Home lawn

Ok... So its not part of the blog, nor am I likely to post pictures. Think moss and mud, with a distinct squelchy quality and you'll be there.

Anyway, last year I spend a lot of time trying to reseed the lawn. This year it looked pretty much as it did at the start of last year, so some more drastic thinking required...

Firstly, I couldn't really give a damn about privacy in our garden. Apart from trying NOT to see next door in their hot tub *shudder* I've no use for tall trees. So they've all come out.

Second, stick a fork in it... Well this went very badly! Some of the dirt is max an inch deep. I could even see the shallower bits after the drought last year, where a brown square over what I assume was a soak away appeared as if by magic. I tested a number of other places and many were the same. Last year I even tried to dig through part of one to plan some sunflowers - it was back breaking! Nearly literally... I dragged a load of crap that I dug out to the tip, but I can't possibly do that for all of the lawn.

So, thirdly, damage limitation. Now there should be more light, so I need to see what it is capable of. So early May I've hand weeded (bloody guinea pig...) raked the moss, dumped a box of seed, 4 bags of silver sand (yes, I know, sharp would have been better) and 3 old tubs of compost onto the top. Crudely raked and brushed in.

Now leave and see what happens. If what happened to my last place happens here I'll kill the lawn and provide a top layer of lovely soil for weeds. Hopefully by throwing down seed under the sand and compost (and a bit of feed - not a great idea with seed, but, hey) I'll have grass coming up rather than weed. Well, hopefully, magic is real and I'll be rewarded by a passing wizard for my effort with a lovely, thick lawn!

Ok, so maybe my early expectation is a bit more realistic.

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Oh shit... A comment on the post... Someone's reading this crap...

Well in that case, as requested, here is a 'before' and 'after' photo. Above, the patchy, just treated moss fest, and below the reflection of a hand (but also the end result of a little TLC).

Over all I think short-term success - very pleased. Just need to keep the lawn thick and have a think about aerating in a slightly more long term fashion.