2018 Lawn thread

[xyz123]

I just went out to get something from shed and realised that my lawn is sh*t.. Moss, bare patches and weeds... Normally I scraify and give winter feed to lawn but this year with a new baby i became lazy and didn't do anything... Question is, can I apply anything now or just wait till April. I am in London if it matters for weather...

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

xyz123 said:

I just went out to get something from shed and realised that my lawn is sh*t.. Moss, bare patches and weeds... Normally I scraify and give winter feed to lawn but this year with a new baby i became lazy and didn't do anything... Question is, can I apply anything now or just wait till April. I am in London if it matters for weather...

Not a lot you can do now, I’m afraid. The lawn renovation window was September/October while it was still growing and the weather was mild. Your location helps, in that you’ll be able to get started a little earlier in spring. But don’t be tempted to get cracking as soon as we have a couple of warm days - you need enough sustained warmth to raise the soil temperature, which is the critical parameter rather than air temperature, and that can take a few weeks to warm up.

Actually, the one thing you can apply now which will help the grass get off to a good start in spring is ferrous sulphate. It’ll help to toughen up the grass and weaken (or kill) the moss. I wouldn’t apply any fertiliser now though.