#askUpCountry – Lawn Care
“How can I keep my lawn looking great all year round?” – Genevieve, Scaynes Hill
Lawn is a key part of the garden. If your lawn is looking unhealthy, the impact will be very noticeable. It is imperative to keep your grass looking luscious to maintain your garden pride! As long as you have the necessary procedures in place, you can keep your lawn looking lush all year round. We have compiled a lawn care guide to help you keep the grass green in 2018:
The obvious first step is the get the lawn mower out! Mowing is vital to lawn care. The lawn needs to be mown at different frequencies depending on the time of year. In the summer we suggest mowing your lawn once a week, whereas in spring and autumn it is more suitable to mow fortnightly. Do not mow in winter as mowing wet or frosty grass will damage the soil and turf below. In the summer, it is preferable to use a higher blade when cutting the grass as you want it to maintain some length. This blade height will protect the earth below from becoming to dry or scorched.
Avoid compaction. Compaction of the soil will not encourage lawn growth so it is important to fix this quickly. Relieve the compaction by aerating the soil. Push a garden fork into the soil until it is 10cm deep and gently wiggle from side to side. Repeat this over your whole lawn. This encourages growth and allows the roots to breathe. In waterlogged lawn, place sharp sand down the holes to improve drainage.
Feed your lawn. Invest in a lawn feeder that will nourish the roots. Ensure to either fertlise before rain or heavy watering as this will wash the fertiliser down to the roots rather than harming the blades. Spring and midsummer are the best times to feed your lawn.
Edge your lawn. Trim the edges of your lawn to keep it looking neat and not overgrown. To ensure it does not grow into your borders, create a shallow moat to make sure grass can’t cross.
Prepare for the future. When repairing the edges of your lawn, remove strips of grass from the roots and place in compost filled seed tray. This can then be grown in the greenhouse and used in the future to replace bare patches.
Water it. No lawn will thrive without water. Keep it looking luscious throughout the year by ensuring that the soil beneath it is always moist. This is essential throughout the summer when it is easy for the earth to dry up.
Prevent moss in your lawn. Moss within your lawn can be caused by a variety of things, such as sparse grass cover, shade, compacted soil, waterlog, drought, mowing it too close to the ground and infertile or acidic soil. You can fix your moss problem by firstly raking the problem area. This will remove the excess moss. You can then use a moss killer supplement such as Resolva Moss Killer (1 litre – £5.99 in store!) to prevent the problem long time.
Lawn care done? Now see what you should be planting this month!
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Got a question to #askUpCountry? Email us at admin@upcountrystorehouse.com or tweet us at @upcountryuk!