"Holes" in your lawn

"Holes" in your lawn.
I do not mean small digged holes in your lawn.
Maybe digged by moles.
Actually, I mean spots in your lawn coverage that are not covered by grass-coverage anylonger.
Let's say - for example - a grass-coverage-lack of the size and the shape of a small dish.
Due to different reasons.
Maybe also because in that point you pulled weeds out.
In such a case, what do you do in an attempt to fill the lack of grass coverage ???

A. You make a drastic decision: you "erase" the whole lawn and you start from the beginning by seeding again the grass.

B. You think a virtual "grid" on your lawn-area and you act only on those square portions which contains the spots of the lack of grass-coverage.
In those squares, let's say small square areas 1 yard x 1 yard, you erase/remove the grass coverage and you start by seeding the grass again (only in that specific square portions).

C. You raughly and randomly rake the spotted areas of grass-coverage-lack, you seed in there and you cover the raked areas by adding some more mould so to cover the seeds.

D. You simply put some grass seeds into the "holes" of grass-coverage-lack and you cover them with a handfull of mould.

Ciaooooooo ! (Byeeeeee !)

 

I'd get a roll of turf or however much you need.
Try to find the sort of turf with grass similar to yours.

Use an old bread knife with a serrated edge and cut round a large pot placed over the hole. Then dig out the offending patch with a pointing trowel.
Use the same pot to cut out a piece of new turf and place in the hole. Use a piece of board larger than the hole to stamp it down. "Repeat as necessary."

I have been known to collect an "unclaimed" fresh fairway divot and use on small areas of damage by squirrels or whatever on my lawn.
My wife says I'm stealing the golf course a bit at a time.

 

So your "school of thought" is "upholstering to cover" rather than "seeding to fill".
That's what I understand by reading your suggestion...
I did not put this solution in the list: placing a new turf in the hole.
I had sometimes considered that but now I forgot to put it in the list of solutions to the problem.
You reminded it to me and you consider it the proper solution.
Thank you for your answer.

Ciao (pronounce: "chee-a-o" ).

 

Let me know.
I addres this off-topic question to you and/or those who live in Britain.
Are really in Manchester area/the whole Britain squirrels freely wandering in the roads, front-yards, etc. ???
I do know about squirrels in parks but I never thought they can be found in villages roads and they can "make a visit" to the various home's front yards...
I wish It were the same in Italy where I live.
I like squirrels.
Sometimes I fancy: "I would like to bring some squirrels into my front-yard".
I certainly am aware of the fact that they could go outside my front-yard, to the road and to other people's front yards.
But, nevermind...
My friends told me: "those squirrels would be soon eaten by all the cats that are in the road".
What's the picture in Britain ? Really squirrels are free in the villages roads ?
There are not enough cats in the roads that can "sterminate" them ???:roll:

End of "off-topic".

 

Grey squirrels are quite common in suburban areas, if there's trees tall and thick enough for them to want to build a drey. Red squirrels very rare and confined to a few places, most are in Scotland and the Isle of Wight.
We like squirrels, my wife feeds them, we had an abandoned baby one as a pet.

This is her, with our eldest son who found her, she's a bit wary of the local paper's photographer's big camera.



Here she's relaxing in the sun, on the top of our youngest son's toy garage, but that was forty years ago.

 

In Italy, better saying, in my local area, you can find squirrels - as far as I know - in the city park of "Legnano" (a little town 15 miles north-west of Milan. Not far from my home).
Here a picture of a squirrel taken in the very "Legnano park" (he has "italian passport" )



Here a picture of his "british cousin" taken by me during a visit at Saint James Park in London (of course he has "british passport" )



Both of them, are Grey Squirrels.
So, although they are "cousins", as I said , because one lives in Italy and the other one lives in Britain, they have a common ancestor: namely from North America.
Grey squirrels are not autochtonous of Europe.
The autochtonous european squirrel is the red one.
Anyway, I really wish squirrels were widespread in italian suburban areas as it occurs in Britain :(

 

It is amazing the way these little animals are so friendly and not fearfull to human beings !

 

I have cats and it doesn't stop the squirrels visiting my garden. The cats have never caught anything bigger than a mouse. The squirrels just look at me when I try to scare them off the bird feeding area from inside the house and even if I go out to them they only move 2 or 3 yards away and stop and look at me - wondering what I will do about it. If I throw something in their general direction they still don't go far.

 

Our garden is quite civilised, the birds have their own feeding tray containing wild bird food and the squirrels have a dish containing peanuts, they all get on fine and are happy to feed within a couple of feet of each other. The arrangement of the dishes is designed so that the big wood pigeons are too big to get at either.

 

This discussion about squirrels is fascinating me.
I'm going to start a new topic about.
I will do it in the non gardening discussions furum section.
Anyway, I will link it in this topic.
On my opinion there is however a relevance with the gardening issue.
Indeed, squirrels can be considered as "decorative/recreational elements" of open spaces including parks and gardens.
Just to mention an example, that's the picture in London Royal Parks.
Consequently, the topic "squirrels" is not completely abstruse with this forum.
Having said that, I want to report what I have found about squirrels.
I have done a brief search in internet.
For example, I have also visited the wikipedia website.
Among the various squirrels species, two of them are the best known:
red squirrels and grey squirrels.
Grey squirrels are native of North America.
Red squirrels are european.
So, Grey squirrels have been introduced into Europe.
But not into the whole Europe.
Only into Ireland, Britain and Italy (my country).
So in Ireland, Britain and Italy, we have two squirrel populations.
The population of red squirrels (autoctone of Europe) and the population of grey squirrel (introduced from North America).
Red squirrels and grey squirrels have raughly the same size.
They have also similiar habits and behaviors.
They have similiar eating habits as well.
But there are some differences.

1. Grey squirrels can live in restricted areas. Red ones can not.
Grey squirrels can live in densely squirrel populated areas. Red ones can not.
That may occur when build-up areas erode space to woods areas.

2. Grey squirrels are disease resistant. Red ones are not.
Wikipedia says:
"red squirrels are fatally affected by the disease, while the eastern gray squirrels are unaffected but thought to be carriers. The red squirrel is also less tolerant of habitat destruction and fragmentation which has led to its population decline, while the more adaptable eastern gray squirrel has taken advantage and expanded."

3. On the whole, grey squirrels have a better fitness.
Wikipedia says:
"The eastern gray squirrel tends to be larger and stronger than the Red Squirrel and has been shown to have a greater ability to store fat for winter."

As a result of these differences, Wikipedia talk about "displacement of red squirrels" (on behalf of grey squirrels).
Talking about the picture in United Kingdom, Wikipedia says:
"In the United Kingdom, the eastern gray squirrel has few natural predators. This has aided its rapid population growth and has led to the species being classed as a pest. Measures are being devised to reduce its numbers, including one plan for celebrity television chefs to promote the idea of eating the squirrels.In areas where relict populations of red squirrels survive, such as the islands of Anglesey and Brownsea , programs seeking to eradicate pest squirrels are in progress in an effort to allow Red Squirrel populations to recover."

Actually I would not guess that in Britain there is an attempt to "eradicate" grey squirrels.
On the contrary I can see lot of grey squirrels in London Royal Parks.
Still, It seems to me that grey squirrels are loved by the british people.
Still, I would not define grey squirrels as a "pest".
Indeed, it seems to me that in Britain no tragedy is on the way because of these "terrible grey sqirrels"... Am I wrong ???
Instead, In Italy there are different views/opinions.
In Italy there is concern to prevent the spread of the grey squirrels.
As if they were talking about a disease spreading...
In Italy there is concern to avoid grey squirrels to pass-by the borders and enter France, Switzerland, Austria and thence overrun the whole european continent.
Of course Britain has not this concern because Britain is an island and has no borders with other countries...
But probably the concern to avoid grey squirrels to displace european red squirrels exist.
It probably exist in Europe. I mean, in continental Europe.
I've been recently travelled to Germany.
To Frankfurt.
I visited some Frankfurt city parks.
I did not see any grey squirrels there.
Instead I see many little rabbits like these:






I was wondering WHY. ???
Why in Frankfurt city parks (even road gardens) are there rabbits in place of grey squirrels ?
Maybe because in Germany they do not want that grey squirrels displace red squirrels.
Anyway I think: "who cares ?"
Why in Britain they allow grey squirrels whereas in Italy and in other european countries it seems to be so much concern about ????????
Who knows....:cnfs:

 

I am carry on talking about squirrels HERE:
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/squirrels-t30195.html?p=420624