Moss and weeds are two of the most common problems gardeners face with their lawns during the spring and summer months.
Alongside these issues, lawns will require some TLC to rejuvenate them, and Stuart Staples, head of technical at Westland Horticulture, has provided some handy tips.
The lawn expert has outlined a few simple tasks to carry out in the next few weeks to help your lawn bounce back and get it “thriving ahead of summer”.
With the arrival of warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours, grass will start growing more rapidly. For the first few cuts of the season, set your lawn mower to the highest setting to remove no more than the top third of the grass.
This allows it to recover for a few days before cutting on a lower setting. If the lawn is particularly wet or frosty, avoid mowing altogether.
Moss can often overrun lawns during the winter, thriving in excessive moisture, low light levels and compacted soil, all of which also lead to poor grass growth. Spring is the “best time” to combat moss before it spreads any further, reports the Express.
To treat it, Stuart suggests using a moss killer before scarifying, otherwise, you risk spreading the moss through its spores during scarification. Moss is “much easier to remove” after being treated with a moss killer, according to Stuart.
He suggests using Westland’s All In One lawn feed, weed and moss killer, which is priced £15 at Wickes and £14 at Homebase. The expert asserts that this product not only eliminates moss and weeds from your lawn, but “it also feeds your lawn too, creating a healthier, stronger lawn, in just seven days”.
Compacted soil can make it difficult for rainwater to drain, especially in heavily used areas. If you’re dealing with puddles on your lawn, then aeration is the solution.
Aeration in spring allows oxygen, water and nutrients to reach the roots of your grass, promoting “healthy growth and improved drainage”.
Aeration involves creating small holes in the soil beneath your lawn, and “you can use a tool for this to make it an easier task”, the expert advised. He recommended the Kent and Stowe Lawn Aerator, which has four hollow tines to remove a plug of soil.
A great alternative that works the same way and retails for less is the hollow tine lawn aerator from Crocus that’s currently on sale for £20.24.
After removing weeds and moss, you may be left with bare patches. To ensure a thick carpet of strong grass for summer, now is the time to overseed.
Overseeding your lawn is a simple weekend task, use a rake to scarify and break up the surface of the soil to a finer consistency. Stuart advises gardeners to first apply a layer of Gro-Sure Lawn Seeding Soil, which boosts germination rates by 25 per cent, before sprinkling the grass seed and gently raking it in.
With proper conditions, the grass should “sprout within a week or two”, but be sure to keep the soil consistently moist.
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