[pepsi100]

I am not sure if a lawn is really a topic for allotment holders or gardeners

But I have a patch of grass, its mainly used in the summer, y'know, BBQ's, sitting on, cutting on a Sunday

I have a squirrel that buries the peanuts we leave out for the birds (little *)

I have no end of weeds on it, those horrible flat leaf things and clover, I cant get rid of them,

I used Roundup and ended up with bare patches that nothing will grow on (the squirrel loves them, makes his life easier)

I don't want a perfect lawn, (well I do really) just something that don't sprout weeds

Anyone out there give me any tips how to get even a half decent lawn?

[Fairy Plotmother]

Hello Pepsi. I wish I could help, but I have the same problem. i used to have two lovely lawns, I scarified,  weeded by hand, spiked and fed. They were my pride and joy. But over the past few years ants have moved in, leaving little piles of soil for weed seeds to grow in. I'm trying to renovate them myself this year,mid I am not successful, I have decided to have them relaid professionally.
PS Maybe it's to do with the location....I'm not far from you up the Ruislip Road!

[pepsi100]

Could be the location
I used to pull em up and feed the chickens, but now they have gone, its the compost heap for them, but now they are getting out of hand
Mine was laid professionally, a few years ago though, but even then it had clover in it
I wont be paying that again
I just wondered if there was anything I could spread over the grass, kill the weeds and reseed the lawn
Managed to get rid of the ants (they don't like peppermint)

[Fairy Plotmother]

Two weeks ago I put down feed and weed and it has been rained in beautifully! The grass is certainly greener and seems to be growing strongly. Some of the smaller weeds seem to have succumbed but the broad, flat ones seem to be taking longer. I have dug a few out today as the soil is very moist. I will probably give another weed treatment in 6 weeks as I don't have the time or energy to dig them all out!

[Beekissed]

We love our clover and will overseed the lawn regularly every other year or so to get more of it.  It's great food for bees and chickens, never gets too high like grasses do, and is soft, cool and lovely to walk upon.  As long as it's green, soft to walk upon and nicely groomed, why does it matter what types of things grow in it?   Grass is just so...one dimensional.   

[Fairy Plotmother]

We love our clover and will overseed the lawn regularly every other year or so to get more of it.  It's great food for bees and chickens, never gets too high like grasses do, and is soft, cool and lovely to walk upon.  As long as it's green, soft to walk upon and nicely groomed, why does it matter what types of things grow in it?   Grass is just so...one dimensional.   

Yes......but I love it! My "lawns" are so small they need to be lawns not meadows.

[Beekissed]

We love our clover and will overseed the lawn regularly every other year or so to get more of it.  It's great food for bees and chickens, never gets too high like grasses do, and is soft, cool and lovely to walk upon.  As long as it's green, soft to walk upon and nicely groomed, why does it matter what types of things grow in it?   Grass is just so...one dimensional.   

Yes......but I love it! My "lawns" are so small they need to be lawns not meadows.

Sounds like a lot of hard work with very little satisfaction and success in the end....but apparently your love of grass is worth the time, money and frustration spent?   

[pepsi100]

I don't mind the clover, its those flat weeds I'd like too see the back of and dandelions

[JayG]

My lawn is lovely and springy to walk on thanks to lots of moss  , and clover has spread almost all over it over the past 10 years or so.

Strangely enough the remaining grass grows much better now there is clover there, presumably because of its nitrogen-fixing abilities (when there was no clover the grass simply didn't grow unless I fed it - 2-3 cuts per season were the most it ever needed, although in one respect that wasn't entirely bad news!  )

Yes, various deep rooted perennial weeds are there too, including dandelions, but they don't get out of hand if you keep the lawn well mown (if they refuse to take the hint I dig them out with a trowel and fill the hole in - it soon grows over.)

Not thought it wise to use weed/feed/moss killer on mine since I incorporated the pond, but when did it made a pretty good job of restoring the balance of grass over weeds and moss, but you have to be prepared to do a lot of raking to get rid of the dead moss, and possibly re-seeding bare patches too...

At least it's green, low maintenance by choice, and frankly I don't care at all that you would struggle to play croquet on it! 

[pepsi100]

So weed and seed seems the best option then, does it kill off these flat weeds ?

I have no idea what you call them, but they have a sort of heart shaped leaf and they just stay low to avoid the lawn mower

I don't want to play croquet on it just sit on, maybe even lie on it, it depends how good it is

I got rid of all the moss, but with these bare bits it could return

[Trikidiki]

Probably plantain.

[pepsi100]

Probably plantain.

?? not sure what you are on about

[Beekissed]

Plantain.....

[pepsi100]

That's the 'orrible things, nothing seems to kill them, even when I dig em out, they come back, with a vengence

[Beekissed]

Find good uses for it...even mentions tea and y'all are crazy for tea, or so I've heard.  http://www.betterthaneden.com/2013/07/plantain-eight-uses-for-weed-every-mom.html

I guarantee if you want to cultivate it and use it, it will slowly die on you, no matter what you do.