When the skies get lighter and the mornings warmer it’s time to take a look at how your lawn has fared over the winter months.
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What’s the damage?
Frost: Grass
damage isn’t caused by frost itself; it’s the traffic of feet or wheels across
the lawn that damages the grass blades.
Snow: If you have
dense areas of snow where snow has been cleared or you’ve had fun making snow
men, Fusarium or snow mould could appear and cause yellowish brown areas on the
lawn. But one of the most common problems after the snow melting is
water-logging. This causes grass to thin and strips the roots of nutrients, as
the grass struggles, moss and weeds will thrive, so it’s important to tilt the
balance in favour of the grass.
What’s the weather doing?
Check the long-range forecast and be wary of ‘early’ signs of spring. In the UK we can sometimes have a spell of warmer weather before a return to colder frosty mornings again. Make sure the frost is behind us and ground is warming up before starting work on the lawn. Don’t start walking on or mowing the lawn if the ground in wet and soggy, this will damage the grass blades and roots.
Clear the area
Pick up any large pieces of debris such as twigs, branches and pine kernels. Using a blower or blower vac to clear away any leaves and smaller debris from the lawn.
We recommend: Mitox 280BVX Premium Blower/Vac, it’s not only a Which Best Buy, but the vacuum also has a shredding function.
Check the grass height
You may have given your lawn a few trims over the winter months and it’s a manageable height, but if not a few weeks before you plan to scarify, reduce the grass height to 38-40mm. This is best accomplished over a few mows, leaving it 5-7 days between each cut to let the grass recover. Be careful when turning not to gauge the ground and not trimming below 38mm will reduce the risk of scalping the lawn.
We recommend: Mountfield SP535HW Petrol Rotary Self-propelled Lawnmower, it has a front anti-scalp plate, cutting heights of 25-80mm and mulch plug included.
Aerate
Aerating the lawn works by penetrating the ground and creating air pockets in the soil. Water and nutrients struggle to penetrate compacted areas and by aerating, slits are made in the ground letting in moisture, and allowing nutrients and soil organisms reach the grass roots. You can aerate by using spiked shoes, a garden fork or an aerating machine.
We recommend: AL-KO Comfort 38E Combi Care Lawnrake & Lawn Scarifier, this combi tool from AL-KO can kill two birds with one stone with a simple switch of the drum.
Raking or Scarifying
Lawns can be raked and lightly scarified in the springtime. It important to wait until the warmer weather when your grass is starting to grow well before scarifying, it is easy to cause damage and you could be left with an ugly lawn for months. The afternoons offer better conditions as the ground should be drier, but not too dry. If the ground still seems soft it is advised to wait until a drier day and keep the lawn trimmed until the ground conditions are suitable.
If you have lots of lumps and bumps in your lawn a scarifying machine will cause damage, using a rake would be a gentler option instead. Mixing up compost, topsoil and sand and raking or brushing it over the lawn can help fill any minor holes. Add grass seed and keep lightly watered to promote germination.
We recommend: Allett Sandringham 14E Electric Cylinder Lawn mower, this traditional lawnmower from wholly British owned company Allett will give you a truly beautiful striped lawn, additional cartridges are available which turn the versatile mower into a scarifier, aerator and lawn brush.
Mulching
Mulching in the spring can add valuable nitrogen to the grass roots. Mulched clippings need natural organisms to break down the deposits, if pesticides and synthetic fertilisers have been used then the lack of worms and micro-organisms will leave the mulch unprocessed. Avoid clumping as this can smother the grass.
We recommend: Weibang Virtue 46SMP Self-Propelled Mulching Lawnmower, this dedicated mulching mower has a cutting height range of 15 to 76mm and an impressive 5 year warranty.
Luscious looking lawns are usually the result of a lot of hard work in the autumn and spring months, but the work pays off for that bouncy, green garden carpet to BBQ on, play on or just admire from the kitchen window.