Lush Green Lawns

Standing barefoot on a beautiful lawn triggers our associations with the sound and smell of nature and visions of dense greenery. So, how do you keep your lawn in first-class condition throughout the summer months?

In many family gardens, the lawn generally occupies the largest area of our outdoor space and maintaining it should be seen as a rewarding experience and past time, rather than a burden.

Throughout the long summer months you should simply focus on mowing, watering and feeding. However, lawn diseases and weeds may also appear.

In terms of weeds, summer is not a good time to apply a general weed killer to the lawn which should ideally be done in the autumn. Keeping the lawn well cut will help to control weeds and larger persistent weeds can be simply dug out.

Although there are a host of potential lawn diseases the most common pests are chafer grubs and leatherjackets which can cause significant damage to your lawn. If you notice patches of poorly growing, yellowing grass, check for signs of grubs feeding on the grass roots. These pests can be easily and safely controlled by applying a suitable nematode based product.

Mowing

As temperatures increase the growth of your lawn may actually start to slow down. Cut twice a week when the grass is growing vigorously ensuring that you never take more than one third of the length of the lawn in any one cut. If temperatures become very hot and there are prolonged dry spells, your lawn may become stressed and you should reduce cutting to once a week. The ideal length for you lawn during the summer period is 30 – 35cm. As always a sharp mower is essential and if your mower doesn’t have a lawn box, rake up the cuttings after mowing.

Watering

Summer is the time when drought can occur and your lawn may turn brown and straw coloured. Where possible, avoidance is better than cure and the only way to prevent drought is to water the lawn. It is normally best to do this when the grass is still green but starting to show signs of stress (little growth and a dulling of the normal bright green coloration). General watering should be done either early morning or in the evening, which probably suits most of us. Please remember to follow any local restrictions when using water in summer.

Feeding

As a rule, you shouldn’t need to feed you lawn during the summer. However, there are a number of products readily available that can be applied directly after cutting the lawn. Also, applying a general plant food via a mixer on your hose will help to keep it green and healthy.