subject: How to look after your lawn [print this page] How to look after your lawn How to look after your lawn
Lawns are a great British tradition, or some might even say an obsession, but either way, some of the best examples of them can be found on our shores. One of our greatest advantages when it comes to growing lawns is our weather, which is ideally suited for their needs. But weather alone doesn't make a great lawn, a lot of time and effort has to go into their upkeep. Getting the right fertilizers, carrying out the correct maintenance at the right time of year, mowing heights, theres a lot of things to try and remember! So I'm going to try and provide you with a quick reference point to refer back to if and when you need it.
Cutting Frequency and Height
Generally speaking, lawns should be mowed between the months of March and October, apart from the odd cut just to take of whispy growth. The frequency of which they should be cut depends on the season, during spring and autumn, a fortnightly cut should be sufficient, but during Summer a weekly one is preferable. And always remember, that no matter how tempting it is to drop the height of your lawn quickly, you should never cut more than half the height of the existing grass off, as this is likely to cause shock and stunt growth for the rest of the season. Right then, cutting heights, anything below 1/4 inch is un-advisable and likely to cause damage, 1/2 inch is summer time luxury lawn, 3/4 inch luxury lawn spring/autumn and drought, 1 inch utility lawn summer, 1 1/4 inch utility lawn spring/autumn and drought and anything above an inch and a half is risking coarse grasses swamping finer bladed varieties.
Fertilizers and lawn care processes
The different types of fertilizers you buy can have varying effects, due to different ratios of the three main nutrients they consist of, these being Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potassium. Nitrogen encourages growth, phosphate encourages root production and potassium increases "hardiness". Ideally feed your lawn three times a year, spring, summer and autumn. In spring, your fertilizer should have a high nitrogen content so growth is encouraged early in the season, the same goes for summer, but during autumn you really don't want a lot of growth, so, you need a fertilizer thats high in phosphate and potassium, so as to give your lawn the strength to get through the harsh winter months. A lot of fertilizers also offer a weed and feed function, which is helpful for maintaining the appearance of your lawn and eliminating weeds at the same time.
There are 3 main processes that should be carried out on your lawn throughout the year, these are, spiking, pricking, and scarifying. Spiking involves driving a spiked tool, normally a fork about 3 inches into the soil, this increases air exchange and decreases compaction, and application of top dressing should be applied after this process. Pricking is using a small spiked tool to remove thatch and surface compaction form the top inch of your soil, tools for this purpose can normally be found from online suppliers relatively easily. Scarifying is using a spring rake or a bladed rake known as a scrake to remove thatch and moss from a lawn, all you do is drag it through your lawn and collect what it pulls up. During spring, its time to prick, and summer and autumn its time to spike and scarify.
