Spring Lawncare |
|
Step 1 – Mow at the correct heightIf you have a mower with adjustable cutting heights like a rotary or cylinder mower keep the first few cuts high at about 3cms and gradually reduce the height of cut as the season progresses. When the grass is growing vigorously, cut once or twice a week and try to mow at right angles to the previous cut. Remove any debris from the lawn before cutting and trim edges after mowing. Re-define edges with a half moon edging iron for a really crisp, neat look. This only needs to be done once a year, but can really make a lawn look good if the edges have become a little indistinct. Step 2 – Feed the lawn and control weeds and/or mossIn order to keep grass green and healthy it is important to apply a spring feed. Should weeds and/or moss be present, these may be tackled at the same time if you use a combined feed and weed and/or a moss-killer. For medium to larger lawns it is easiest to use a granular product, as it is the quickest to apply over a larger area if you use a lawn-spreader. Always check to see that the lawn-spreader is compatible with the product. When using a spreader, it is important to apply the product evenly so you avoid going over the same area twice or overlapping, as this could cause the lawn to scorch. Most granular lawn products need to be watered in and if no rain falls within 48 hours of application, ensure that water is applied to the lawn for about an hour to wash the feed down to the roots. There are some granular products that do not need to be watered in such as the Evergreen Lawn-builder range available as feed and weed, feed and moss-killer or straight feed. These will feed gradually over a period of time. Other products such as Aftercut or Evergreen Mow It Less may be applied straight after cutting, several times a season, to give sustained greening, without the need to water in. Liquid and soluble products are also available, although these tend to be better for smaller lawns as they are generally applied with a watering can apart from soluble lawn feeds, which may be applied via a hose end dilutor. Both soluble and liquid lawn feeds give a rapid green up and, as they are applied with water, there is no need to water them in. If a lawn is particularly weedy it is often best to treat the weeds separately, with a liquid lawn weed-killer such as Verdone Extra. These may be applied with a watering can or, even more efficiently, with a sprayer. Step 3 – Scarify and aerate as appropriateIf you have applied a moss control product the moss will turn black within a couple of days, it will be necessary to rake out the dead moss. Either use a spring tine rake with good downward pressure or a scarifier, which is useful for larger areas, as scarifying is hard work! The lawn will look a bit of a mess immediately afterwards, but don’t worry as it doesn’t take long to recover and will benefit greatly from this treatment. Any areas which are compacted or which were heavily infested with moss will benefit from being spiked to a depth of about 6cm with a garden fork, at intervals of about 30cm. Step 4 – Apply a top dressingThis is not absolutely essential, but it really does improve the health and appearance of a lawn. No self-respecting green keeper would fail to do this! You can buy ready mixed turf dressing. All you have to do is to apply a good spadeful every square metre or so and brush it evenly over the lawn, working it into the holes if you have spiked the lawn. 3 tips for keeping your lawn looking good throughout summer
|
