Get your Lawn Ready for Winter

Posted on November 4, 2016 in Gardening

A straggly patch of grass or a poorly-maintained lawn are not only eyes sores but are often building up problems for later; such as large pools of water, moss and fungi.

We also advise our clients to tackle their lawns now, in autumn, so that they are fighting-fit for winter and then in a good condition to grow again over spring.

Here’s how:

First, mow the lawn. Then rake out any moss and weeds.

Then mow the lawn again – this time at right angles to how you did it last time (as if you were trying to make a grid). This ensures that you cut off all the creeping grasses and weeds that have been raised by raking.

Top tip: Use a traditional lawn rake, or for larger areas we recommend a powered lawn rake, to make easier work of it.

Next, aerate your lawn by spiking it all over. Use either a garden fork, pushing it down about 8 to 10 centimetres (cm) into the surface of the lawn, or an aerator which is designed for this task. This helps to alleviate areas of compacted soil and improves drainage before the heavy autumnal rainfall arrives.

Finish, by feeding the grass with a good autumn formula lawn feed.

Top tip: Be sure to buy the right feed for the time of year – any leftover spring lawn feed isn’t suitable and may do more harm than good.