about gardens
Ease into early spring by giving your lawn its first mow with the lawnmower on a high setting so that just cut the tips off the blades. This will encourage early growth whilst still protecting the roots from any surprise frosts. It also allows you to check the condition of your lawn and to tackle some of these common issues: Weeds: Grab a trowel and dig out larger weeds such as dandelion, docks, greater plantain and thistles, making sure you get all of the roots and runners. If you have a severe infestation, then spot use of a weedkiller is recommended, or, if you are after a natural remedy, apple cider vinegar mixed with water does the trick. Moss: Too much moss can make your lawn feel wet and spongy. Apply a reputable moss killer to
the worse effected patches and then wait until the moss has died back and blackened. Now you can rake it out by hand, or, if you have a widespread problem hire an automated scarifier. Bare patches: Scarifying can leave bare patches, as can a well-walked path during the wetter winter months. The best solution is to overseed these, making sure you choose the correct grass seed for your garden. Simply scuff up the surface with a rake, scatter over the seed and water regularly. Continue to mow on a high setting, straighten your edges and push in some wildflower plugs under trees or in a sheltered corner so you can delight in small patches of colour that will also encourage pollinators to visit your home turf. 59