Lawn care blog
This is more food for thought for next year but none the less it's an important topic. As you might expect, cutting your lawn is only ever going be half the battle towards keeping your garden looking great. Once the lawn is cut there are all manner of finishing touches to be done to make sure your garden looks tip top.
One such finishing touch is making sure that the edges of your lawn are neat and tidy. The usual tool for the job is what's known as a 'half moon' edging tool. This enables you to dig into the turf right at the edge of the lawn and create a nice crisp, uniform edge. As a guide to help you create this edge you should use a plank of wood, or anything else you can think of to act as a giant ruler to cut up against. Once the border is straight, the particularly tufty bits of grass that run along it can be dealt with either with a strimmer or lawn mower, or if you really want to be particular about it you can get down on your hands and knees with pair of shears, or the more civilised long handled edging shears.
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During autumn you should look for the tell tale signs of the wear and tear that will have set in during the summer months. It's the perfect opportunity to roll out any treatments to make sure that your lawn stays fighting and survives the cold winter snap.
Now is the time to carry out lawn treatment, as the September weather is warm enough to allow grass to flourish before temperatures drop too low for any growth a all to take place. Scarifying I've mentioned the importance of aeration previously, but there is another process that, if done regularly, can drastically improve the health of your lawn. Scarifying Scarifiying, or lawn raking, is a process that aims to remove all dead grass (or thatch) and other debris from the lawn that at best basically serves no purpose, and at worst is detrimental to the health of the lawn. A layer of thatch any greater than about half an inch can cause problems, so it's best to get in there with a scarifier before things get out of control. It's important to note that raking the lawn will leave your lawn looking very damaged, but this is normal, and as long as you do so properly, raking won't do any lasting damage. You should also aim to carry out any raking or scarifying during the autumn rather than spring, as the subsequent summer conditions after spring are not ideal for grass to make a healthy recovery. If you do feel that some raking is necessary during spring or summer you should try to keep it light, rather than the full on process that is more suited to this time of year. Top dressing As part of the recovery process to lawn scarification you will need to carry out a number of other treatments, the first being aeration (see below) and the second being top dressing. Once air, moisture, and nutrients are able to get back into the soil, the next stop is to top dress the lawn. Top dressing basically involves spreading a layer of sand, or organic mulch/loam onto the lawn to try and even out the lumps and bumps. The upshot of doing this is ultimately stronger grass roots and thicker turf. Anyone who takes pride in their garden will know just how frustrating it can be to see unwanted guests popping up from the ground. Whether its on the lawn or between patio tiles, the feelings it leaves you with are the same, frustration and deflation. After all who gave these guys the right to move in on your turf... literally!
Relax, breath. Whilst weeds can certainly be problematic to say the least, there are definitely ways to combat them. Of course some of these methods can be quite severe, but if you're weed problem is equally as severe then you'll almost certainly be tempted to take some serious action. Bare Soil A patch of bare soil is like an open door for weeds. With nothing else to compete with they will quite happily move in and make themselves at home. So rule number one has to be, it's better to have a well stocked flower bed than not, and besides these look much nicer too! Remove Annual Weeds Part of the reason that weeds are so successful is that they are able to survive in far more challenging conditions than most plants, so they''ll happily survive year in year out, reappearing again just when you thought that last year was going to be the last you saw of them. With weeds you need to get stuck in to remove them, quite literally. With the aid of a hoe or your hands you should find the seedlings before they grow and remove them whilst they are in this more innocuous state. It can be tricky to tell your weeds from your flowers at these times in the year however, so you should be careful what you are removing. Whatever state the weeds are in when you remove them, you should be sure to make sure you remove every last trace, a piece of root left behind can be enough for the weed to re-establish itself. Lawn Weeds As the focal point of the garden it can be particularly frustrating to see weeds sprouting from the lawn. You can either remove them with the aid of a long handled weeding tool or a knife. Regular aerating, raking and general lawn upkeep is the best way to keep the lawn weed free, but if absolutely necessary chemical intervention can be applied. If you do go down the chemical root, try to use a herbicide gel rather than spray if possible, as this can be carefully applied to the leaves of the weeds and shouldn't effect the grass itself. Path Weeds If you notice weeds starting to sprout from between paving slabs or cracks in paths, try using a knife to remove them. The 'advantage', (if it can be called that!) of dealing with weeds on paths is of course that you don't need to be concerned about harming other plants in the process. With this in mind you can take more drastic action such as by using a flame gun, effectively a hand held blow torch which you can use to scorch and kill off the weeds with ease. 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! 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! I've often heard it said that lawns don't really grow after July, and that as far as your lawn goes summer is over at this point. This couldn't be further from the truth, with weather being as unpredictable as it is, rain continues to fall, and grass continues to grow, granted the sun can leave your lawn scorched (if you don't keep it properly watered that is!) but there's no reason at all why it won't recover if you look after it, and of course that means getting the mower out.
So don't go putting the mower away for the winter just yet, there's still plenty of work to do, and it won't stop until the frosty peak of the winter months. If like many home owners at this time of year you're in the market for a new lawn mower, it can be daunting knowing which is for you, and given that it's likely to be a sizable investment either way you'll want to make sure you make the right choice.
Aside from the obvious variations in cost, you should also consider what other 'costs' are involved, whether in time or addtional expense after the intial purchase cost. For instance, if you choose a gas/petrol mower you have a more intensive maintenance schedule to consider both in your time and the cost of spares. In the case of the petrol mower you shouldn't base your decision purely on the fact that you're prepared for such extra costs, you should also consider other implications, for example are you fit and healthy enough? The pull cord on a gas mower can be quite challenging to pull for the weak and elderly, and if you fall into these categories you might benefit from a cordless battery model instead. Consider also the cost of owning something noisy. If you live miles from your nearest neighbour then perhaps this won't be a consideration at all, but owning a noisy petrol mower in a closely knit suburban area will limit you to mowing a sociable areas, so it's worth bearing this in mind. You also need to consider what you can afford to store. If you buy a lawn mower that is so large that it won't fit in your garage or requires something else to be removed to make way for it, then you'll need to decide whether this is a price worth paying. It's the middle of summer, so this isn't a job for now but it's certainly worth keeping in mind for when spring roles around next year, so make a note in your diary!
One reason why I'm being premature about this discussion is that it should give you plenty of time to prepare, this is necessary because timing your lawn treatments correctly is essential to success. So once winter has passed and the temperature begins to rise, it becomes the time to strike! Depending on which fertiliser you use, you'll need to apply it to a moist lawn, if so continue to water thoroughly in the run up to spring to keep everything prepped nicely. Which fertiliser you choose to use will depend largely on how acidic your soil is, so it's worth buying a home pH testing kit to determine your lawn's acidity. Whatever the outcome you should look to buy a fertiliser that either raises or lowers the acidity of the lawn, ideally so that your lawn is closer to pH neutral. Click here for further information on the types of fertiliser available. Most importantly of all follow the instructions! The manufacturer of the fertiliser you choose will know better than anyone how to apply their product, and how much to use. Stick to what they say, or else you might end up with disappointing results later in spring and early summer. Depending on your lawn and the product you use, you might want to use a spreader. This is a really useful tool, although you will only use it perhaps once or twice a year so head to your local hire shop to get one, unless of course you will be carrying out this task professionally, in which case good luck to you! |
AuthorHi I'm a lawn and gardening enthusiast, here to share my experience and advice. Archives
May 2017
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