Lawn Care Through the Year

GARDEN · GLOBAL

Lawn Care Through the Year

Mowing height, feeding and moss, watering and the seasonal jobs

Most lawn problems come from mowing too short and feeding at the wrong time, both of which are easy to correct.

Mowing height

Cutting too low weakens grass, exposes soil and lets moss and weeds in. Aim to remove no more than a third of the leaf at a time, keeping the grass around three to four centimetres in summer and a little longer in drought.

Mow more often rather than lower, keep the blade sharp, since a blunt blade tears rather than cuts, and leave short clippings on the lawn in summer to return nutrients.

Feeding

A high-nitrogen feed in spring for growth, and an autumn feed higher in potassium and phosphate to harden the grass for winter. Using a spring feed in autumn produces soft growth that disease attacks.

Water it in if rain does not follow, and keep pets and children off until it has.

Moss

Moss is a symptom of shade, compaction, poor drainage, low fertility or close mowing. Killing it without fixing the cause means it returns within a season.

Scarify to remove thatch and moss, then aerate compacted areas and overseed the bare patches in early autumn.

Watering

Established lawns survive drought and go brown and recover. Where you do water, do it deeply and infrequently rather than lightly every day.

Scarifying and aerating

Scarifying pulls out thatch and moss and looks brutal for a fortnight before the lawn recovers. Aerating relieves compaction so water and air reach the roots, and both are best done in early autumn or spring.

Overseed afterwards and keep the surface damp until the seed germinates.

Shade and alternatives

Grass struggles in deep shade whatever you do. Shade-tolerant seed mixes help, and ground cover planting or a path is frequently the better answer.

Edges and paths

A neat edge makes an ordinary lawn look cared for. Cut a shallow trench along borders with a half-moon edger once a year and trim it with shears or a strimmer after mowing.

Repair worn paths with stepping stones rather than fighting the grass.

Weeds

A dense, well-fed lawn crowds most weeds out. Remove perennial weeds by hand where you can and treat sparingly rather than blanket spraying.

Robot mowers

They cut little and often, which suits grass well and keeps a lawn tidy with no effort. Check the boundary arrangement, how they handle slopes and whether the area suits them.

Keep them off the lawn at night and after rain where wildlife is a concern, since hedgehogs are injured by them.

Chemicals and wildlife

Follow the label exactly and keep pets off as directed. Leaving an area longer supports insects considerably.

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