Autumn love and care for
your lawn The next few weeks are a great time to give your lawn a pick-me-up to ensure that it is in the best possible shape to survive the winter
Feed
Scarify
Autumn is a critical time for looking after your lawn. The recent rain has meant that lawns are still growing so it’s an ideal time to give them a pick-me-up to revitalise them and to ensure they are fit enough to get through winter. Whatever the weather the chance are your lawn has weeds, damaged areas caused by everything from over wear to moles and needs some help.
with drainage, resulting in the spread of moss or water lying in puddles on the surface. Improve by plunging a garden fork into the lawn as far as it will go and repeat at 10cm intervals. Fill the air channels with a ready mixed sandy top dressing bought from the garden centre, working it into the holes with a broom.
REMOVING MOSS
To finish off, perk up tired lawns by giving them a feed. Use an autumn lawn fertiliser, which is high in phosphates and potash. This will help strong roots to develop, which will produce healthy leaves and able to cope with whatever winter throws at it. Grass leaves may grow much more slowly as the weather turns cooler but the grass roots and rhizomes continue to grow quickly. Rhizomes are the horizontal plant stems that lie just beneath the soil’s surface; they produce the blades of grass above and the roots below. Fertiliser now delivers essential nutrients for the grass to grow deep roots. Do not be tempted to use a spring feed instead - this is high in nitrogen and will result in soft, sappy growth that is easily damaged by cold weather.
If your lawn is spongy then it is likely you have a problem with moss. This plant will quickly spread in damp or shaded areas and will overwhelm grass so it needs tackling to keep in check. Remove from the lawn by spreading granules or soaking the problem area with a liquid moss killer applied from a watering can and leave until it turns black (usually within two weeks). The dead moss can be removed by raking vigorously with a spring tined garden rake. Large bare patches of soil that are left behind after the moss has been removed should be resown with lawn seed. Although moss killer works quickly, it is a short-term fix and it pays to tackle the causes of moss. To do this, remove overhanging branches that shade the lawn or allow more light through by raising the canopy of trees. If the lawn suffers from compaction or poor drainage it will need aerating.
FEEDING
DEALING WITH CLAY SOILS If gardening on heavy clay or if standing water is a problem, consider hollow tining the lawn every three to four years. This extracts plugs of soil from the lawn. Sweep up the plugs, then rake a top-dressing into the holes.
REMOVING THATCH Grass clippings, moss, weeds and other debris can form a thick mat above the surface of the soil. Known as thatch, this material prevents the lawn from breathing properly, stops rain from penetrating effectively and encourages lawn diseases to prosper. To remove from the soil, scratch the surface vigorously with a spring tined rake, working your way across the lawn. When scarifying a smaller area, use a spring-tined rake. Avoid scarifying too deeply, which can damage the turf. Add the material that is removed to your compost heap. After raking (also known as scarifying) grasses will respond by producing more side shoots. Large lawns can be tackled with a powered raking machine, available from machinery hire stores.
IMPROVE DRAINAGE Lawns that have been subjected to heavy traffic over the summer could be compacted, which will lead to problems 22
DO’S AND DON’TS THIS AUTUMN ON YOUR LAWN • Do make sure you cover all the lawn with autumn feed and don’t miss out patches. • Do be diligent on removing all the leaves – they will leave a worn patch otherwise. • Do aerate your lawn thoroughly helping to get fresh oxygen to the roots and stop compacting. • Don’t be tempted to use a spring feed in autumn – it will damage your lawn. • Don’t be tempted to cut your lawn too severely leaving little time for growth. • Don’t scarify too deeply and damage the roots.
Country Gardener