lawn liming system

[flighty]

Hi,

 

Before I buy the necessary equipment, I'd like your opinions on my scheme on raising the ph levels in the mossy gardens I serve. There'd be three stages in the process:

 

Cut the grass as short as possible and remove the clippings. Use a scarifier to rake out the moss and thatch and a Billygoat to remove the results. Apply lime to the ground. These processes would be repeated as necessary, at long intervals, until soil testing shows success.

 

A few points: I've found by hiring over a few years that the best scarifier is made by Bluebird - it has swinging blades that knock out the moss very well. It is too dear to buy, unfortunately. The Viking LB540 is very manoeuverable and well priced but I can't hire one or find any reviews of the machine.

 

Now the liming is another problem. I have a seed spreader - would a mixture of powdered lime and sharp sand distribute the lime evenly? If not, I think I can buy lime in granule form but I'm not sure how long it would take to be absorbed, A collecting mower couldn't be used until the lime wouldn't be picked up. I do have a mulching mower as well so that might help.

 

I hope for a few words of wisdom about now, please.

[slasherscot]

magnesium lime is the best....what size of area u doing.......plenty of information on net if u google it

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Hi,

 

Before I buy the necessary equipment, I'd like your opinions on my scheme on raising the ph levels in the mossy gardens I serve. There'd be three stages in the process:

 

Cut the grass as short as possible and remove the clippings. Use a scarifier to rake out the moss and thatch and a Billygoat to remove the results. Apply lime to the ground. These processes would be repeated as necessary, at long intervals, until soil testing shows success.

 

A few points: I've found by hiring over a few years that the best scarifier is made by Bluebird - it has swinging blades that knock out the moss very well. It is too dear to buy, unfortunately. The Viking LB540 is very manoeuverable and well priced but I can't hire one or find any reviews of the machine.

 

Now the liming is another problem. I have a seed spreader - would a mixture of powdered lime and sharp sand distribute the lime evenly? If not, I think I can buy lime in granule form but I'm not sure how long it would take to be absorbed, A collecting mower couldn't be used until the lime wouldn't be picked up. I do have a mulching mower as well so that might help.

 

I hope for a few words of wisdom about now, please.

 

tbh I have some doubts about the process you are thinking about.

 

If the turf is good ground i.e. flat, the £1000 bannerman scarifier is about the best before going to a 7k graden machine.

 

Cutting grass "as short as possible" - the worst thing you can be doing especially at this time of year. Cut it yes (i know you want it low to reduce in scarificates), scarify in rows then follow with vac (we used bannerman followed by bearcat - the volumes of thatch are amazing).

 

I personally would then HTA before applying any extra. Perhaps mix lime with topdressing?

 

DJ Turfcare do excellent products...

 

have a look at this old thread!

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/general-chat/16740-something-little-different-today-pics.html

Edited March 21, 2013 by TimberCutterDartmoor

[hedgesparrow]

Hi,

 

Before I buy the necessary equipment, I'd like your opinions on my scheme on raising the ph levels in the mossy gardens I serve. There'd be three stages in the process:

 

Cut the grass as short as possible and remove the clippings. Use a scarifier to rake out the moss and thatch and a Billygoat to remove the results. Apply lime to the ground. These processes would be repeated as necessary, at long intervals, until soil testing shows success.

 

A few points: I've found by hiring over a few years that the best scarifier is made by Bluebird - it has swinging blades that knock out the moss very well. It is too dear to buy, unfortunately. The Viking LB540 is very manoeuverable and well priced but I can't hire one or find any reviews of the machine.

 

Now the liming is another problem. I have a seed spreader - would a mixture of powdered lime and sharp sand distribute the lime evenly? If not, I think I can buy lime in granule form but I'm not sure how long it would take to be absorbed, A collecting mower couldn't be used until the lime wouldn't be picked up. I do have a mulching mower as well so that might help.

 

I hope for a few words of wisdom about now, please.

 

a old gardener who i did work for had a bad lawn with moss in september he scarified the lawn taken out all the moss he then mixed 4 shovels of peat with one shovel of grit he then spread this on lawn and raked in slits left it for winter. spring he scarified again mowed all summer did the repeat process. the next year lawn was like a bowling green. and just looked after it know a groundsman does the same on cricket pitch scarifies then top dresses then goes over in spring and collects with mower the bits pulled out its drainage that needs sorting. not the ph level the scarifying and grit opens up the lawn so it can breath and moss hates dry conditions. will soon go once drainage is sorted a good scarifier to hire is a BCS cracking tools used to have 3 i hired out did the job not cheap to buy but if you have a lot to do a good investment wil last years

Edited March 21, 2013 by hedgesparrow

[nepia]

Artificially changing the pH of any soil is a hiding to nothing in the long run I've always understood as soils rapidly revert to type. But grass grows quite happily in acid soil so as hedgesparrow says I doubt that pH is your problem. Also bear in mind that everyone's got an excess of moss due to a year of non-stop rain so is there really a problem unique to your lawn? Perhaps waiting and seeing if some decent weather sorts it (!) is all that's needed.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

Also bear in mind that everyone's got an excess of moss due to a year of non-stop rain .

 

absolutely bang on the money.

[headgroundsman]

That are so many reasons for having moss but the drainage is far and away the first one I would look at. Have you done tests on ph? The best way is to use lawn sand or soluble ferrus sulphate to kill the moss then scarify. Then look at the reasons for the moss so you can try and reduce the chances of it coming back. Feed the lawn well during the growing period as you want the grass to grow well and not the moss

[flighty]

Okay, some more information. I tend four gardens sited on very stony, very well drained ground in Shropshire. The area is a moraine, stuff left behind by a glacier, and I have literally taken tons of stones away over the years.

 

There has never been a puddle in the gardens, no matter what the weather, so I can vouch that drainage is not the problem. Now I understand that a better lawn treatment regime would help matters no end but I've never had much luck with that. All my fault, I know.

 

The gardens are not overly large, the biggest about 1000 square meters, but they are complicated by beds, rockeries, trees, curves and corners. This makes, for instance, mowing awkward and, after trying many sizes, have settled on a simple push 18" jobbie. I tell you this so you can envisage that I can't use a spinning spreader on the lawns.

 

I have tried spreading fertiliser and such using a drop spreader but never get it right. The last time I tried it I ended up dumping much too much where I stopped to turn around.

 

This is why I decided that liming the lawns, if I can get that right, would help combat the moss on the principle that moss likes acid conditions. I have tested the ph of the ground and it is on the acid side. I don't understand quite how hedgesparrows old gardener got his great results using peat and grit, but there you go....

 

This is going on bit, ain't it? I have found over many years that in this area the only scarifiers on hire seem to be combi machine, sort of slitters and rakers. Not too good. I have to drive about 12 miles to hire the Bluebird and this does get out the truckloads of thatch that tinbercutterdartmoor mentions. The Bannerman is probably the same sort of machine.

 

I have been hoping that the Viking scaifier would prove good because I can pick that up for less than 500 quid. I've looked at it in the shop and it is very light and mobile - would get round the obstacles without problems. I can't justify much more.

 

I'm very grateful for your replies. Hope I haven't bored the pants off you all.

[Graham]

Leafmould is the way to go. If Britain had a total tree cover then liming would be unnecessary. Leafmould contains a high proportion of Mg and less of other trace elements. As a top dressing it will raise the pH, aerate, condition, feed microbes and worms and the grass will thrive. It's cheap, easily available and peat free.

[hedgesparrow]

Okay, some more information. I tend four gardens sited on very stony, very well drained ground in Shropshire. The area is a moraine, stuff left behind by a glacier, and I have literally taken tons of stones away over the years.

 

There has never been a puddle in the gardens, no matter what the weather, so I can vouch that drainage is not the problem. Now I understand that a better lawn treatment regime would help matters no end but I've never had much luck with that. All my fault, I know.

 

The gardens are not overly large, the biggest about 1000 square meters, but they are complicated by beds, rockeries, trees, curves and corners. This makes, for instance, mowing awkward and, after trying many sizes, have settled on a simple push 18" jobbie. I tell you this so you can envisage that I can't use a spinning spreader on the lawns.

 

I have tried spreading fertiliser and such using a drop spreader but never get it right. The last time I tried it I ended up dumping much too much where I stopped to turn around.

 

This is why I decided that liming the lawns, if I can get that right, would help combat the moss on the principle that moss likes acid conditions. I have tested the ph of the ground and it is on the acid side. I don't understand quite how hedgesparrows old gardener got his great results using peat and grit, but there you go....

 

This is going on bit, ain't it? I have found over many years that in this area the only scarifiers on hire seem to be combi machine, sort of slitters and rakers. Not too good. I have to drive about 12 miles to hire the Bluebird and this does get out the truckloads of thatch that tinbercutterdartmoor mentions. The Bannerman is probably the same sort of machine.

 

I have been hoping that the Viking scaifier would prove good because I can pick that up for less than 500 quid. I've looked at it in the shop and it is very light and mobile - would get round the obstacles without problems. I can't justify much more.

 

I'm very grateful for your replies. Hope I haven't bored the pants off you all.

the BCS range of scarifiers can be hired from the major hire companys. eg brandons,hss, speedy hire. they do a very good job so good that the moss and thatch they remove makes the mind boggle how much grass was there as for the grit peat. maybe if you are on stoney ground then may not be the answer but moss loves compacted ground. and is damp if you can get air into the substructure it gets the moss and thatch out and breaks the grass so it grows more. go and have a chat with a local groundsman who look after the bowling green or cricket squares as local may give you a better idear to clear the moss