Love Your Lawn – Your Guide to Spring Lawn Care
As warmer weather approaches, the country turns its attention to outdoor living, and lush green lawns become a key summer focus. The lawn is the centrepiece of all gardens and is home to children’s playgrounds and sports. It’s also home to pets, sunbathers, and barbecue enthusiasts.
After a very dry summer with drought conditions and a wet winter, lawns are susceptible to weeds and moss and may be patchy following the unpredictable UK weather.
Never fear……British Garden Centres are here! To get a great-looking lawn this summer, we recommend you carry out the following simple steps this spring.
How and when to mow your lawn
Lawn mowing plays a big role in its appearance and maintenance. We recommend that your lawn should be mowed every seven days. Your local British Garden Centres store has a fantastic collection of lawnmowers and strimmers that will do the job well in as little time as possible.
The mower’s recommended height of cut for ideal lawn mowing is 1 to 2 inches. Mowing at the proper height encourages lower weed leaves to grow into thicker, stronger plants, providing even coverage.
Make sure the cutting blade is not sharp or dull. This puts a lot of stress on the lawn and can strip the grass and leave patchy gaps, creating the perfect environment for weeds to grow and thrive. The UK weather can be unpredictable so we advise watering your lawn be done 2-3 times a week. Leaving the cut grass on the lawn after mowing keeps moisture where you need it most.
What is the best way to get rid of grass clippings? Turn them into home compost! We have compost bins and activators in store that will turn your grass clippings into some easy, organic, and completely free fertiliser for your garden plants.
Aeration
The wet, winter weather may have caused your lawn to become waterlogged due to heavy footfall over the previous year. The soil can become compacted, causing drainage issues, weeds, and moss growth. You can solve this problem by aerating your lawn, which involves poking small holes through the soil with a garden fork to allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots. Spike ground with a hollow tine fork, a normal fork can be used, up to a depth of 15cm (6in) to de-compact the soil.
How to remove weeds and moss
Spring is one of the busiest seasons for lawn care and a vital time to keep on top of moss and weeds. It’s important that these are removed from your lawn as they compete with the healthy grass for vital nutrients and soil moisture, which are vital in the hotter weather to prevent the shallow roots suffer lasting damage.
The ideal way to remove weeds and moss from your lawn is to use a triple-action fertiliser such as Westland Aftercut All in One Lawn Feed, Weed, and Moss Killer. It kills moss, twelve different types of weeds, and their roots, and it also rapidly greens the grass in just 7 days. After 3 days, the moss will blacken and can be removed with a lawn scarifying rake. The patches can then be reseeded to avoid them being overgrown by moss again. Miracle-Gro Patch Magic contains magic coir, a unique, super-absorbent growing material that allows it to absorb eight times its weight in water and to expand four times its volume, protecting grass seeds from drying out.
Localised weeds in your lawn can be tackled with Weedol which is ready to use and child and pet-safe once dry. Alternatively, smaller weeds can be removed by hand or by using a weeding tool like a daisy grubber.
When to feed your lawn
Spring and Summer will see the busiest footfall in your garden so your lawn will experience daily wear and tear. It is important to feed and condition your lawn to ensure it stays green and healthy during this time. Evergreen 4-in-1 is a lawn feed that controls moss and kills weeds such as dandelions, white clovers and moss, all the while giving your lawn the nutrients it needs to become greener and thicker in just a week.
Westland Ultra Green has added Iron and Magnesium to improve lawn health and colour and moss prevention. It feeds all parts of the plant without a surge in growth and promotes tillering for a stronger, thicker lawn.
Love your lawn
Now you have the lawn of your dreams, how can you make the most of your garden and make it the focal point of your home?
Lawn edging will give your outdoor space a polished finish, as well as define borders and is an inexpensive way to elevate your lawn. Your local store has a vast array in stock made from different materials, depending on the style of your garden.
A wildflower meadow will create a buzz in your lawn, and are rich in pollen and nectar, will attract beneficial insects and bees to gardens.
If you want to accessorise your lawn how about a birdbath to bring our favourite feathered friends to your garden? We have a great collection of bird baths that provides both a functional and decorative area to drink and bathe and make your lawn the main attraction for avian visitors.
By following our top tips, you will achieve the perfect garden lawn all year round.
