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Mowing

 

In winter,

the lawn will only need topping on an infrequent basis and never during periods of heavy rain or frost. The aim should be to keep the long grasses from overcoming smaller grasses in the turf.

 

In Spring,

mowing frequency will increase as the weather warms. Again, never mow when the lawn is frosty or wet. Depending on conditions, the lawn will need mowing every other week or more often and the cutting height should be lowered by one notch after a few cuts. Never walk on a frozen or frosted lawn.

 

In early summer,

the lawn will require regular mowing of about once a week. The mowing height should be progressively dropped to its lowest setting of the year (cutting height should be set to keep the grass evenly mown without scalping. Try to aim for a grass height of approx. 1”).

 

Mid-late summer,

mowing will be required less frequently depending on weather conditions. Grass needs to be kept slightly longer in dry weather as it will endure the heat better but if the summer is showery then cutting heights can be kept to the 1” height. Late summer tends to be slightly wetter and the cutting height can be progressively heightened to 2-2.5” as the season turns to Autumn.

 

Autumn and winter,

cuts should be only as required. It is more important to keep the lawns leaf-free as prolonged coverage with leaves will kill off the grass.

Cutting height should be set to keep the grass marginally longer in shady areas

Scarifying and Aeration

Scarification

The best time to scarify your lawn is in  spring and autumn. Be sure you do not start too early in the spring as the grass should growing nicely before you start. Try not to Scarify when the lawn is too wet or too dry.

Hollow-tine lawn care aeration

Ideally, aerate your lawn in the early spring or autumn. Aeration is the most effective way of reducing sub-surface thatch and compaction in lawns, often the main causes of moss, it increases water, nutrient and air ingress and circulation to the roots which will only benefit your lawn.

Watering

 

The aim of watering is to dampen the turf and allow water to penetrate the soils to a depth of 1-2” (where most root activity occurs). Watering is a vital action when considering lawn care.

 

Watering is totally weather dependent. In an absence of rain, watering should be for 40 minutes per area (maximum) twice a week. Try to water early morning or late afternoon when the heat of the day has reduced. The aim should be to dampen, not soak areas of turf.

 

Alter frequency according to rainfall and try to note the heaviness of rainfall. A very light shower is not sufficient to cancel a watering but may reduce the amount of time to water. Likewise, very heavy overnight rain may negate the need to water at all.

Fertiliser

 

Ideally 3 applications are required per year. In the Spring, a weed and feed application (which burns the mosses) is normally applied. This has an urea content and if not applied correctly will burn the grasses as well so be very careful when applying to ensure an even spread at the correct dose rate.

After this application, mosses can then be raked out and over seeding can take place if required.

A midsummer application will normally be nitrogen rich to feed the grasses to promote strong growth.

 

The Autumn application will be low on nitrogen but higher on trace elements to replenish the soils after the growing season.

 

All fertilisers if applied incorrectly will damage the lawn. If you are in doubt about how to apply the fertiliser, please feel free to get in touch.

IF YOU’D LIKE HELP WITH LAWN CARE IN YOUR GARDEN, CALL TOWN & COUNTRY GARDENS ON 0207 736 7801.