Expert: Ronald B Persaud - 11/2/2009

Question
I live in Thailand where the sun is always blazing. While landscaping my garden lawn. it seems now that the contractor did not prepare the foundation before laying grass. I have what is called here Malaysian grass which is  hardy and can survive hot weather easily.

After a couple of years, it seems that the soil has been eroded and has become uneven. Walking on the without shoes is hurtful.

I would like a soft grass on which I can walk barefoot. Any suggestion how I can improve the soil and create soft grass without uprooting the lot.

Answer
I know very little about the grass to which you refer; I could not find a scientific name for it and therefore I was stuck.
Here are my thoughts.
If you do not regularly walk barefoot, then whenever you do it, regardless of the surface, there will be some discomfort.
The discomfort in your case could be because of the stubble left after mowing. You could mow the grass lower but please be careful. You could end up scalping the lawn and losing it altogether.
Or it could be because of compaction of the soil. Some kind of tillage is required to restore aeration in the soil. Again, this requires care and skill.
Your best source of advice would be:-

The Department of Agriculture
Phaholyothin Road Chatuchak
Bangkok, Thailand 10900
Contact : 662-5790121
Fax : 662-9406069