The summer months are wonderful for enjoying lazy days in the garden, but not until after the lawn has been cut!

However there is more to maintaining your lawn than a cut in the summer.

We’ve created an easy to follow yearly lawn maintenance plan to help you create and keep a healthy looking patch of grass in your garden.

‍January / February

‍Although not much is happening in the garden at this time of year, there are plenty of maintenance tasks to carry out on the lawn. Depending on the weather, effort should be made to remove any debris such as dead leaves, however if the ground is frosty, avoid walking on it as it can damage the grass. Do remember that dead leaves provide an important habitat to beneficial insects and wildlife, so try to keep some piles of dead leaves in other areas of the garden. Dead leaves also provide mulch and nutrients to your garden beds as they decompose, so having a layer of leaves on your beds is actually a good thing!

Winter months are also the ideal time to have lawn mowers and other machinery serviced before they need to be used later in the year.

‍March / April

‍Early spring is a good time to consider adding a top dressing to the lawn. Top dressing is made up of sand or a prepared soil mix which is applied to the surface of the ornamental lawn. To apply top dressing, evenly spread ¼ of an inch of the prepared mixture to the grounds surface. The top dressing will smooth the surface of the lawn and will aid in reducing thatch build up which can lead to an unhealthy sward of grass.

If it has been less than 12 months since the lawn was scarified, now is a good time of year to scarify the site. Use a scarifier to gently rake the area to remove thatch build up.

Get on top of any weeds now before they become a bigger issue by hand weeding the area. Weeds will create competition for the grass by taking up needed water and nutrients; they also encourage pests and diseases to thrive.

If the lawn has any patches, consider repairing these by reseeding the area.
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Once grass begins to grow, consider the first cut of the year.
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Aerating the lawn in spring will encourage better drainage, airflow and nutrient uptake. You can use a hollow tine aerator over the whole lawn, and the punched-out holes can then be backfilled with top dressing.
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May/June

‍Increase mowing as the weather improves and grass grows at a faster rate. It’s important to change directions when cutting the grass to avoid any ruts in the lawn and for the grass to grow evenly.

Always remove and compost grass clippings and ensure there are no weeds in the composted clippings.

Continue to weed the lawn, trying to remove any perennial weeds from the root.

If rain levels are low at this time of year, water the lawn evenly and thoroughly.

Apply fertiliser for a healthier sward. Measure the area that needs to be fertilised so you can calculate the right amount of fertiliser to apply and ensure an even spread of fertiliser by using a fertiliser spreader.

‍July/August

‍Over the summer months, monitor the lawn for pests such as leatherjackets that eat the roots of the grass and leave patches in the lawn.

Continue watering the lawn and keep a log of when the area has been watered to avoid overwatering the site.

Mowing the lawn should continue throughout the summer months.

‍September/October

‍Autumn is a good time to use a natural fertiliser high in potash and phosphates to prepare the lawn for winter months. Use a fertiliser spreader for even distribution of fertiliser and ensure you calculate the correct amount needed for the site.

The fungal disease ‘red thread’ can be an issue in the autumn and it will leave irregular patches of bleached grass throughout the lawn. To prevent red thread from becoming an issue, do not use high nitrogen fertilisers in the autumn months.

‍November/December

‍Throughout the winter, rake up any fallen leaf debris and put it on your garden beds as mulch, or keep it in other corners of your garden to provide important habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects.

Do not walk on the lawn when it is frosty and wet. If you walk across the lawn when it is wet you could cause the ground to become compacted which will reduce the airflow to the roots and kill the grass.

Over winter, machinery and tools need to be cleaned and stored. Keeping machinery in a good clean condition will avoid issues with broken machinery later in the year.

Need some help with getting your lawn in tip top condition? We offer a range of services to help keep your grass and garden healthy. Get in touch to find out more about our maintenance services.