Tips for fixing the lawn

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 503, 14 September 1993, Page 11

Tips for fixing the lawn

by

Bea

Barnes

Looking through my copies of previous garden articles, searching for inspiration and for something different to write about I discovered some of the first articles were written in 1985. No wonder I am running out of ideas. One I came across which may now be worth repeating dealt with the problem we are all facing just now, namely the condition, or lack of it, of our lawns. We recently have had a number of enquiries on how best to deal with this problem and how to encourage the growth of new grass. The cold, damp conditions of winter which retards grass growth also encourages moss growth which will gradually take over, so we must first get rid of the moss. In our garden this winter the blackbirds have raked up large areas of moss in their search for grubs together with the young grass seedlings

leaving the lawn looking like a recently ploughed field. The first thing is to go over the whole lawn with a leaf rake, preferably one with metal prongs. Give a good hard rake scraping up as much of the moss as possible. Follow this with ' a good prodding with the garden fork to aerate the soil. A light dressing of lime will help to correct a too-acid content in the soil thus discouraging moss. Follow with a good dressing of fertiliser to nourish the impoverished grass. A good mixture is four parts of superphosphate to one part sulphate of ammonia, and sulphate of potash applied 60gm per square metre. Apply in the spring and again in the autumn. Persistent and

stubborn pockets of moss can be treated by watering with a solution of about 8gm of permangamate of potash (Condy's crystals) to every nine litres of water. Moss and lichen on trees and shrubs can be treated with an application of lime sulphur using the amount as directed on the label. For heavily infected areas two or three treatments may be required. Those dedicated gardeners who prepared new beds for their flowers and veges earlier in the winter are well ahead of the rest of us. These beds can now be lightly forked over and raked to a fine tilth ready for planting. I am surprised that so many people contemplate planting flower and vege seeds directly into the soil just now. Seeds need warmth to germinate and

the ground is much too cold and damp to encourage germination at present. It will be more likely that the seeds will rot away in the ground. If you want to get ahead plant the seeds up in boxes or trays. A shallow box not more that 8cm deep will suffice as long as there are adequate holes bored in the base for drainage. A commercial seed raising mix has all the necessary ingredients to get your seeds off to a good start. Mix this with a few handfuls of well washed sharp river sand to facilitate drainage. With a sharp stick score narrow drills the length of the box about 6cm apart and plant the seeds into the drills. Cover with a fine layer of the soil mixture. Water the boxes sufficiently to make this soil just damp and keep an eye to ensure that boxes

do not dry out. If you have some panes of glass available you can create your own cold frames. Lay a sheet of newspaper over the surface of the soil and place the glass over the top. Store the boxes in an airy shed, on a covered verandah, or under the shelter of thick trees to protect them from the worst of the weather. Check them after a week or so and as the little seedlings appear remove the newspaper. As the seedlings grow lift the glass by placing sticks or rocks under the edges allowing the air to circulate underneath the glass which will help to harden off the seedlings. As they grow taller, remove the glass altogether. Thin out all weak and spindly seedlings leaving a row of strong sturdy little plants. In a few weeks these will have grown large enough for planting out when hopefully the weather and the ground will have warmed up sufficiently.