Caring for Your Lawn Around the Year
The lawn for most people is the centre of their garden, and the setting for all sorts of family activities and events. Keeping it healthy, attractive and in a fit state requires good management. To help you plan your maintenance through the year, here is our month-by-month guide to lawn care:
March
The start of the lawn care year, and as the temperature starts to rise it’s time to make the first two cuts of the year this month. Set your blades to just take the top of the sward off – close cutting is not recommended now as it could lead to browning or yellowing of the grass.
April
Continue to mow often enough to keep the grass under control.
Apply topdressing if your lawn surface is uneven and needs to be smoothed out.
Scarify your lawn if is more than a year old and has not been scarified in the autumn. Use a metal lawn rake, drawing it firmly across the surface, which will bring up the layer of moss and dead material (known as thatch) at the base of the grass. Doing this will have long-term beneficial effects, although be warned, it can make it look worse for a while after. Wait until Autumn if unsure.
Dig out patches of persistent weeds, or apply a selective weedkiller such as Resolva Lawn once weeds are actively growing. Sow the bare patches with grass seed or a patch fix mix
May
Feed your lawn: If you didn’t use weedkiller in April, then apply Feed, Weed & Moss killer, and treat any ensuing bare patches as above. Otherwise use a liquid lawn feed to make your grass look fresh, green and healthy.
Keep mowing, increasing the frequency as needed.
Overseed your lawn if it is looking thin, using a lawn thickener (seed and feed) – water regularly if there is no rain.
June
Summer mowing. Mow frequently, as much as twice a week if needed – little and often is best.
If Clover has been a problem in previous years, then rake the lawn before mowing, to remove the runners that allow it to spread.
Water the grass if no rainfall, making sure to soak the ground thoroughly as a little sprinkle will do no good.
Hand pull or spot treat weeds.
July
Apply either liquid feed or granular feed & weed.
Continue to mow regularly, raking now and again.
Water as needed if there is no hosepipe ban. During a drought, grass will turn brown and not grow, but when rain returns it will revive.
If the lawn is weed-free, leave clippings on top of the grass to help keep soil moisture in. Otherwise, remove.
August
Mow regularly and water as needed
Fill any cracks in the lawn caused by drought with lawn topdressing.
In prolonged periods of drought, leave the grass longer to retain soil moisture.
September & October
Raise the height at which you are cutting to leave the grass thick and protected from the snow. Reduce the frequency of mowing.
Repair worn patches in the lawn with either turf or a patch repair kit.
Start your autumn lawn maintenance: Scarify (as in April) to remove ‘thatch’, then aerate using a lawn aerator, finally filling in the holes left by the aerator by brushing over with lawn topdressing. This routine can leave your grass in an unappealing state, but it will grow back strongly through the autumn.
If you have worm casts appear on your lawn, then use a stiff brush on them once dry. Do this before you mow.
Treat with an autumn lawn feed and moss killer. This focuses on strengthening the roots in readiness for the winter.November & December
Keep the grass free of leaves and debris by raking regularly.
If the season is still mild and the grass growing, continue to mow as needed.
Trim any evergreen shrubs bordering the lawn to keep them from shadowing.
Avoid walking on the lawn if very wet or frozen.
Clean and oil tools and equipment before storing them away for the winter.
January & February
Remove any remaining leaves. Only do this when the lawn is not frozen or waterlogged, otherwise, keep off it.
In the snow, do not walk/build snowmen on the lawn if possible, as this can lead to snow mould later.
Service your mower and sharpen the blades.
