Getting mud off the lawn

loopyanna

I am hoping that someone who has greener fingers than I (which wouldn't be hard!) can help me please. I have a beautiful 6 month old puppy who was being "looked after" yesterday by our neighbours but it seems that they may have left him in the garden unattended for a little too long. Given the rather wet weather we have been having we now have a large hole in the lawn (which we are not overly concerned with as we are planning on having the garden "redone" when puppy grows up a little) and the earth that used to be in the hole is spread over the rest of the garden in rather thick and gloopy mud. Problem is that every time puppy goes out he comes back in with mucky paws!

I was wondering how people would suggest we get the mud off and out of the grass? My only thought is to get the hosepipe on it and "encourage" it, using the water flow, to the patio where I can sweep it into the drain.

I know this probably sounds like a really stupid question but can anyone think of anything else?

Thanks in advance

Anna

Sambucus_Nigra

Do you have a rake in your tool arsenal?

I_luv_cats

A besom (like a witches broom stick) would be a good idea.

lostinrates

I wouldn't sweep excess of mud into your drain. .
And, with a dog and grass...I would get a little used to the less ba mud. In wet weather you lawn might get very poached indeed. Finding a quick wy of cleaning feet as he comes in might be more pressing!

loopyanna

My "arsenal" of gardening tools consists of a lawn mower, a strimmer (which we aren't sure works yet as it's untested) and a trowel that we found in a plantpot outside. Oh dear.

I like the idea of a witches broom! haha! Where would one buy such a thing?

Lostinrates > we have a towel standing by now!

Thank you all.

Sambucus_Nigra

loopyanna wrote: »

My "arsenal" of gardening tools consists of a lawn mower, a strimmer (which we aren't sure works yet as it's untested) and a trowel that we found in a plantpot outside. Oh dear.

I like the idea of a witches broom! haha! Where would one buy such a thing?

Lostinrates > we have a towel standing by now!

Thank you all.

Get a soil rake and rake the soil back into the hole.

A witches broom is more for looser drier soil/leaves on harder surfaces. And for flying.

loopyanna

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

And for flying.

Hahahaha! That made me grin!

Problem is it's not soil, it's mud and it's caked into the grass. I think a rake would just hack up the grass as well....

demystified

The best thing you can do right now is stay off it and wait until we get some drier weather, walking all over it now will only make a bad situation worse.

Any stiff broom will do to sweep up the clods, avoid a rake as it will tear into the turf. Just fill up the hole as best you can with soil from the beds and put whatever turf fragments are left on top making sure it's level and firm down with your foot trying to make it level. You might need to sow some grass seed to fill in the gaps (spring job, getting a bit late for sowing now)

But you might have to resign yourself in the future to the fact that dogs and fine lawns don't mix.