ollie Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Calling all greenfingers, I need some help. I moved into my first house in October and the back garden is really doing my head in. Behind the garden there are some small trees and shrubs planted to give privacy from the houses overlooking ours. Because of this our back garden sits on a slope and all the rain drains onto it. However, the main problem is that the garden has loads of moss and when the rainwater drains onto the garden it creates this awful green slime/sludge. I am just wondering what you guys would recommend to help: a. Get rid of the moss? b. Help the drainage within the garden, without bringing in a digger to dig a trench (as this isn't possible) c. Is now the time to be treating the garden with anything? Cheers for any advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 French drain were the waters coming from Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Sulphate of iron to kill the moss , cheap as chips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_7 Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 does lawn get the sun in summer? we had similar problem and no matter what we did couldnt win the battle, scarified. moss killer,lawn sand, grass seed for shady area's, grass seed for wet areas, mix of seeds lol, in the end where moss and mushrooms kept coming through dug it up and laid a patio over half the lawn. If it gets plenty of sun through neighbouring tree's,bushes try the french drain idea as above, plenty of how to's online... good luck with the battle steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruno22rf Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Get rid of the water and the Moss will go on its own-are you sure that a mini digger cannot get in?-some go thru a normal single gate.If the trees shed into your garden in the Autumn you need to clear them up as soon as possible.Only other idea would be to dig a Slit trench at the highest part of your garden-say a metre deep and fill it with concrete to act as a barrier to the water draining down from the land above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Sulphate of iron to kill the moss , cheap as chips Where do I get it? How do I apply it and when do I apply it? does lawn get the sun in summer? we had similar problem and no matter what we did couldnt win the battle, scarified. moss killer,lawn sand, grass seed for shady area's, grass seed for wet areas, mix of seeds lol, in the end where moss and mushrooms kept coming through dug it up and laid a patio over half the lawn. If it gets plenty of sun through neighbouring tree's,bushes try the french drain idea as above, plenty of how to's online... good luck with the battle steve I'm not sure whether it gets the sun in the summer, I think it does as the neighbour said the garden dries up in the Summer. Get rid of the water and the Moss will go on its own-are you sure that a mini digger cannot get in?-some go thru a normal single gate.If the trees shed into your garden in the Autumn you need to clear them up as soon as possible.Only other idea would be to dig a Slit trench at the highest part of your garden-say a metre deep and fill it with concrete to act as a barrier to the water draining down from the land above. No way I could get a digger in. The entrance to the back is a small gate with a wall to the side and over it. Also the garden is raised with steep steps going into the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoot-rhino Posted January 10, 2013 Report Share Posted January 10, 2013 Sulphate of iron you'll get in any agricultural merchant, normally called ferrosulphate. Comes in 20% or 30%, there will be instructions on the back! It's literally a sprinkle or you can dilute it into a watering can and just pour it on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imperfection Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 (edited) Simply killing the moss isnt enough-you need to address the cause. You need to do industrial lawn spiking. Hire a petrol fence post borer,bore down several feet several times over the affected patch,then fill hole with gravel/sharp sand then with soil last few inches so grass will still grow. Hey presto-standing water drains harmlessly away. Edited January 11, 2013 by Imperfection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 That's probably your best bet, is it a new build? As sometimes the amount of vehicles driven over the site means its almost panned in the garden so drainage isn't good. Otherwise you need to see what happens in the spring this year has been extreme so spiking the lawn and killing the moss will help assuming you have any grass left Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Simply killing the moss isnt enough-you need to address the cause. You need to do industrial lawn spiking. Hire a petrol fence post borer,bore down several feet several times over the affected patch,then fill hole with gravel/sharp sand then with soil last few inches so grass will still grow. Hey presto-standing water drains harmlessly away. I'd go with that idea first. And a session with a hollow tine tool which cuts out small plugs of ground which can then be filled with sharp sand. That over the long term will mix with the soil and improve the surface drainage - hopefully it will help the water get to your bigger drain holes more easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P~MX Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Sulphate of iron you'll get in any agricultural merchant, normally called ferrosulphate. Comes in 20% or 30%, there will be instructions on the back! It's literally a sprinkle or you can dilute it into a watering can and just pour it on! not wantin to hijack Ollie's thread would this Sulphate kill moss on a tarmac drive way ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard.Hosgood Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 If you have a road salt grit bin near by, go get a bucket full and sprinkle that on and brush it in, that'll kill off moss on hard surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Sulphate of iron you'll get in any agricultural merchant, normally called ferrosulphate. Comes in 20% or 30%, there will be instructions on the back! It's literally a sprinkle or you can dilute it into a watering can and just pour it on! My dogs are always out in the garden, will they be ok with the sulphate of iron? Simply killing the moss isnt enough-you need to address the cause. You need to do industrial lawn spiking. Hire a petrol fence post borer,bore down several feet several times over the affected patch,then fill hole with gravel/sharp sand then with soil last few inches so grass will still grow. Hey presto-standing water drains harmlessly away. That sounds like a good idea, thanks. That's probably your best bet, is it a new build? As sometimes the amount of vehicles driven over the site means its almost panned in the garden so drainage isn't good. Otherwise you need to see what happens in the spring this year has been extreme so spiking the lawn and killing the moss will help assuming you have any grass left It's not a new build mate, about 8 years old. I suppose it has been a wet year so I might leave it until the spring. I'd go with that idea first. And a session with a hollow tine tool which cuts out small plugs of ground which can then be filled with sharp sand. That over the long term will mix with the soil and improve the surface drainage - hopefully it will help the water get to your bigger drain holes more easily. Thanks for the advice, the hollowtine machines are good, I have saw them work well on golf courses. If you have a road salt grit bin near by, go get a bucket full and sprinkle that on and brush it in, that'll kill off moss on hard surfaces. There are a few bins on my estate. I may just steel a few buckets and sprinkle on the lawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 road salt will kill the grass as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Albert Posted January 11, 2013 Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 Why not dig a pond out, let it fill with water, set your deck chair up and wait for the ducks to flight in? Kill two birds with one stone then, create a water feature and drain the garden in one. Plus get some practise in with the gun and if you set up the garden table next to the chair you could partake of the occasional Pimms whilst getting one's dinner. Don't forget to use steel shot though! Just a thought? If one uses an air rifle for ducks, how does one use steel pellets? OK, I'll get me coat. :blush: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ollie Posted January 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2013 road salt will kill the grass as well Ok I'll not do that then, cheers. Why not dig a pond out, let it fill with water, set your deck chair up and wait for the ducks to flight in? Kill two birds with one stone then, create a water feature and drain the garden in one. Plus get some practise in with the gun and if you set up the garden table next to the chair you could partake of the occasional Pimms whilst getting one's dinner. Don't forget to use steel shot though! Just a thought? If one uses an air rifle for ducks, how does one use steel pellets? OK, I'll get me coat. :blush: I like that idea, but I think the shot would carry onto neighbouring gardens. Thanks for the suggestion though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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