[vonkiglin]

Hello All
We moved into our property last October and since doing some digging and the rain we have had recently I have found out why our grass is full of moss!
We are slightly lower than the surrounding gardens and at the rear there is almost 20cm in difference. Also the ground is quite sticky. I dont think it is true clay but it shows a resemblance to it as it does dig well and breaks up quite easily. Short of lifting the whole turf and having to restart from scratch does anyone think I could slowly raise the height over time by any methods which arent too costly? Otherwise my only other solution is try and dig a pond of sorts and hope it works as a soak away.

Thanks for your future suggestions

[Goosegirl]

True clay and silt are hard to dig unless there is sufficient humus and drainage material in the soil. They are also sticky but you say you can dig yours ok - maybe just the excess rain we have had that makes it seem sticky? Moss is a sign of poor drainage and / or shade. You are also talking about approx 8" difference in height at the rear. Being lower than the surrounding gardens, your lawn area will be acting as a natural sump and I feel that, whatever your soil type you have unless it is really sandy, will need some sort of drainage solution. If you get a load of topsoil and spread it all over your lawn to any real depth to raise the height, you will kill off your grass. My feeling is that you could remove a trench of turf across your lawn (like Time Team do) and dig a trench about a foot or so, then add a good layer of gravel, chippings - whatever is the cheapest, then replace the soil and turf - don't worry, the "bump" will go in about a year or so. The drained water will need somewhere to go to, so a pond maybe a good option.

[Kleftiwallah]

People are always asking for sites to dump builder's waste.  But monitor what they bring in!   Cheers,   Tony.