Neglected Lawn

I confess I have neglected the lawn this year and it looks awful. I have lots of weeds and seem to have revealed tree roots which I believe is a result of scarifying over the years. My question is what can I do now (if anything) to make my lawn look healthy? tia

 

@JWK, my garden faces West and receives a lot of sun but does have some areas of shade created by my neighbours trees/bushes. I used to mow at least once a week but to be honest I have not been doing it as regularly of late because there is not much grass to mow, by this I mean It is very sparse and thin with spindly bits sticking up, not a sward.
The lawn has dandelions, daises and the new weed (which is worrying me because it is going into my borders) is Selfheal.
Earlier this year I did put down some iron sulphate but since then I have not fed it as I never know what to use. I have applied a lawn weed killer which has little effect.
The tree roots are going across the lawn from both sides but it is as though I have 'lost' soil over time by scarifying because it does rake a lot of soil up. Thank you for replying.

 

I have all of the above weeds in my grass, but I don'tmind the self heal at all, and it grows in teh gravel paths etc. Quite easy to pull up there.
Without seeing it, it's difficult to judge, but it sounds as if you'd need to raise the level to negate the tree root problem. That might be as simple as a thinnish layer of new soil and some grass seed - one suited to shade, or it might need a proper, higher edging to allow several inches of soil.

I tend to spot weed dandelions, and also buttercups. Daises never get removed as I like those, and the speedwell gets missed by the mower anyway. I occasionally use a weed and feed in spring, but not every year, and I never cut my grass short, despite our moisture being regular and promoting growth. It's better to keep it longer anyway if teh conditions are drier through summer.
There was very little apart from dandelions, moss and buttercups in the grass here when I moved in. I used a weed and feed in the first few years and that helped enormously, especiallly if you use a feed only first, as it gives the weedkiller part of the W&F a better chance to work well. I don't scarify very often if at all though.

If you want to feed at any point, a liquid seaweed is good.

 

A well kept lawn is actually a very sterile place for wildlife from soil grubs to insects and thus birds.

Our grass is a mix of clover and daisies which stay greener in dry periods plus all sorts of "weeds" including achillea, taller yellow daisies, mallows and many more which we found when we stopped cutting some of it to create a meadow. Buzzing with insects.

For a smaller plot I wouldn't be too worried as long as it's green but those tree roots won't be good for your mower or like being scalped so, as @fairygirl says, you need to raise the soil level but do it gradually. Every spring and autumn when it's damp and warm enough, scatter a thin layer of compost or soil evenly in the affected areas and then some grass seed.

Let the new grass get to at least 2 inches/5cm high before you cut it and don't cut it shorter than one inch/2.5cms so it can grow stronger roots and make a better plant that will stand up against weeds and soil erosion.

 

My green patch probably has more plants than the adjacent beds. There's a couple of evil ones I hoik out. The rest stay, particularly the ones that duck under the lawnmower. ( might it be an evolutionary thing or just plants that survived being grazed?)

 

Many birds need shorter grass to enable them to get food, but unless you want a bowling green @Meomye , which I'm guessing is unlikely, then keeping it at a reasonable length all year round is better than cutting too short, and means it's more likely to stay green.
Mine is never shorter than a couple of inches, except where I hit the slightly higher, more uneven bits. If I was to scalp it the way many people do round here, mainly because they can rely on rainfall to keep it growing back quickly, there would be more moss than grass. I rarely scrape moss out either, only the odd time, but that's simply my choice because there's other things I'd rather spend time on. It does sound as if you're possibly doing it too often due to the site being shady, so adding more soil and using a more suitable seed might be the best option.

It largely depends on how you want to use it too. I only have grass in the front garden now, so the only foot traffic is from me when I cut it, or attend to the hedges/plants. In a back garden which may get used more, it's harder to keep it looking too perfect, especially if it's small.

 

@Obelix-Vendée I am not against the odd weed and have never sought a bowling green lawn but am just wondering if there is anything I can do to strengthen it with some sort of food etc? I realise it is late in the season so was not sure where to begin. @fairygirl, I have considered what you suggested (scattering soil/seed) but I do have quite a large lawn and am not sure if I am able physically or financially to do this. I am fortunate to have lots of birds visit and enjoy watching them in my birdbaths.

 

You have to work within your limits @Meomye .
Most of the feeds fo rhtis time of year are weed and feed products ,and the feed part isn't as strong as it would be for the ones you'd use in spring, simply because you don't want to encourage loads of growth this late in the year.
You may get away with a feed though - like the seaweed type, if you don't get any cold weather over the next month or two. It's probably easier if you don't get lots of frosts etc. I know some people get very few depending on their location, and can cut grass even through winter, but I don't know if that would apply to you.
For next year, maybe leaving the grass a bit longer and doing less scarifying will help. I can understand that because it's shady, you're getting more moss, hence the need for a product that removes that, but then you need to remove the dead moss, and have less grass left in place, so it's that ongoing cycle.
Maybe you could just try some seed suited to shade next spring, mixed with a little soil or compost, and spread over the worst areas - perhaps the ones you see most from the house. The bits further away don't have such an impact on you when looking out!
A few regular feeds through the summer should help too, once that takes and is growing. It'll always be harder in a shadier site though. I use comfrey for feeds of flowering plants, and nettles are very good for foliage, so that might be a more inexpensive way of feeding, rather than buying anything.

 

Thank you @fairygirl for replying. Could you be more specific on the 'seaweed type feed' you refer to please? is it a lawn feed? granular or liquid form?

 

Just a standard liquid seaweed feed @Meomye, which you can use for lots of foliage plants too .
Many come ready diluted, which are dearer, but the ones I've had are the kind you dilute yourself. You can get granular feeds too, which are seaweed based, but I've not used them for a while. I think they're less popular, but I'm sure GCs will have them. There are also liquid feeds for grass, which will likely be seaweed based, but I haven't used those for along time. I don't feed my grass very often though, because the soil's quite rich anyway.
I find GCs quite overwhelming with the choices of these things, so I rarely visit them, but you could also look online, and diy stores also stock a lot of products. Just pick one which doesn't have a 'weed' element and is a feed only

 

Thank you @fairygirl