About the service
A lawn rarely dies all at once — it thins out. Foot traffic and mower wheels squeeze the soil until air and water stop reaching the roots, a spongy mat of dead stems builds up between the green blades and the ground, and moss quietly takes over the damp, shaded corners. I start every job the same way: I cut the grass short, lift a plug of turf in three or four places and look at what is actually there — how deep the thatch layer is, where the soil is packed hard, and what caused the bare patches: shade, standing water, or simply a path worn straight across the middle.
After that the work follows the diagnosis, not a fixed price list. A thin felt layer I comb out with a scarifier set level with the crown of the turf; a heavy mat comes off in two passes at right angles, and yes, the lawn looks shocking for a fortnight before it thickens up. Light soils need nothing more than solid-tine spiking; clay and anything walked on daily gets hollow-tine coring, so plugs come out and sharp sand with a little fine compost can be brushed into the open channels. Within a season heavy ground starts to breathe again. Bare patches are loosened, levelled and sown with a mix chosen for that spot — shade-tolerant fescues under the trees, hard-wearing ryegrass where children and dogs cut the corner. Seed is rolled in so it sits tight against the soil, the surface is kept damp for the first three weeks, and the feed follows the season: nitrogen-led in spring for growth and colour, potassium and phosphorus in autumn so the grass goes into winter tough rather than soft.
What I will not do is renovate in a heatwave. Scarifying and coring open the turf up, and grass already short of water cannot close those wounds; the honest answer in July is to wait for steady rain or proper irrigation. When the job is finished I leave a written schedule for the rest of the season — mowing height, watering, when the next feed is due — so the lawn keeps the shape we gave it.
What is included:
— inspection, thatch depth and compaction checks, turf plugs taken from several points;
— scarifying and moss removal, with all waste raked up and carted away;
— spiking or hollow-tine aeration, cores collected and cleared;
— sand dressing and levelling on heavy or uneven ground;
— overseeding of bare patches with a mix matched to sun, shade and wear;
— rolling, the first watering and a seasonal feed;
— a written care plan and a follow-up visit once the seed has taken.
After that the work follows the diagnosis, not a fixed price list. A thin felt layer I comb out with a scarifier set level with the crown of the turf; a heavy mat comes off in two passes at right angles, and yes, the lawn looks shocking for a fortnight before it thickens up. Light soils need nothing more than solid-tine spiking; clay and anything walked on daily gets hollow-tine coring, so plugs come out and sharp sand with a little fine compost can be brushed into the open channels. Within a season heavy ground starts to breathe again. Bare patches are loosened, levelled and sown with a mix chosen for that spot — shade-tolerant fescues under the trees, hard-wearing ryegrass where children and dogs cut the corner. Seed is rolled in so it sits tight against the soil, the surface is kept damp for the first three weeks, and the feed follows the season: nitrogen-led in spring for growth and colour, potassium and phosphorus in autumn so the grass goes into winter tough rather than soft.
What I will not do is renovate in a heatwave. Scarifying and coring open the turf up, and grass already short of water cannot close those wounds; the honest answer in July is to wait for steady rain or proper irrigation. When the job is finished I leave a written schedule for the rest of the season — mowing height, watering, when the next feed is due — so the lawn keeps the shape we gave it.
What is included:
— inspection, thatch depth and compaction checks, turf plugs taken from several points;
— scarifying and moss removal, with all waste raked up and carted away;
— spiking or hollow-tine aeration, cores collected and cleared;
— sand dressing and levelling on heavy or uneven ground;
— overseeding of bare patches with a mix matched to sun, shade and wear;
— rolling, the first watering and a seasonal feed;
— a written care plan and a follow-up visit once the seed has taken.
