Lawns need plenty of loving care and attention. If you neglect your lawn, it won’t be long before it is bald, mossy or infested with weeds. The problem is that lawns have to put up with a lot of wear and tear. Kids, pets, and weather all take their toll. It would be nice to look out on a patch of resplendent turf worthy of a feature in Homes & Garden, but unless you put a bit of time and effort into the upkeep of your lawn, it simply won’t happen.
Fortunately for any non-green fingered people out there, treating and maintaining a lawn doesn’t need to take up too much of your weekend.
Here are some of the best ways to keep your lawn looking green and vibrant:
Drainage
A lawn needs sunlight, good drainage, and moisture. If any of these three things are missing, your lawn will suffer. The more pets, kids, and adults walking on the lawn, the more compacted it will be. This leads to poor drainage, which can cause water to pool in low-lying areas during a wet spell.
It’s very easy to improve drainage. Every spring and autumn, go round your lawn with a fork and aerate it. Fill any holes you make with sand to discourage weeds.
Weed Eradication
Weeds are the bane of most gardeners’ lives. Weeds flourish in warm, wet weather, just like regular plants do, so if your garden is in bloom, the chances are good that your lawn is blooming with pretty yellow dandelions.
The best way to rid a lawn of weeds is to mow it regularly. Cutting the grass once a week during the growing season will prevent weeds from taking hold and shedding their seeds everywhere. Be careful not to cut the grass too short. It is less stressful for your lawn if you let the grass to grow to mid-length. This also prevents your lawn from drying out too much during a dry spell.
If weeds are well-established and you have more dandelions than grass, it’s a good idea to treat the area with a natural herbicide. These derive their potency from non-chemical sources and are therefore better for the natural environment.
Feed Your Lawn
Grass needs food. Most experts recommend that you give your lawn some fertilizer during spring and autumn, but it’s also a good idea to feed your grass in the middle of the summer. Look for a complete fertiliser that contains essential micronutrients as well as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphate. Add diluted fertiliser to a watering can and you can water the lawn at the same time. At Carpenter’s we have a good selection of lawn feed and weed products that will help keep your lawn looking its best.
Watering a Lawn
Lawns need water during dry weather, or the grass will die. If there is a hosepipe ban in place, you’ll have to do this job by hand. Otherwise, set up a lawn sprinkler and turn it on in the early evening to avoid scorching the grass.
Look after your lawn and it will be a real asset to your garden!
