[rcf100]

Hi,

I've done a quick search and found that there's been a lot of topics on this, but I still haven't got my answers.

I have a real thick heavy clay soil that is set with lots of stones so it goes from concrete in the dry times to a bog in the wet times, of which there is a lot in Cumbria.

We had the garden lanscaped and in the process turfed when we first moved in and it's taken us ages to get it in as good a condition as it is - which isn't great, but now with chooks at the end and 2 little girls it's used much more and really suffering in the wet times.

So....

Is it worth buying any of the aerating products, whether that be the shoes or the rollers or the things that look like a fork, or should I just use a garden fork and save my money?

Then what do I add, at the front I dug in a load of sand and mulch before turfing, should I pour sand down the holes to improve drainage?

I've read about lawn sand and done some searching, but it all seems to contain moss killer and I don't want that yet.  I do have an issue with moss, but I would prefer to spend a season improving the soil conditions, prior to then killing half of the greenery (moss) off next season and reseeding.  Am open to persusion on this though.  Also the product I read about just seemed to suggest dusting the top and watering in, could I use lawn soil in the way I was planning above as in pouring down into fork/aerating holes?

Will my plan of sticking sand down actually do any good, or should I just resign myself to the back breaking route of double digging in sand, mulch, stone removing and returfing like I did for the front?

[Trillium]

Aerating is certainly a good idea and you can simply use your garden fork to do that, a few inches will do. It'll be a bit of a job but comforting for the bank account. Sand does relatively nothing for grass. You're better off to top dress with good compost every year and it will slowly build up as well as work its way into the aerating holes.

One trick that organic gardeners here are starting to use for grass is to make a solution of approx. 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses (not sure if you get this in the UK) dissolved in 6 litres of water, (this can be multiplied for larger dispensers) put the solution into a watering can with rose end, and sprinkle everywhere on your lawn. This gives a real boost to the grass growth and starts to retard weeds over time. You'll need to make numerous can loads but it will really help. Best to do this in rows so you cover everywhere. I add the molasses to a cup of hot water first, stir to dilute, then add that to the rest of the water. Sounds odd, I know, but it works. compost tea brewers swear by adding molasses, this is just an easier step.
This can be repeated every few weeks this year to get your lawn going.

Also, if you can get hold of very finely ground limestone powder (should resemble flour), sprinkle that lightly everywhere on your lawn as well. It adds a big boost of fast absorbed calcium to the soil which pests and weeds don't care for.

[RuthLG]

For anyone who isnt aware: blackstrap molasses = treacle. Not the golden syrup type, but the dark black sticky type. Used to come in a red can, made by Tate and Lyle (golden syrup was in the green can).

[rcf100]

So would it have been the bags of mulch I added to the front that made such a big difference to the front?  What is it that actually improves the drainage then?  I assumed that the sand lightened the mix to help the water run through it.

Just to be clear so you know the extent of my issue - At the front, to the right of the path that hasn't been treated, literally a large rain water puddle forms on top of the grass where it dips next to the flags.  On the left where I've dug it over the grass is greener and the water runs through.

At the back we have the same soil, I just assumed when we got it landscaped that as we were putting in decking on a frame, that the water would run from the soil under that to drain, but it just doesn't it sits in the soil for days.  As I've said when not in heavy use then it's not too bad, but now I'm out to the chickens a few times a day and the children always want to be out running around, which means the dog is out too.

I just realise that if I don't spend the time sorting out the drainage this season, there will be none left come next season, which is why I'm less interested in killing off the moss or feeding the lawn in the way lawn sand seemed to indicate, and only interested in getting good quality soil that recovers quickly following rain.

Thanks for the tip on treacle, that sounds really useful as we do have quite a lot of dandelions in the lawn.  As it's mowed regularly they don't take over, but I'm assuming with the treacle I can still put the cuttings in for the chooks?

I'm also going to put a few recessed slabs in between the decking and chicken gate cos I'm sick of the mud everywhere.  Would digging down deeper and putting some stones in under each of those help at all?

So on the aerating and compost, just out my composter, would that work?  What did you mean about top dress?  Just a layer of compost on top?  Does that not make more mud?  Then in each of the fork holes stick some compost down there too?  How often would you put the fork in, both in terms of how many times a season and how many holes a sq ft?

I'm sorry for all the questions but I am a bit anal and I'm hoping to start this weekend!

[Trillium]

Some slabs in the area most walked on is a very good idea and will minimize future wear on the grass. I'd dig out the area the size of the slab, add polymer sand to level and fit the slab in so it's only a bit higher than the soil so your mower doesn't catch it. It'll eventually settle to the right height.

Almost sounds like you need some runoff drainage for your mini lake. Google french drains and that should give you an idea of what's involved and whether or not you'd need them.

Push the garden fork in about 2-3" into the soil. You can place a bit of masking tape on one tine so you know roughly where to stop. Per sq ft I'd fork the area about 4-6 places because yours sounds particularly nasty.  And yes, compost from your bin is very good.  Sand works only if there's somewhere for water to run off to, and your soil doesn't have that, so compost will simply sponge it up and start building a new layer of soil for you over the years. You can even mix in shredded leaves and they'll help wick the water. The lawn won't look perfect as you do this but should sort your problem over time.

Don't expect miracles this year because it won't happen. Be patient and persistent.

And yes, the treacle is safe for chooks because it's so diluted anyway and mostly will run into the soil, which is what you want for stronger roots and more grass.

[rcf100]

After I posted I went to look at the design paths section and some one has ueed log rolls as in the borders for paths which is perfect the the look of our garden and our lack of expertise. I will lay in same way with the sand. Off to Google the drain now. Many thanks

[rcf100]

Not sure if a French drain will work for us, but its def an idea to put to hubby

[Trillium]

One type of drain I've used is the perforated farm 'tiles'. I't s length of black poly piping that can bend and has perforations on all its sides.  You trench out a path for it so one end is a bit higher than the direction you want it to drain. Lay down some gravel, pipe on top (best to cover pipe with some landscape fabric to keep soil from blocking/filling holes), then cover with soil.  This would lead surplus water away to a drainage area of some sort.

[Sideshoot]

Hi,

I had a similar problem in my back garden with the lawn being concrete in hot weather and a bog in rainy times, having done loads of reading up i found that just using a garden fork may seem a good idea but in fact it can make it worse. The reason for this is when you stick it in the ground and wiggle it to make your holes your actually compressingthe soil around the tines compounding the problem. I bought a lawn airator made be yeoman, it was fairly cheap, it has hollow tines which removes small plugs from your soil, i didnt topdress to fill the holes in. The results have been fab, the lawn has thickened up and looks really lush.

I think a good lawn is one of the hardest plants to grow which may sound daft to maintain it takes alot of dedication, very regular mowing and pride lol.

If you have ALOT of moss int he lawn i would be very tempted to give it a 'light' scarify, i know its not the right time of year but removing at least some of it will encourage the grass to grow.

Paul