Gardening Tips

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Lawn Care Tips

Gardening Tips | Pruning Fruit Trees | Rose Pruning Tips

Here are some tips from our Parks Team on how to care for your lawn. Also check out our rose pruning tips and fruit tree pruning tips.

Fertiliser

Have a good fertiliser programme. This will depend on the condition of your lawn, the type of grass and your location. For advice on the best type of fertiliser for you lawn, contact your local garden centre or a turf professional.

Mowing

Keep your lawn well-groomed by mowing at a nice height (the best height is debatable; although longer, healthier grass can make it more difficult for sun-loving weeds to grow). Some say to not remove more than 1/3 of the leaf surface at any one time, although cutting the lawn shorter in spring will help remove dead grass, increase the penetration of sunlight to newly forming grass blades and help warm the soil sooner.

Mower blades should be kept sharp to prevent bruised and torn leaf blades, which can develop unsightly brown spots. Mow when the lawns are dry to help reduce the spread of some diseases and limit soil compaction, and also result in a cleaner cut.

Fertiliser

Feed your lawn about two or three times a year between early September and the end of April. We use Bioboost (made by our own wastewater treatment plant) on some turf areas.

Weeds and disease

Weeds will appear in your lawn, coming from seeds which have been dormant in the soil or have been carried in by the wind or birds. Where required, spray your lawns once or twice a year in spring and autumn. Contact your local garden centre for a suitable spray.

Lawn diseases can be treated with a variety of all-round products. If there are patches in your lawn, it could be better to just dig out that part of the lawn and re-sow it with grass seed.

Thatch is the layer of dead grass that lies above the soil and root system, which can stop air and moisture reaching the roots and encourage fungal disease. Once a year, get an expert to come and carry out dethatching which will take that dead material out of your lawn. You can contact a lawn-care professional through the Yellow Pages.

Watering your lawn

Walking, playing or parking your car on the lawn can cause the soil to become compacted, which means water can’t soak through and air can’t circulate. You can fix this by coring your lawn once a year – either hire a mechanical corer yourself or get an expert in.

Reduce the moisture needs of your lawn by not over-fertilising, and not mowing it too short. As well as coring your lawn, you can improve water penetration by applying a wetting agent.

Related links

• Gardening tips from our Parks Team