Moss
Moss thrives in damp shady conditions. Treating with a moss control spray and
scarification of the lawn helps to alleviate the problem but its cause needs to be
investigated. Poor drainage is a major cause and that could be brought about by a build
up of surface thatch in the lawn or as a result of soil compaction. You need to create the
right grass and soil conditions to help stop it re-occuring.
Surface Thatch Build-Up
All grass forms a layer of dead plant material, known as thatch (old grass stems),
between the grass blades and the soil. When thatch gets too
thick (deeper than 1/2 inch) it prevents water and nutrients from
penetrating to the soil and grass roots. Some varieties of grass tend to form a
thicker layer of thatch than others. Scarification can be used to remove thatch and create
a better environment within which the grass and roots can grow. In a healthy lawn,
micro organisms and earthworms help keep the thatch layer in balance by decomposing it
and releasing the nutrients
into the soil.
Scarifying
Scarification should be a regular treatment for a lawn. This mechanical treatment
removes surface thatch which itself is a major cause of moss growth. Whilst not its
primary role scarification will also remove old and dying moss growth and is especially
effective after an Autumn moss control application. After treatment water, oxygen and
nutrients can more easily reach the base of the grass plant and promotes healthy growth.
The treatment differs from raking either with a hand rake or domestic lawn rake machine
because it uses blades to remove thatch and is a much more vigorous and thorough
treatment.
Often the lawn will look unsightly for a while so we prefer to undertake the treatment
over the Winter period if the ground is dry enough. Come Spring and fresh growth the
lawn quickly begins to recover especially following the first fertiliser treatment of the
year.
Aerating
Compacted lawns benefit from hollow tine aeration to deter summer drought and winter
water logging. Thousands of plugs of soil are mechanically extracted from the lawn to
create air spaces and allow oxygen, water and nutrients to more easily penetrate the soil
to the roots where it is needed most. We leave the plugs on the lawn to degrade naturally
which usually takes 4-6 weeks depending on weather conditions. We can remove the
plugs and top dress the lawn with sand but be warned, it is labour intensive.
We can also use solid tines, which aerate without removing plugs of soil.
We
normally only recommend Top Dressing with pure sand where heavy clay soils are
present and the sand will then be brushed in to the newly created air spaces to help
consistency of the soil and assist
drainage.
We can both scarify and aerate on the same day.
Top dressing
The main purpose of topdressing for compacted soil is to improve drainage through the
introduction of good quality sand to the roots. It encourages new basal growth of the
grass plants giving a thicker sward of grass.
Oddly, with lighter sandy soils, top dressing acts in reverse with the addition of organic
matter such as compost or peat to help the sandy soil retain water and nutrients.
Weeds, Diseases and Pests
There are many types of weeds found on the domestic lawn including creeping thistle,
buttercup, plantain, daisy, dandelion and clover. Left untreated they will thrive to the
detriment of the grass.
Regular lawn fertiliser applications and removal of these and
other weed types will give your lawn a healthier look and feel which is what most people
want to achieve.
Similarly there are numerous diseases and disorders that affect domestic lawns. The
most common are Red Thread, Fusarium Patch, Slime Mould, Brown Patch and Leaf
Spot. Again we can provide specialist help and treatments.
Less common are problem pests such as Leatherjackets (Crane Fly larvae) and Chafer
Grubs. Both feed on the roots of grasses with the former likely to show damaging signs
in Spring and the latter in August/September due to the larvae pupating at different times.
