Getting the perfect lawn

[Drewster]

..... secret i think is to leave grass clippings on to feed the grass...

I am no expert (see above) but doesn't leaving the cuttings encourage moss?

[minestrone]

I am no expert (see above) but doesn't leaving the cuttings encourage moss?

Aye, you have to get rid of it, it will just work it's way into the grass to become thatch and increase dampness which makes the moss grow like wildfire. I must have pulled about 50kg of the stuff from the back green which is only about 10m*10m.

On feeds, you have to use them to get that vibrant green you see at American golf courses which is what you really want IMO.

[Muttley08]

the mowed grass will decompose...moss is really down to poor drainage - the mosskiller chemical stuff actually kills the worms...the worms improve drainage - so bit of a vicious circle! if moss is bad spike the lawn with a fork - im sure you can google it...

the trick with mowing and leaving the clippings is to mow regularly so the clippings arent too much to leave on.

i could bore you a lot with details of how grass clippings are rich in nitrogen - and how with lots of this, the grass will be stronger than the other weeds etc etc...

[minestrone]

To get the perfect lawn you have to go chemical

[Muttley08]

but where's the fun in that?

would you not rather see a blackbird pulling a worm out and scoffing it down?

i always think chemicals are a quick fix - but longer term mess it up...have to use more and more over time as soil gets effectively lifeless - both in terms of worms etc and micro-organisms...

[NotAllThere]

To get the perfect lawn, you roll it and rake it for 500 years.

And then some bl**dy american tourist walks all over it.

[GreenerGrass]

Moss is like socialism, if left to spread and fester for too long it become tricky to irradicate.

[lukemg]

Got a bloke in currently tearing onto my back garden, which mostly consists of overgrown borders. This chap is some machine, has taken him a day to tear the borders out and is replacing with fresh turf today. I reckon it would take me about a week to do the same work (it took me 3 hours to dig a small bush out once !). Worth every penny and the garden looks twice as big. Any recommendation for a decent mower, garden is medium sized, too small for ride-on but this crap flymo rotary needs binning. Replacing patio too, any recommendations for stone to use/where to get it ?

[bobhope]

what about buying turf? Then you'd have the best lawn.

[FiveTimes]

I use greenthumb and they do a great job of moss control, weed control and general health of the grass.

Key thing is to not cut the grass to short, it will stop it seeding and thickening up.