Bad Lawn

Could I have some advice please? I have moved to a beautiful Victorian garden, which, although long neglected and overgrown has huge potential. The Lawns have been vaguely mowed but little else. They're full of moss, dandelions, something that looks like pond weed and various other interlopers. They look okish when just cut but really aren't very grassy anymore. How can I save them? I don't know where to begin. Should I be killing weeds, raking moss or sowing grass seed right now? The rest of the garden seems retrievable but the lawns are beyond me. Many thanks for any help.
Lulu

 

Assuming you're after the kind of 'green desert' my clients and I like but not so popular here (see lawn heresy) I'd say that in the first instance you should feed it with some summer lawn food, repeat in one months time, and let the grass recover. Then mow it regularly (weekly if you can) which will start to knock out the dandelions as they are outcompeted by the grass for food and light.

If the lawn really looks mossy then you may have a shade issue. You'll have to rake the moss off, or kill it with mosskiller, then fork over and reseed the patches with shade tolerant grass seed (which is only slightly more tolerant than ordinary cultivars), then hope. Don't feed the young grass for a good month after germinating or you might kill it.

The cress stuff is probably 'Mind your own Business', a rampant little thing much beloved of town gardeners and designers. It grows faultlessly just about everywhere! It is a pain to get rid of - use glyphosate (roundup), or go the other way and make the lawn out of it. Doesn't look flash in the winter though.

You can use weedkillers but I'd say you will get a better end result if you follow the feed and mow regime. Good luck and howzabout a piccy of the offending veg?

 

JAZID, I love mind your own business, we can not get it in LEICESTER.
:D :confused: :eek: :maD

 

Jazid - the previous owner of my house planted MYB in the rockery. It is now everywhere I don't want it, and shrugs off tumbleweed and round up. <sigh>.

Pretty plant, but like mint (its relative) its a thug.

 

Hi Fran! Sorry to be an anorak but if by mind your own business you mean Soleirolia soleirolii (or Hexine solerolii) , it isn't related to mint - they are in different families (MYB is in Urticaceae, Mint is in Lamiaceae) they are in different orders too (MYB in Rosales, Mint in lamiales). Sorry!!! Yes they are both complete thugs & will make a bid to take over the neighbourhood if you don't watch them - I have it my garden, but thankfully confined to a shady alleyway segregated from the rest of the garden, & pull it out if it does try to creep away(it does try to grow along the side of the house).
Lulu - sometimes moss in the lawn can be a drainage issue (in which case you would need to aerate it i.e. either with a garden fork or aerator - make small drainage holes all over & brush in some sand) & Jazid is right it does sound as if your lawn is hungry. Whilst we are in a drought though I wouldn't do to much to it unless you are prepared to water it, & the best time to seed a lawn is in the autumn or spring. Good luck & hope you have many years pleasure from your new garden!

 

Thanks for the information - but I only said it was like mint - not that it was related. But I found the info very helpful so thanks. Sadly I have it in my so called rockery and the lawn - and it its taken over my woodland path <sigh>

 

Thanks for all advice. The plant in question is definitely mind your own business and I'm more than happy to send some to Leicester as I really have got quite a lot of it! pm me your address Fancy if you'd like some.
As for the lawn I'm going for a bit of a reduction of weedy outcrops and some moss control. I dont think the bowling green is in keeping with the rest. I've hundreds of other questions but i guess they should go in the approriate sections. Thanks again -Lulu