Creating a perfect lawn
An unsightly lawn is probably the most common cause of gardening headaches. In some cases there is only one cause that requires only a simple treatment, but more often than not, there is a number of problems that will require a renovation programme to be carried out.
The lawn to aim for
A bowling-green lawn may look attractive, but for the average gardener it will take by far too much work maintaining such a lawn. It must be regularly fed, weeded and aerated – and will not tolerate heavy traffic. Furthermore it will need cutting every 2-3 days over the summer.
In stead you should aim for a hard wearing utility lawn that will thrive with regular weekend maintenance, and even tolerate occational neglect. In other words – a lawn for living - rather than for looking.
The turf should be closely knit with no patches of bare ground. There should only be very little, if any, moss in the lawn – and no large patches of weed. It’s up to you if you will accept a light sprinkling of wild flowers such as daisies though.
Remember – stripes in the lawn is not a measure of quality – but a result of the grass being cut with a lawnmower fitted with a roller.
Making repairs to your lawn
First step is to assess the state of the garden, and decide what course to take, based on your findings.
If the lawn is troubled in patches, whether small or large, renovation could be an option. If the whole lawn is in a sorry state, however, you may be better off clearing the site of vegetation – usually spraying with a glyphosate based weedkiller – and start all over again.
In both cases repairs are made by either re-seeding or re-turfing the lawn. Free information on how to do this will be available from your local garden centre
Renovating a neglected lawn
A neglegted lawn is a depressing sight. If this is what you have to deal with then, again, you will have to asses the state of your garden. If there is a large amount of weeds and moss in the lawn you may be better off starting all over again, laying a new lawn.
If, however, your neglected garden mainly consists of long grass, it can be renovated through correctly mowing the grass, and treating the lawn with a weed and feed dressing.
Start by cutting the grass down to a hight of 2 inches, using either a mower or a strimmer, and remove all cuttings. Over the next few weeks gradually lower the height of the cut on your mower to about 1 inch.
Apply a weed and feed dressing to the lawn – following the instructions on the box – and be careful not to over dose. The best time to do this is during spring.
Maintaining your lawn
When your lawn is in a good state – continue to look after it regularly – and apply weed and feed dressings as appropriate.
Over summer you may have to water your lawn during periods with little rain. Do this in the morning or at night – as your lawn will not benefit from being watered in the day when the sun is out. If you live in an area where watering bans are in place – don’t worry if your lawn goes yellow and burnt. Grass is a competitive plant, and as soon as the water comes it will be back with a vengeance.
Regularly cut your lawn at a height of approximately 1 inch – and remember to remove all cuttings. Unless you are the lucky owner of a lawnmower with a mulching system – the cuttings will not do your lawn any good – and they are unsightly as well.
In autumn it may be a good idea to apply a dressing of feeding to the lawn, while making repairs to patches where problems has been identified.
