Lawn care blog
If you fail to aerate your lawn then you could find your lawn falling victim to some nasty side effects.
Lawn Thatch A classic symptom of a compacted and poorly air infiltrated lawn is lawn thatch. Once soil has become compacted it is unable to retain any air or water, and as a result won’t be able to provide a habitat capable of sustaining the lives of microbes and helpful fungi. Without microbes and fungi the natural life cycle of the lawn will be thrown into chaos, and in this case that means that dead grass won’t have anything to help it decay, leading to the build-up of the thatch layer. If you allow this layer to grow too thick then things only get worse as less and less air and water is allowed in. Lawn Disease Typically lawn diseases don’t arise just because of a lack of air, there is usually an underlying fungus or bacteria behind the problem, but none the less it won’t help that the lawn is compacted so it’s a good idea to keep it aerated to prevent the lawn becoming an easy target for diseases. Fusarium patch and red thread are likely to be the most likely diseases you’ll come across, so keep an eye out. A lack or earthworms If your lawn is compacted then worms won’t stand a chance of burrowing their way in to do their bit in keeping organic matter broken down, and the lawn aerated as they go. Encourage these guys to make a come-back by doing a spot of aeration. The colour of the grass Say good bye to lovely lush green turf once the lawn becomes compacted, it will have turned a dry and off colour by then. If you wrongly try to remedy the problem by piling on the fertiliser then you might find the grass takes on a blueish hue in the absence of water. Inability to retain water For the reasons mentioned at the beginning of this post, compacted soil will cause water to run off into places you wouldn’t have otherwise anticipated it would Drying too quickly And likewise because water isn’t retained the only water to evaporate will be surface water, which again of course means that the lawn stays remains devoid of sufficient hydration. It’s a vicious cycle!
0 Comments
Lawn stripes look great, if you’ve ever visited a professionally managed garden then you’re bound to have seen them in abundance. If you wish to recreate them in your own garden then you should be prepared for the financial and time investment that goes along with it, chiefly: The cost of a lawn mower with a DECENT roller The extra methodical path that you will need to take as you push the mower around I’ve emphasised the need to buy quality when looking for a mower with a roller, because some cheaper lawn mowers frankly do a terrible job with the excuse for a roller system that they're fitted with. I'm not necessarily saying that the mechanism itself is poor, but more often than not the mower is just too light to leave a decent impression on the grass. So you should expect to pay more for a more expensive, heavier, and probably more expensive machine. Bear in mind of course, that whilst this might be great for creating lawn stripes a heavy lawn mower might cause you other issues, particularly if you aren't as strong as you used to be. Having decided that stripes are for you and with a decent mower in hand, you should know that creating stripes requires regimented, straight movement back and forth across you lawn. If the stripes are wavy then you could be left with something that looks terrible. You need to ask yourself, is this painstaking and methodical approach to lawn care really for me? If the answer is no then I suggest sticking to a lawn mower that enables you to get the job done quickly, and with as little hassle to you as possible. Now that I've completely undersold lawn stripes I want to reiterate, they can look great! If you're prepared to put the time and money in you won't be disappointed. If you've had the same patch of turf for some time, and haven't stripped it out to returf, then you'll have probably come across the phenomenon that is 'lawn thatch'. Thatch as it's commonly known is a dried grass, but more commonly straw, that is used as a roofing material. In the case of your lawn, thatch is the build up of layer upon layer of dead grass shoots that are left behind when new grass forms. You'll know you have a thatch problem if your lawn is looking compact and full of dry and dead interwoven grass shoots. You'll also notice that new healthy grass is struggling to make an appearance, this is because the thatch prevents new grass from thriving, and prevents sunlight and moisture from reaching it. Which species of grass you have in your garden will have an effect on how much thatch you'll be susceptible to. Look out for hard wearing and slow decomposing types if you're looking to turf or seed from scratch and you'll find thatch to be much less of a problem. Dealing with thatchIf you do have a regular build up of thatch to deal with then you might want to consider using a device called a 'lawn raker' or 'scarifier'. These effectively rake and dig up the offending thatch so that your lawn has half a chance of recovering.
In general a 'lawn raker' will be designed for lighter use in a small scale domestic environment, whereas a 'scarifier' is designed for more heavy duty use. If it's a regular problem you might want to purchase a scarifier, however they are readily available for rental from many good hire shops. When using a scarifier, be prepared for fairly alarming results, although it will indeed dig up the thatch, it will also obliterate any sign of a healthy lawn too. This is why it's important to scarify at a time of year when the lawn has a decent stretch of time to recover before the summer, such as mid spring time. So I came across this rather intriguing looking machine the other day whilst foraging the internet looking new developments in the lawn care world. I have to say, whilst I like the idea of a pedal powered mower, and it looks pretty cool, I'm going to be honest and say I don't think the idea will catch on.
Why do I think this? Well firstly, its developers state that it has a limited market.. yeah they aren't wrong! For the price they are taking about retailing it, you could just as easily but a petrol powered ride on mower. I'm inclined to think that the sort of person that can afford to buy one of these can also afford to exercise in more conventional tried and tested ways, but I might be wrong. Secondly the styling of the thing looks as though it is geared towards fans of gadgets and big boys toys, are these the same people who concern themselves with having a well looked after lawn and garden? Again, I don't think so. So overall, a nice concept, and something that would definitely turn a few heads at a trade show, but as for real world practicality, it's a definite no-mow from me! |
AuthorHi I'm a lawn and gardening enthusiast, here to share my experience and advice. Archives
May 2017
Categories |