GardenAdvice lawn care for our members
One of the biggest changes in the Gardening Advice we have provided over the last few years is in relation to lawn care. The focus is now on creating lawns with low nitrate fertilisers, monitoring soil pH and using bacterial products to reduce thatch rather than mechanical scarification and in lawns with heavy ware from children etc we are introducing clover to create a greener lawn surface in both the summer and winter
All our MyGardenTeam memberships include lawn care up to 75 square metres
Read some of the advice provided to a GardenAdvice MyGardenTeam member
“” Weed Control For Lawns:
To effectively tackle weeds in your lawn, it’s essential to understand plants and their classification into monocots (grasses) and dicots (broadleaf plants). Most garden and lawn weeds fall under dicots. I recommend using a selected weed killer such as Verdone lawn weed killer which only works monocots (broadleaf plants) i.e the lawn weeds and not the grasses . Be cautious, verdone is available in some variants that might harm your lawn. See the link below to the verdone you need. https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/weedol-verdone-lawn-weed-killer
Mix the selected weed killer in a watering can dedicated solely for this purpose to avoid accidental damage to other plants later.
Apply the weed killer by watering the lawn from a watering can at the recommended rate on the bottle, ensuring the droplets cover the leaves of the weeds to at least 20 percent. Walking up and down the lawn watering the lawn with the lawn weed killer is ideal.
Wait for a warm, dry day, preferably three days after mowing, to apply the weed killer for optimal absorption. You’ll notice a surge in weed growth initially, followed by their gradual decline.
Lawn Soil pH Management:
Lawns treated with high nitrogen feeds in the past often experience a decrease in soil pH, favouring moss over grass. I recommend using Moss Killer to raise the pH, promoting grass growth and suppressing moss and weed growth. Opt for organic lawn foods to maintain environmental friendliness and a lawn even growth through the year. https://www.pitchcare.com/products/mo-bacter-organic-lawn-fertiliser-moss-killer
Mowing Technique:
Achieving a pristine lawn akin to a Lord’s cricket pitch or wimbledon tennis court requires using a cylinder mower. Unlike rotary mowers, which tear grass, cylinder mowers provide a clean cut akin to scissors, enhancing the lawn’s appearance. Consider sourcing a cylinder mower from platforms like eBay for cost-effectiveness. For example Atco cylinder mowers can be purchased cost effectively and be renovated with the help of the GardenAdvice staff.
With mowing ideally once a week is ideal, new cut the grass blades or plants by more than a third at any one time as this will weaken the grass in the spring gradually lower the height of cut and in periods of dry weather allow the grass to grow longer
Mowing in different directions each time you mow so the grass does not become layered in one direction.
Seasonal Maintenance:
We will keep you updated as the weather changes and we move into different seasons with our MyGardenTeam service
Thatch Management:
Thatch, the layer of dead grass at the base of grass plants, can impede lawn health if left unaddressed. While light raking with a spring rake will help remove minor thatch buildup, consider using specialised bacteria to degrade excessive thatch without manual labour. The key to reducing thatch in a lawn is to maintain a correct soil pH. Maintaining an optimal pH level between 6 and 6.5 is crucial for ensuring a healthy lawn. A dressing of lime in the late autumn will help, we can test for the soil pH level in the autumn https://www.pitchcare.com/products/viano-green-comfort-bio-lime-organic-fertiliser-20-k
“
Images from Depositphotos
