Bawden's guide to a beautiful spring time lawn
Once the rigors of winter show signs of lessening and the days draw out, the season for lawn care begins and the time you invest in caring for your grass will pay dividends throughout the year.
Mowing
Depending on the severity of the winter conditions at the start of the year, the first cut of your lawn is likely to take place in early March. Set your mowing height quite high so that no more that one quarter of the height of the grass is removed. Taking more than this when temperatures can still drop dramatically will put undue stress on your lawn. As spring progresses and temperatures begin to rise your grass will require more frequent cutting and you can gradually reduce the height of the cut to give the desired finish.
Aeration
To relieve compaction, improve drainage and allow more air into the root system, aerate compacted areas of the lawn with a fork or spiking machine designed for the job.
Scarification
It is important at the start of the growing season to ensure your lawn is predominantly green with grass, not moss! Scarifying your lawn will remove dead grass, moss and other organic matter such as dead leaves, allowing new grass to establish and strengthen without competition. You can scarify using an electric domestic scarifier, or by using a spring tine rake. The results of your efforts can be quite dramatic and it may appear that you have removed more ‘lawn’ than you intended. Don’t worry, you will only be removing material with no or very shallow roots and the healthy grass that should be there will be left to thicken and grow, now that it can breathe.
Feeding
Time now to apply a spring lawn food to give the grass the essential nutrients it needs over the vigorous spring growing period. Apply in the early spring and then again six weeks later. ‘Weed and Feed’ products help to kill off weeds that fighting to establish whilst at the same time strengthening the grass sward so that it wins the battle.
Over-seeding
There will inevitably be areas of your lawn that have suffered from wear and tear over the previous season. Spring is the time to over-seed the law to repair and restore bald patches. Combine a suitable grass seed with lawn topdressing and spread onto the lightly loosened soil in the area for repair. Firm down gently and wait for the seed to germinate. It will soon begin to fill in sparse areas of your sward and improve the visual and amenity aspect of your lawn.
Topdressing
A bumpy and uneven lawn can be improved by applying topdressing at the rate of between 1 and 3 kg per square metre. When you do this, choose a period when the lawn is dry and brush into the sward, adding slightly more depth when there are noticeable dips.
Weed treatment
Broadleaf weeds in your lawn should be treated using the appropriate selective herbicide or removed by hand using a knife or mechanical weeder to ensure the entire root is taken out.
Moss
As previously mentioned, scarifying your lawn will help to remove moss. If preferred, you can apply moss killer before scarifying, which will turn the moss black, making it more readily visible so that you are sure you have removed it.
Weed grass
In amongst your lawn grass you may well see other ‘grasses’ that appear noticeably different. These include Poa annua (annual meadow grass), which is endemic in the northern hemisphere and is recognizable by the seed heads forming from pale stalks. The best treatment is to remove the stem and the roots as you discover them, making sure the seed heads are not allowed to disperse their seeds. A well tended and maintained lawn is the best prevention and carrying out the tasks in spring as identified above will lessen the risk of Poa annua establishing in your grass areas.