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Depends what the customer wants /expects.
Sounds like it needs hitting hard with moss killer in the autumn , then 50% scarifying, hollow tining if drainage is an issue, then feed - then re scarifying in Spring.
Personally I wouldn't be scarifying at this time of year as it can put the grass under stress due to drought conditions.
As always which products/ equipment to use depends on your qualifications and resources.
First you need to identify WHY the moss is there - is there a shade or drainage issue??
Thats always a tricky one as at least moss is green....... if it all goes black with mosskiller, the customer might not be too happy!! ~Personally, though I'm sure others would disagree!!.... I'd scarify, but not too severely.... and then apply a fertilizer, without mosskiller, and see how things pick up. If you find there's a reasonable amount of grass coming through, have a go with the mosskiller.
id forewarn the customer of how the lawn will look if you attack it with lawn sand.. or cut the grass short and hope for a couple of dry weeks and you can rake it out once its dried and let the grass takeover...depending in the size of lawn of course. unless it was a small lawn id leave it until autumn then lawn sand it, scarify and then over seed with a bit of a dressing. weed and feeds dont generally have any ingredients that will help with your moss issue unless youre using an autumn feed which you shouldnt be using at this time. how bigs the lawn? which part of the country and whats the weather outlook. dry days exposed to the sun will make it easier to rake up for sure.
Do a feed and weed now, late August put down some iron. Start of September aerate, scarify, overseed and feed. Job will be a good one.
I worked on 2 front lawns that were ~50% moss this year but I had the advantage that it was just after winter. Follow the advice other people have given but make sure the client is aware that it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better and that it won't look great for at least 12 months.
If theres hardly any grass to start with and its only a small area, you might as well weed kill the lot and returf, at the same time incorporating some good quality topsoil with a decent organic content, it will look much better in the long term as the soil has been improved as well. Obviously more work and expense but although the moss kill, over seeding route will work if done correctly, your not addressing the underlying problem, which would appear to be a poor and consequently dry soil structure. Just something to consider :-)
HTH
Anthony
Tim Barnes said:
Pictures of the lawn please, leave any scarfication etc work until Autumn, part from weed control and keeping the grass looking strong till the Autumn, but some good comments on here
if the client is willing to water the lawn you could do it now, treat it with renovator pro 2 weeks later scarify then top dress with a sandy soil mixed with grass seed and use a garden lute to spread so its nice and even