength and useability. On the other hand you could go the instant lawn way and that is ready for light traffic very soon but must be kept well watered for the first summer....

Very well summed up Palustris. By not feeding you encourage the roots to look for nutrients in the soil beneath the turf which speeds up the knitting process.

Me thinks it's a bit late for lisa to worry about mad cow and all that! :D

Besides aerating, and raking the thatch - I would suggest feeding it once it starts growing again - and keep it trimmed. Blades set high at the beginning of the season, and then lower. Cutting the grass and feeding should cause it to fill out - unless there is something in the soil that is not...

without further info, i have to assume some sort of black mould.......if so, rake vigorously wih a spring tine rake, aerate with fork to improve drainage, re seed when temperature is higher.... you soil needs to be 5 degrees C

Hi md, I bought some last year from local petshop by Vetzyme. It was for my sister's 2 dogs who tend to use gravel- apparently it worked well!

Your female dog's urine is poisonous to your lawn, if possible have a special area for your dog to pee, also the drainage problem is possably the turf people but it could be that there is no grass to absorb all the water, don't cut the grass too short, let the grass grow normally and in spring...

Thanks for the tip, Rudham (again!) I'm planning to relay my lawn as the chap who did it, put in 15tons of topsoil beforehand - almost pure clay! So after 5 years of struggle, I'm giving up and starting again!

Yes I have a dog, a bitch, and all the bare patched to prove it, still I've never really been one to worry too much about the grass (its not a lawn), but it does look a bit scruffy in summer or after a frosty spell. Thats an interesting artical, dont know if she'll like tomato juice, I'll have...

I know the feeling michaelmas daisy. However that said, I haven't given up hope on mine - and morning exercises sorted the shoulder problems for me - thanks to my local osteopath.

hooray they've started to sprout!

Hi Will, This is the photo of lawn and border.The border at the bottom end just gets wider and wider. Would like to move grass over about 4 inches all the way down. Thanks Sewer Rat I will do the deed tomorrow if dry. Maybe I could put some fleece on top of seed.

That sounds like you've got birds feeding on Chafer Grubs Steve. The bulk of the mess is made by the birds digging, but the grass dying off is due to the grubs eating away at the roots.Have a look here and see if it looks like your problem - I've got no idea how well this stuff works, but...

**MOD HAT ON**language!!**MOD HAT OFF**

You can get away with a light scattering of soil on top of the seeds - generally it's wise to rake the seed into the soil, though only to a shallow depth. As Michaelmassdaisy says, if the seed is too deep it won't get any light.If the seed has germinated, there are some other possibilities to...