Turf & Lawn Blog

If you’re not careful, your lawn may be invaded by weeds, including coarse grasses, clovers, and daisies. If you can clearly distinguish different types of grass in your lawn turf, you probably have coarse grasses present. Your lawn may have patches of grass that grow at different rates, or perhaps have a ‘peppered’ look, which means annual meadow grass is present. These grasses may have arrived as seeds spread by birds, or perhaps in unsterilized topsoil used for top dressing. They can easily take over during winter, when lawn turf tends to stop growing, but these coarse grasses continue. What...

How should you care for your lawn as autumn approaches? September is the best time to treat your lawn for all kinds of problems. Follow this easy how-to guide, and your lawn turf will be set up for spring next year!  1. Stop feeding Yes, really. It’s time to stop applying summer fertiliser to your lawn now. Any more nitrogen-rich feeding will encourage soft growth that will be prone to infections as well as frost damage. 2. Scarifying Scarifying means raking your lawn, either with a lawn rake, or an electric scarifier. This will remove the thatch, the under-layer of...

This is a simple name for a complex problem. Dry patch describes a condition where the soil in your lawn becomes water-repellent in patches (or hydrophobic), causing patches of brown, dead grass. No matter how much you water, or it rains, the ground in the patches remains absolutely dry. The causes are complex and not well understood, although one contributing factor is thought to be fungi coating the soil particles with water-repellent chemicals. Although not generally pathogenic and damaging to the plants themselves, they can nevertheless cause a major problem to the lawn as a whole. How will you know...

The previous article on lawn problems mentioned that patches can often be caused by lawn diseases. One of the most common is the fungus red thread ( Laetisaria fuciformis ) , which generally develops in late summer or autumn, especially when the weather is wet.  Red thread usually develops on grass that is badly aerated and low in nitrogen. Even if you regularly apply nitrogen, heavy or prolonged rain may wash it away. The patches caused by this fungus often appear reddish at first, although they will later turn to lighter brown or look bleached. The patches are usually between...

Brown, dead patches can appear in any lawn, and are a very common problem. Fortunately, it’s usually possible to identify and treat the cause, and therefore cure it. There are a number of causes of dead patches. First, when did your patches appear? If after mowing, they may be due to spilt oil or petrol, which can kill lawns. Avoid topping up your petrol or oil on the lawn, and do not overfill tanks. Alternatively, if you have a few high spots, they may be getting ‘scalped’ by the lawnmower, and you may need to raise the height of the...

Why do problems occur in lawns, and what can you do about it? In this series of articles, we plan to provide information about common problems, what causes them, and what you can do to prevent or cure them. The first in the series is about moss, lichens and algae. Lichens, algae and liverworts can appear in lawns in shady patches, especially if the drainage is poor, as they like the cool, damp conditions. Compacted soil seems to be especially prone to growth, so the drip line of trees can be a problem area. What can you do about it?...

After the recent hot, dry weather, many of us are currently staring in dismay at a poor dried out brown area that used to be a beautiful lawn. But surely now is not the time to embark on extensive repair? What about if it’s dry throughout August too? So what can we do to keep the lawn going for the rest of the summer? First of all, and most importantly, don’t stop mowing! Yes, we know that the lawn is very short and seems to be suffering. But do keep mowing, albeit with the blades set a little bit higher...

If your lawn has suffered over the summer, and has some bare patches, maybe under a tree, or where the children have been playing, you will need to repair them. But what is the best way, seed or turf? Apparently some people reseed their whole lawn every year. And certainly doing so could avoid a range of problems, including different coloured patches. It also re-establishes your original mix, and prevents the coarser grasses out-competing the finer ones and taking over. But even if you don’t really want to bother with that, and just want to repair one patch, then seeding...

New turf is in some ways comparable to a new pet or a new family member. It needs a lot of TLC in the early days and must be maintained to make sure it lasts a long time. You’ll be relieved to know you don’t need to change its nappy or litter tray, but if it is not cared for and nurtured, it will die.  Many of the people who lay new turf and then go on to care for it incorrectly or not at all often blame the turf company, but the turf company didn’t kill it! Here are...

The unsightly and frustrating weed that reeks havoc in many of our British lawns, moss, for it's simple structure is a force to be reckoned with. Moss can be chemically treated by moss killers which can be found at your local garden centre.  However on many occasions the moss or Bryophyta family can be found growing again.  The reasoning behind this is that moss can be caused by a number of factors which should be taken into account when first thinking about the treatment of your lawn: Has there been any water logging in either Summer or Winter? Is the soil...

The secret to a lush, green, healthy lawn is of course to apply regular water, feed or fertiliser, sun and regular mowing.  Mowing should be done at the right time, in the correct way to achieve the best results. Grass is a living plant and like other plants, cutting off the growing points encourages growth from the base of the plant resulting in a more tightly woven, thicker and stronger foliage. Cutting grass regularly multiplies the existing grass plants.  If you didn't mow your lawn at all it would be sparse and quite frankly ugly. The keys fact's you need...

January to March These three months are quiet times in the gardening calender and indeed when it comes to caring for your lawn. The thing you can be doing is clearing your lawn of leaves.  A thick layer of rotting, damp leaves can potentially discolour and repress grass.  If the lawn becomes frozen or waterlogged try and avoid walking over it.  It is also a good time to check your lawn mower and maybe think about popping it in for a service. March If the weather permits you can make your first cut.  Remember to set your mower blades high,...

Ever wondered about those small circles of mushrooms or dark circles on your lawn? Wonder no more; all is explained in my blog about this mysterious fungi. Mainly found in established lawns the Fairy Rings are caused by solid borne fungi that naturally occur in the soil underneath a lawns suffice. There are 3 common types in the UK. Where has it come from? Over 60 species of Fungi have been know to be the culprits of creating these curious yet magical circles. The old wives tale of trying to dig the ring out just would not work as it...

Although summer is our favourite time of year in the garden, it can be the toughest time for your beloved lawn. Hot dry weather will stress grass, especially mowed lawn grass and the increased use of the garden will cause even more wear and tear. So what should you do to help maintain and improve your lawn through this the busiest time in the garden? Give your lawn a drink Water during the cooler times of day (i.e early morning or eveneings) when the water is more likely to soak into the soil rather than evaporating in the heat of...

A Guide to Looking After Your Established Lawn Remember existing lawns do not need to be watered (unlike newly laid turf ), even if the grass goes brown it will come grow back and go back to being green and lush.  Grass is extremely resilient and will recover when the rain eventually falls. Increase your mowing height to 35-40mm which creates deeper roots which are able to reach deeper moisture and also will create shade from higher temperatures.  Keep mower blades sharpened so as not to bruise grass. Use a watering can to water your lawn. Capture water from roofs...