Natural ways to deal with weeds and moss

25_Years_On

twopenny said:

Well it's a long shot but if you don't ask you don't get.

So my lawn, visible all the time I'm in my living room, is growing swathes of moss and worse, dense thatches of Self Heal and rampant dandelion

Although the amount of moss might be related to general dampness, mowing regime can be important for moss and selfheal. Selfheal particularly likes good hard mowing. I have a bit in my mown grass (not a lawn as such) but it's never really got going like I've seen it elsewhere. I cut high and less often. I'd say that the moss has reduced as well. Dandelions are best dealt with by one of those implements that digs out things with long tap roots.Dandelions are of course standard grassland plants and rather beautiful in flower. The best hay meadows I know are absolutely stuffed full of dandelions which flower early in a majestic display just after the cowslips.

Green_hopeful

We use mobacter lawn improver.  It’s an organic moss killer that allows the moss to compost down.  It works but I think it’s good to do some lawn improvement at the same time to resolve the cause. 

twopenny

Reading though everyones thoughts a few things occour to me. I spent a year making the garden so trudging by me and many others has compacted the soil in the areas that have the worst weeds. So that seems to be the first thing to do. Relieve the compaction and aerate the soil. Possibily add some sand when I do it.

I'd not made the connection before but I remember it crossing my mind that I should relieve the lawn where it's had heavy traffic in all weathers.

Then feed and weed to bring them down to a reasonable level following advice here.

You care for the soil in the beds but the lawn, for me at least is last on the list. Now is the time as it's fairly mild here in winter. Also with no one visiting I can try some of the less sociable ideas

Davesnave

25_Years_On said:

Davesnave said:

The key to diversity of grasses here seems to be regular haymaking and close grazing by sheep in late winter. When we took over, it was equestrian and coarse grasses dominated. A change in management reduced the weed burden and meant the smaller, finer grasses could also get away in spring before being overwhelmed by their rough cousins. I was sceptical at first because the change was slow, but sure enough, the lumpy, tussocky stuff was gradually replaced  without killing everything off and re-seeding. I also see more wildflowers in there now, before the hay's made in July.

Flowery hay meadows are all well and good but tussocky rough grassland is also an important component. This might not have the diversity of plants but the diversity of sward structure is important for many invertebrates.

Maybe, but my soil is good and I'm not farming invertebrates!
And we have lots of dandelions early on, which you seem to approve of.

DiggerUK

The aversion to 'chemicals' 'pesticides' 'weedkillers' etc., is over hyped and manna from heaven for drama queens.

Over thirty years ago now, we got a family allotment when we lived in London and were going to be 'Good Life' gardeners. No herbicides, fertilisers, weedkillers or chemicals were to touch our land. Yeah, right.
Well, after weedy crops that also got damaged by anything that took a fancy to them, it was realised why such measures were used by farmers. It was of no financial consequence to us losing a row of carrots, but our livelihood didn't depend on a successful crop. The world also needs its crops and pasture to succeed, starvation is not an option.
We live, work and play on Digger Mansions land, even eating well from our trees and allotment garden produce........a realistic assessment of what we scatter on the soil here has to be mindful of a gaggle of grandkids getting up to all kinds of things when our backs are turned and eating at our table.

The pressure of public opinion on manufacturers and developers of seed, fertiliser and pesticides to  make products that benefit the world is very effective. Even the Frankenstein products are dealt with very quickly by the 'No Win No Fee' gangsters, so there's no need to over react to lawn treatments..._

Farway

DiggerUK said:

The aversion to 'chemicals' 'pesticides' 'weedkillers' etc., is over hyped and manna from heaven for drama queens.

Over thirty years ago now, we got a family allotment when we lived in London and were going to be 'Good Life' gardeners. No herbicides, fertilisers, weedkillers or chemicals were to touch our land. Yeah, right.
Well, after weedy crops that also got damaged by anything that took a fancy to them, it was realised why such measures were used by farmers. It was of no financial consequence to us losing a row of carrots, but our livelihood didn't depend on a successful crop. The world also needs its crops and pasture to succeed, starvation is not an option.
We live, work and play on Digger Mansions land, even eating well from our trees and allotment garden produce........a realistic assessment of what we scatter on the soil here has to be mindful of a gaggle of grandkids getting up to all kinds of things when our backs are turned and eating at our table.

The pressure of public opinion on manufacturers and developers of seed, fertiliser and pesticides to  make products that benefit the world is very effective. Even the Frankenstein products are dealt with very quickly by the 'No Win No Fee' gangsters, so there's no need to over react to lawn treatments..._

True, only this morning I was listening to report R4 Farming today, about a huge plague of locusts in East Africa, seems the swarm can eat in a day what we eat in a year, now all the people can do is bang pots & pans hoping to drive them somewhere else

Way back in the old days a good dusting of DDT would have cleared them

I'm not advocating returning to using DDT, merely pointing out that for many in this world the other option is starving & penury

Davesnave

If we were all to suddenly demand organic produce today, let's say because it was found to protect us better against viruses, the situation would rapidly become very interesting! However, one of the main arguments for growing one's own is having control over what 'unnatural' materials are used in its production. I don't find for everyday stuff, like parsnips and potatoes  there's a great financial incentive.

I'm sure after the virus has been milked for all that can be wrung from it, we'll be hearing a lot more about environmental issues, some of which, like avoiding the commute and working from home, have already been sold to us through necessity.  Our 'home area,' is already being defined as within about 5 miles.

I say watch this space....

DiggerUK

It will be interesting to see how much of the current boom in gardening outlasts the current brouhaha. It will be telling to discover if attitudes change towards the use of horticultural products by many, who until recently, would not know how to identify the working end of a dibber.

Our current regime at Digger Mansions of doing nothing to prevent plagues of locusts eat our sweetcorn is 100% effective. But we have pots, pans and banging sticks on standby should the worst happen..._

Apodemus

Farway said:

True, only this morning I was listening to report R4 Farming today, about a huge plague of locusts in East Africa, seems the swarm can eat in a day what we eat in a year, now all the people can do is bang pots & pans hoping to drive them somewhere else

Way back in the old days a good dusting of DDT would have cleared them

I'm not advocating returning to using DDT, merely pointing out that for many in this world the other option is starving & penury

Farway, I missed the R4 report, but the current locust situation in East Africa has been developing for more than a year now. Even in the days of DDT, it was recognised that the most important thing was to have the control structures in place to recognise and halt the growth in locust numbers at as early a stage as possible. Sadly, the security situation and lack of a functioning civil-society in Somalia has been coupled with a weakened Desert Locust Control Organisation (DLCO-EA) in Nairobi. After many years where the DLCO-EA had no outbreaks to worry about its focus became diluted and its funding weakened. Once the locust population explosion has happened, there is very little that anyone can do.

Farway

DiggerUK said:

It will be interesting to see how much of the current boom in gardening outlasts the current brouhaha. It will be telling to discover if attitudes change towards the use of horticultural products by many, who until recently, would not know how to identify the working end of a dibber.

History repeating I suspect for us older ones, remember the allotment boom? In the mid 70s I think but could be a decade out

Big scramble for allotments but soon fell into neglect once veg shortages were no longer an issue.

Apodemus said:

Farway said:

True, only this morning I was listening to report R4 Farming today, about a huge plague of locusts in East Africa, seems the swarm can eat in a day what we eat in a year, now all the people can do is bang pots & pans hoping to drive them somewhere else

Way back in the old days a good dusting of DDT would have cleared them

I'm not advocating returning to using DDT, merely pointing out that for many in this world the other option is starving & penury

Farway, I missed the R4 report, but the current locust situation in East Africa has been developing for more than a year now. Even in the days of DDT, it was recognised that the most important thing was to have the control structures in place to recognise and halt the growth in locust numbers at as early a stage as possible. Sadly, the security situation and lack of a functioning civil-society in Somalia has been coupled with a weakened Desert Locust Control Organisation (DLCO-EA) in Nairobi. After many years where the DLCO-EA had no outbreaks to worry about its focus became diluted and its funding weakened. Once the locust population explosion has happened, there is very little that anyone can do.

That triggers a remote memory of a documentary I saw, killing the hatchlings before the swarmed I think it was, very informative and showed just how destructive a plague of locusts can be