Get your lawn looking good this summer
Despite the snow last week, March is traditionally the time when most people start thinking about their gardens. Spring is an important time to kick start the growing season again. There are lots of things that can be done with your lawn at this time of year.
Mowing
Your grass will begin to grow faster again as the weather turns warmer and sunnier days are (hopefully) evident. Start mowing with the blades high and gradually lower them as the spring goes on but try not to cut more than one third of the grass height at any time. Keeping the cut high to start with means the grass isn’t weakened by too severe a haircut when it’s likely to be short of nutrients, sunlight and warmth.
We use professional petrol rear roller mowers which are winter serviced for a sharp blade and high performance as well as great stripes.
Mowing should be done at least once a fortnight through the growing season with the cut height varied to suit growth rates.
Aeration
Spring is the time to aerate your lawn. Aeration is the procedure of getting air into the lawn soil. It is these air spaces that partially fill up and store the rain water for use by the grass. Aeration also allows air and nutrients to penetrate a hard surface, improves bacterial activity and drainage from the surface. If your lawn suffers from premature drying, poor drainage or moss invasion aeration will help.
We use a spiked roller aerator on the surface of the lawn which aerates the top 3 inches of the soil. We also use what is known as a hollow tine aerator to bring up plugs of soil and create better drainage in compacted and well used areas.
Scarification and raking
Lawn scarifiers use blades to cut out thatch (the mat of growth at the base of the grass). Lawn thatch by its very nature is removed more easily by this cutting action and the result is a firmer lawn that allows the passage of air, nutrients and water easily into it. The blades also ‘prune’ the grass plants because it cuts them downwards rather than cross cutting as in mowing. This pruning, just like pruning a bush or plant causes extra shoots to grow thus thickening the turf.
Whereas scarifiers use blades, rakes use wires just like on a fan or springbok lawn rake. Wires are best for raking because moss is not rooted and comes away quite easily. This means pulling or ripping the moss out rather than cutting it out is best. Wires are also best for giving the lawn a light raking after a drought to clear dead brown grass that has accumulated.
You wouldn’t believe the amount of thatch that comes out of the average lawn.
Moss control
Did you know that the natural balance in your lawn is towards moss and away from grass? Without any intervention the problem may get worse and, in some cases so bad that you have all moss and no grass.
We provide a moss control, prevention and removal service based on your specific garden environment. We can apply a moss killer, either on its own as a standalone service or as part of a more holistic lawn care service.
However, there are plenty of other things we can do to reduce moss in your lawn. We’d start by assessing the environment and natural factors that may contribute to your lawn being thin or unhealthy and therefore creating ideal conditions for moss growth. Once we’ve done that, we can make environmental changes relevant to your lawns situation. Though this is not going to make the moss disappear it is a natural way to tip the scales in favour of the grass.
Spring lawn feed
Most lawns will thank you for giving them a helping hand in the spring after a tough winter. We tend to feed customers lawns once in the spring and then again in the autumn. We buy in bulk from a specialist lawn care provider and use a slow release spring lawn fertiliser that provides 3 months of lawn feed.
A healthy lawn needs feeding. In fact, it needs feeding more than most other plants as it effectively gets pruned 20 times a year!
We use a professional shoulder bag rotary spreader which has none of the drawbacks of a wheeled version. We’d be more than happy to discuss your lawn feed requirements for either a one off or more regular service. A properly fertilised lawn will be thicker and greener. The extra density will help smother and repel weeds and moss. The grass will also have deeper roots and therefore will stay greener longer in dry weather.
Additional Tasks
We can carry out all these tasks to help keep your lawn in tip-top condition. We are also happy to recut your lawn’s edges if required as well as carrying out
over-seeding, top dressing and turfing repairs.
By doing these things in the spring then by the time the summer months come around your lawn should look great!
We’re always happy to talk to you about how we can help you to make your garden look great. Feel free to give us a call, or send us a quick email.
