Grass Doesn’t Look Healthy

dickybran

I’ve been looking after my lawn for the past 5 or 6 years. I’ve had it looking great in the past. But the last 2 years I’ve struggled to get it looking healthy. It now grows in thatched clumps. A lot of it lying flat under the other grass. I’m getting some thick stemmed grass, as well as curly grass blades with a white skin from the bottom reaching halfway/three quarters of the way up. In the past year I have been adding sulphate of ammonia which seemed to really improve the lawn. Any ideas what might be going on?

Dovefromabove

Can you show us some photos please 😊 

Mrs-B3-Southampton,-Hants

I've got thick stemmed grass and I strongly suspect it came from the weeds across the garden. My plan (yet to be implemented) is to dig them out and reseed. Mind you the last thing you could call my lawn is flat.

dickybran

Here are some photos. There is also some grass that is growing above the soil, with the roots exposed. And there are some kind of mutant grass that have 3 or 4 stems growing.

JennyJ

I think the 2nd pic is just coarse weed grasses that have seeded themselves in there. They generally don't like being kept short so mowing little and often should weaken them over time. Other wise I think the only solution is to dig them out and reseed the bare areas left behind.

Fairygirl

If you get long dry spells, the coarse grasses take over, as they cope better with it. 
That might be what's happened there. 
I'd be inclined to do as @JennyJ suggests, and dig them out and reseed. Small areas will often be re colonised by the existing grass as the season goes on, and you're cutting regularly, which helps it spread. 

The whiter, dead looking bits are just thatch which you can rake out. 

dickybran

Ok thanks everyone. 

dickybran

Hi everyone,

I decided to persevere (I wasn’t going to start from scratch). After painstakingly lifting the grass up out of its matted state, cutting and reseeding, I’m pretty pleased with the progress. 

Thanks again!