Evening all.

I have just moved house and our new lawn is in a pretty bad way.

What should I be doing to it at this time of the year to ensure that its in as good a shape as possible come next spring / summer.

(Garden faces North and doesn't get much sun at any time of the year)

Ta in advance.

I've just taken a rake to ours and tried to get up the moss ( North facing too)and dead grass.

In April put down some 'weed and feed'. If you can, put in some time on the hands and knees getting up the weeds, with one of those daisy type digger things, If there are dandelions, make sure you dig the whole root up.

depends how big it is. North facing postage stamp? rip it up & replace with gravel. No mowing, ever 😉

Or you could returf it in the spring. But first you'd need to skim off the existing turf. Use a regular spade but a very shallow angle, using your thigh to push the spade along just under the surface.
Then rake it, rake it & rake it again to make it level. Then stomp all over it to firm it. Then repeat until it's really flat.

Or you could throw grass seed down now after skimming it (as above)

We are likely to moving out in a couple of years time so ripping up the grass and putting gravel down isn't really an option.

Thanks for the advice bunnyhop, I'll get rakin'.

build a pump track

on a more serious note, have you thought about moving?

er, we have just moved in so no thoughts of moving out yet.

As well as raking, you can also scarify at this time of year, either with a scarifier or just use a garden fork to get some air into the ground. If possible try to avoid walking over it in winter.
In Spring, scarify and add some lawn sand.

had similar issues with our house.

getting moss up by hand is hard work. If you can get your hands on a scarifying machine it will help no end.

Re-sow with a shadow grass variety.

An autumn fertiliser (with anitimoss action) should set you up for spring. Some have stuff to alter the pH of the ground which will also favour grass over weeds.

I find that dandilions are best taken out individually by hand. make sure you use a tool to get as much of the root as possible.

Clover seems to be best killed by chemical means.

If removing big patches of moss leaves the place really bald, you can always selectively patch with bits of turf. In the next years it should even out ok.

The only remaining problem I have is our giant dog killing patches with his wee.

beamers – in what way is it in a bad way?

Weeds? drainage issues? patchy or just neglected?

Is it been shaded/restricted to light by other plants?

Do you have kids & will they want to use it or are you after a green slab to look nice?

beamers – Member

We are likely to moving out in a couple of years time so ripping up the grass and putting gravel down isn't really an option.

beamers – Member

er, we have just moved in so no thoughts of moving out yet.

Which is it? Advice will differ depending on if you re staying or going.

Get a gardener and spend your time riding your bike. Ive left mine to just moss and clover – its all green so you cant tell from a distance.

I'm a pseudo environmentalist so I leave my lawn to become natural meadow. 🙂

Missus makes me mow it when we can't see the fence anymore.

Turf is cheap and easy to do. Even if you're not staying long that's what I'd do.

To clarify, we are going to be in the house for 2 years and we are renting it.

So, pump tracks, giant sand pits, patios, gravel, tarmac etc are all out of the question as we have to leave it as we found it when we move out.

Making the lawn nicer, whilst not compulsory, would be nicer for us when we are out in the garden next summer.

The lawn is a bit patchy and has been neglected. Its in a horseshoe shape around the extension of the house which faces north with a shadow being cast on most of the lawn throughout the day which moves with the sun.

sounds like leatherbacks to me.

I improved my lawn a lot by raking out all the thatch, applying a weed, feed & mosskiller, and mowing regularly. I also used a garden fork to improve drainage where the moss had been forming.

I've been surprised at how much my lawn has improved this year just by raking out the thatch and weed-and-feeding it, plus regular moving.

scarify then put some feed down…almost too late in the season now but if you can reduce the moss/dead grass slightly then spring will be an easier task…might also help to try and aireate it – just stab a fork in it.

When spring comes scarify and feed…if you have a lot of bald areas then put more grass seed down (but then you can feed the grass for a few weeks)…

I wouldn't waste too much money if you are renting, mowin it once or twice a week will help more than anything. If you do want to try and improve the lawn give it an Autumn feed now and then in a few weeks scarify, as said before a machine is best. If you want to redo it completely now is a good time for turfing if you don't need to walk on it but it is a case of the more effort you put into preparing the site the better particularly if you want it to look like a bowling green. New turf will show up any lumps and bumps. If it is a really shady area get some turf that has grass types that like the shade. If its just a bit patchy then get some shade tolerant grass seed in the spring. If you want to green it up feed it every 8 weeks next summer, from April onwards.

Cheers all, most helpful.