Troublesome area of grass.

I have a large area of inherited grass that is in a sorry state. We refer to it as "The Meadow".



There is a lot of moss though not as much as before I watered in a solution of Ferrous Sulphate, but there is a stubborn edge.



There are also large areas of tough grass.



Areas of yellow grass (like corn)



and holes.



The area is very uneven and impossible to cut really short. Last autumn we planted about 700 croci, some of which flowered in March.
I have a water-filled roller and I have tried rolling it but I think I would need a road roller to make any difference. I have a rotary mower but it has wheels and an easily adjusted height mechanism.

What I want to know is what can I do to improve it? At 74 years of age, I am not going to lift it and reseed or returf it. Even raking the moss out was a major task for me.
I have a Heavy Duty Hollow Tine Lawn Aerator but now I have the croci under the grass I am afraid I damage them if I use it. When we put them in we backfilled the holes with good fresh compost.
I intend to fill the holes with soil and overseeding (as soon as the high winds abate) but I don't know what to do about the coarse grass other than digging it out and as there is so much of it that would nearly be as bad as reseeding.
As pensioners on fixed incomes, there are also budgetary constraints.
Any advice would be most appreciated.

 

Hi my lawn is not as green. as some lawns mainly my garden is shady there is a lot of trees by me also the land was once farmland so the soil moist so i use sugar and fresh used coffee to feed my grass and kill grass weeds and i used salt and vinegar to kill moss and keep it at bay
Last year i had one side of my lawn full of white clover used sugar for 6weeks slowly they died and now they are all gone then fertilzed the grass a few times with used coffee. its much better now it looks like a lawn but now having trouble with squirrals digging holes in the lawn
I read recently baking soda is an all-natural killer of moss and it is also the cheapest and most effective way to get rid of moss for good and all.
you need to sprinkle it the coverage with a broom or brush. Leave it as it is. After a few days, you’ll notice that it turns golden and will just flake away. Even mold or pollen buildup won’t stand a chance with baking soda! Best when its dry so it work better
so you dont have to use chemicals sometimes things you have in your home works plus is cheaper

 

I should point out that baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), salt (sodium chloride), vinegar (acetic acid), sugar (sucrose) and even fresh used coffee (is that like used beer?) are all chemicals just as much as ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphate, glyphosate, iron sulphate are all chemicals.
The mode of action differs and they are readily available and cheap. However they can cause damage if overused, for example sodium chloride can build up in the soil. Vinegar and baking soda locally alter the pH, both baking soda and sugar will draw water out of moss.
Most of these chemicals are best applied when rain is not expected for a day or so as they are water soluble and will be washed away.
All chemicals should be used carefully and only as required.

 

Having tried to find crocus and snowdrop bulbs growing in the grass under my trees I think you have little chance of hitting many of them. You could even turn it into a game like "pin the tail on the donkey". I've even failed to find crocus bulbs in a patch of ground that in the March was a mass of flowers as it was the next year.

 

Hey that lawn looks exactly like our "good" lawn.
After two years of trying to change it into a presentable state, I just said "skrew it" and now it can grow however it pleases. From time to time I cut out the dandelions but that's about it. There's no shame in concentrating your efforts on some nice shrubbery instead of fighting a loosing battle.

 

Today I made a start to The Meadow. I got my roller out and started off by filling all the holes (or most of them) with compost. I must have used about half a bag. I then rolled all the patches before sprinkling a mixture of grass seed and John Innes seed compost over them. Once again I rolled all the treated areas. There is rain forecast this evening and overnight but if it doesn't happen I will have to get my hose out and give it a fine mist, either tomorrow or Saturday.

 

Bit late but some sieved garden soil or top soil might be better for filling any depressions, organic material has the habit of slowly disappearing and then your back with the hollow.

Sorry just noticed you said JI compost.

 

I only used the John Innes for the seed/top dressing. I used Miracle-Gro compost to fill the holes. The holes were not that deep, just bare of grass. If the new grass takes and I end up with a slight depression I can always put a light dressing of topsoil on top.
I am glad to say the promised rain has started so I won't need to get the hose out.

 

Rain has been on and off for the past 24 hours so no need to get the hose out. I have treated the mossy edge with Richard Jackson's Moss Remover so I will see how that goes. The idea is it kills the moss and then "digests" the moss so you do not have to rake it out. We'll see.

 

Despite the rain, I had to water the reseeded patches.
Is there any way to try and remove the humps and bumps in the ground? Other than filling in the low areas with light and regular topdressing I cannot think of what to do. It restricts how short I can cut the grass as it starts to shave areas if I set the mower too low.

 

If it’s too bumpy they need to be cut out and the level corrected. A lute can be used for small lumps and bumps but in reality it’s a case of working on the high points if the mower is scalping.

 

So is it a case of identifying the high points by scalping? Do I then have to scrape soil off the top of the high points and then reseed?
Will being able to get a lower cut help to cure my patches of coarse grass?

 

Yes to height but no to controlling the grass depending on what type it is.

 

Thank you. So it looks like I will just have to dig out the coarse grass and reseed these areas too?

 

Yes, that’s the best way. Some grasses don’t like being sliced, some apply a herbicide then reseed but digging up and reseeding with the correct type of grass seed is a good method.