Tuesday 11 December 2018

September Lawn Tips


·        September Lawn Tips
After a very warm and dry summer and due to that excessive dry weather, a lot of people’s lawns are only now starting to recover. On closer inspection you may find that the grass is still quite thin in the places where it is recoverin,g but there are areas where it still hasn’t.
I would advise a complete re-seed in the ‘dead’ areas and an over seed in the others. This will replace the grasses lost due to the drought and prevent those areas being taken over with either weed grasses such as Annual Meadow Grass, (Poa Annua), or with moss which will exploit the gaps in the surviving grass.
So, let’s start with –
• Scarification to remove any dead grass or thatch build-up (this is excess organic matter on the surface of the soil). This dead grass and thatch will act like a sponge, encouraging the proliferation of moss and reducing the need for the grass to develop a deep root base. This makes the grass plant less tolerant of any dry weather next year as the roots cannot find moisture in the soil beneath it. Thatch can also harbour turf diseases such Fusarium.
• Aerating the lawn with either solid or hollow tines. The alleviation of compaction in the surface of the lawn will allow the movement of both air and water though the top layer of the turf, helping prevent moss and encouraging root development within the lawn. When hollow tining, the cores will have to be removed, these can either be disposed of or recycled as a dressing for the spring or next autumn.
• Re-seeding the lawn both in areas where the grass is thin or patchy but also in the ‘dead’ areas as well. This will thicken up the sward as well adding newer more vigorous grasses to the turf sward, and squeezing out the weed grass and moss.
• Top dress the lawn with a soil/sand mix to cover the recently applied seed and to level any dips and hollows in the lawn. Once applied, use the back of a garden rake to level off the dressing. Please do not try to ‘bury’ the grass, always ensure that it is showing through the top dressing otherwise you can ‘suffocate’ the lawn and kill the grass beneath it.
• Fertilise the lawn with an autumn/winter fertiliser, these are usually low in Nitrogen but have a higher amount of Phosphate and Potash than summer feeds. Phosphate and Potash help with root development and strengthen the plant cell walls, therefore helping the turf to go into winter stronger and healthier. I would advise using a slow release fertiliser as this will slowly release nutrient into the lawn without you having to deal with a growth flush
• Raise the height of cut after renovations to 30-40mm. Any lower and you encourage the build-up of moss within the lawn. The less light that can get to the base of the sward the less moss spores that are able to germinate.
• Continue to trim lawn edges as and when required, with edging shears to keep them looking neat and tidy.Note-
As always at this time of year there is talk of heatwaves and Indian summers, and sometimes it happens. Please keep an eye on the forecasts before starting your renovations as any prolonged dry spells after renovations can have a detrimental effect – be prepared to irrigate.


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