A Greener Brighter Lawn for Winter
Mowing should normally be carried out from the months March through to October but with the mild spell we've been experiencing it might just need another cut before the cold of Winter sets in. If you have areas of your lawn that are in need of repair you might be tempted to seed, however we strongly recommend against this as it is now too late in the year. Any seed sown now is likely to simply rot away and be a waste of money.
Regular aeration
Regular aeration is vital for root growth and can be carried out all year round, lawn aeration is the process of creating air channels in your lawn so that the air can freely pass into the soil and circulate around the grass roots.
This process should be carried out because over time the soil that your lawn grows on will become compact, this is due to a number of reasons, sports, parking, the children playing about etc, all of which can have a negative impact on your lawn.
There are other factors besides compaction that may give us reason to aerate our lawn, If our lawn contains a considerable build up of thatch then we can use core aeration to help break down the thatch. This process occurs as the cores of soil that are left on the lawn surface by core aeration introduce soil micro organisms into the thatch layer. These micro organisms will breakdown the layer of thatch and return nutrients to the soil.
Lawn aeration has a number of benefits including:
- The increased water, oxygen and nutrient uptake by the grass roots
- Enhancing water infiltration into the soil and to greater depths
- Helps prevent the loss of valuable fertilisers due to run off from compact areas
- Encouraging the breakdown and decomposition of thatch by soil microorganisms
- Improved development of roots to greater soil depths
However, you should avoid aerating after heavy rainfall when the soil is wet through.
One more major key factor apart from the obvious trimming the edges and tidying up is scarification, otherwise known as Raking.
Raking your lawn vigorously removes accumulated dead plant material (thatch) that prevents the penetration of rain and encourages plant diseases and makes the lawn feel 'springy' to walk over.
Using a garden rake or a spring-time rake, work on small areas at a time, raking vigorously, this is not a easy job as does require time and a lot of effort, but if you put what's required in u get a great looking lawn in return, "this does not have to be completed in one go"!
The accumulated material should be removed and placed in your compost heap. Scarification is best carried out in September as soon as the cooler temperatures reduce grass growth.
If parts or in some cases all of the lawn is beyond treatment and repair, Don't despair however because you can turf all year round and returfing a section quickly restores the look of damaged turf. If you want to do even more work in your garden (perhaps for some peace and quiet away from the family) now is the perfect time to deal with hard landscaping such as paving a patio area with Indian Stone or graveling borders and beds. You could even consider graveling your drive!
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