The Ground Rules

September is the best time of the year to address your lawn! With the earth still warm and wet, doing just a few lawncare activities in the autumn will help to keep your lawn in great shape and get it off to a flying start next year. It doesn’t take too long and is well worth the time and effort!

Step 1: Apply an autumn feed

Autumn lawn fertilisers differ from those applied in the spring in that the balance of nutrients encourages good root growth. This helps with drought resistance and vigour the following year. The autumn feeds also toughen up the top growth, making it better equipped to deal with the rigours of winter. Autumn feeds are available as either granular, liquid or soluble. Some also have a moss-killer incorporated, so choose one of these if moss is a problem on the lawn. Granular feeds are best applied with a spreader. The soil should be relatively moist and the grass should be dry at the time of application. If it doesn’t rain within 24hrs of applying the granular feed, it will be necessary to water the feed in to avoid scorching.

Step 2: Rake out any treated moss.

If you have applied a moss-killer it is important to rake out any treated moss once it has turned black. Use either a spring tine rake with good downward pressure, or if there is a large area to treat, use an electric scarifier, available to hire or buy at Yorkshire Mower World. It is quite hard work to scarify manually, so it may be beneficial to divide the lawn and tackle smaller areas rather than the whole lot in one go. The lawn will also look a bit of a mess immediately afterwards, but in no time at all it will look much, much better and really benefit from the treatment.

Step 3: Aerate the lawn

The lawn is likely to be compacted after summer usage, particularly if the soil is on the heavy side. To aerate the lawn, spike with a lawn aerator to a depth of at least 7-8cm. It is advisable to wait until there is some moisture in the ground otherwise clay soils, in particular, can be so hard it will be difficult to get an aerator in. It is also a good idea to use a reasonably good quality aerator that won’t bend under the strain!

Step 4: Overseeding the lawn

This is an excellent way to thicken and renew the lawn and really does give it a new lease of life. Essentially, it involves applying grass seed over an existing lawn and is a practice used by greenkeepers to keep football pitches, golf courses etc in good condition. Firstly, lightly rake over the surface of the lawn with a spring tine rake unless you have recently raked out treated lawn moss, in which case there is no need to do this. Then apply the grass seed. Choose a type of grass seed that suits your garden and the frequency you want to cut the lawn, a member of staff will advise you on this. The seed should be applied at a rate of about 20grammes per square metre - this is roughly a small handful over two square metres.

Step 5: Apply a top dressing

Top dressing will help the grass seed to ‘take’ after over-seeding and even if you do not over-seed it is still very beneficial and will help improve the health and appearance of the lawn and the texture of the soil. You can buy ready mixed turf dressing or make your own, according to your specific needs. All you have to do is apply a good spadeful every square metre or so and brush it evenly over the lawn, whilst working it into the holes if you have spiked the lawn.

For advice on which products, just ask a member of our team in store.