Happy New Lawn Year!
In the UK astronomical spring begins on 20th March this year. With the start of spring comes the warmer weather and the chance to get out into the garden again. The start of spring also signals the start of the lawn year, with now being the time to get your lawn looking great.
This year, many of us will also be looking forward to the easing of lockdown restrictions, and the chance to welcome family and friends back into our homes and gardens. Let’smake sure those gardens don’t let us down.
Clear the Decks
Before you do anything else, you’ll want to have a better look at your lawn. Start by clearing it of any fallen leaves or other debris, such as fallen branches. Leaves can go into your garden compost bin, if you have one, while larger branches should be put into your garden waste bin for collection by your local council.
If you see worm casts as you clear the lawn, you can clear these away with a stiff brush. The recent heavy rainfall may make these more visible as worms are frequently more active during wet periods as it is easier for them to travel through the soil. Worm activity is more common on your lawn if the drainage is poor.
The First Cut
The recent warm snap may have prompted you to cut your lawn already, but if you haven’t now is the time to get your mower out after the winter. If you were conscientious enough to service your mower before you put it away last year you should be able to get straight out, although it’s worth giving the mower’s blades a sharpen.
If you didn’t service your mower before packing it away, do that now, then put the blades on their highest setting before cutting the grass. It’s important that you don’t set the blades too low, as cutting the grass too short too early can damage the grass leading to problems later in the year.
Check for Moss
You may have already have noticed patches of moss when clearing your lawn. If you didn’t you may spot moss now that you’ve mown the grass. You may also have noticed the ground feeling ‘spongy’ underfoot as you cut it. This is another indication that your lawn may have a problem with moss.
Read our guide to identifying and treating moss on your lawnto find out more about the best way to treat it.
Remove Lawn Thatch
While you may have been able to remove leaves and some superficial thatch or moss by raking your lawn, to really maintain the health of your lawn you may need to go further. This means considering lawn scarification.
Lawn scarification is essentially a mechanical raking process, which removes heavy thatch and moss from the surface of your lawn. Removing heavy thatch is necessary as if it is left on the lawn it will absorb the nutrients and water that your grass needs.
All Green uses professional, heavy-duty lawn scarifiers that will remove far more thatch and moss than manual raking.After scarification we will overseed as required to make sure that your lawn grows back evenly and looks its best.
Improve Lawn Drainage
Many of the lawn problems we’ve already mentioned, such as moss or worm activity, can be reduced or eliminated by improving your lawn’s drainage. We do this by aerating your lawn.
Lawn aeration is carried out by All Green using a mechanical hollow-tine aerator. This machine makes thousands of small holes in your lawn to let your lawn ‘breathe’, letting air and nutrients reach the roots of your grass. We believe that hollow-tine aeration is the most effective method to use, as it doesn’t just ‘poke’ holes into the ground, it actually removes plugs of soil from your lawn.
Aeration reduces soil compaction and is particularly effect on heavy clay soils.
Control Weeds & Feed Your Lawn
You may be able to remove individual weeds by hand, but for more persistent weeds talk to All Green about professional weedkilling solutions. At this time of year, we would mainly be treating broad-leaved weeds such as dandelions. When we treat these weeds, we use a selective herbicide, which can be used safely on your lawn without damaging the grass.
As part of a lawn treatment plan, or as a standalone treatment, we may also use a fertiliser to improve your lawn. The fertilisers All Green use in spring release nutrients over a controlled amount of time to set the grass up for the rest of the year.
Act Quickly
Spring is one of the busiest times of year for All Green Lawn Treatments, so if you do want to take advantage of our free lawn analysis we advise that you contact us today. We can then assess your lawn and advise you of the most appropriate lawn treatments.
Remember we don’t charge for quotes and you don’t have to sign up to a contract for our lawn treatment services.