Will Lawnseed Grow in Silt?

After having the pond dug out last September by a guy in a mini-digger with no care to the surrounding lawn, therefore resembling the Somme (yes, really) ... we have managed to salvage a good part of the lawn filling in with growbags and scattering seed. Anyway, I digress ..... We want to extend the lawn onto a grit/sand area and were wondering if we put silt down on top of the grit would grass seed take to it? At the moment this area is covered with horsetails which I mow over each week so we have the colour of grass from a distance but clearly it isn't what we want! Any advice would be most welcome!! Regards Winnie.

 

Winnie

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "silt". To me, silt is just light soil and you'd need a lot of it. A good lawn needs a reasonable depth of soil, say 150mm, to grow in, especially if it is to survive droughts. That sand and gravel underneath will just drain every drop of moisture away.

But your biggist problem is the horse's tail (some call it mare's tail). Don't be misled by the fact that horse's tail can grow there because it's one of the toughest, most persistent weeds on the planet. If you use the search facility on this forum or if you Google it, you can find out more. Best of luck.

 

Morning Flinty!
Yes, the silt is the grit which has been caught in the silt trap. The stream feeds the pond via a long, narrow silt trap. The silt gets caught in the trap and every year poor hubby has to dig it out, usually about a foot deep, running for 25m x 2ft wide ... back breaking! The guy who dug out the pond dumped the contents in an area which after months of drying out is now a metre high with weed ... mainly reed, bullrush, weed, etc. This would be the same stuff that is trapped in the silt trap. Does any of this make sense? Anyway, we've decided to set up an area of silt and sow grass seed on it to see what happens! Seems the simpler solution doesn't it? Will respond via GC as to the results. Many thanks for your help. Re the horsetails, maretails .... we're experts on the stuff because there's so much of it. Some are a metre high, I kid you not!! Glyphosate doesn't touch it ... bleach .... the only solution for us is a hands and knees and pull exercise. That works!!!! A bientot!