The days are rapidly drawing in, the leaves are falling, and I’m relieved to observe that my lawn is no longer turning into a hay meadow the moment I turn my back. In fact, relative to when we first moved in five years ago, our lawn is looking much healthier. This is entirely due to the fact that a couple of years ago, we removed a number of self-seeded trees from the boundary so the lawn now enjoys more light. I have never given my own lawn any good TLC, so it must be time to practise what I preach. Here are the main steps:
1. Scarify to remove moss and thatch
Use a spring-tined rake to scarify the lawn. The aim of this is to rake hard, to remove any moss and layers of dead grass (thatch) that may have accumulated in the lawn over time. If left for too many years, the thatch can impact on air circulation and drainage, promoting moss and weed growth, instead of grass.
The lawn will look an alarming mess after scarifying, but don’t panic; this is completely normal and it will soon recover.
2. Aerate to encourage root growth
Lawns become compacted over time, from frequent mowing, footfall, kids playing and garden toys and furniture. As with all plants, grass roots depend on good air circulation to facilitate the uptake of water and nutrients, so soil compaction can severely limit healthy lawn growth.
To reduce compression, you can aerate by driving in a garden fork over the whole lawn, or use a hollow-tined lawn aerator. I think this is a better option than the fork as it removes plugs of soil, rather than potentially exacerbating the compaction in the soil surrounding the solid tines of the garden fork.
3. Prepare and apply a top-dressing mix
Mix a top-dressing, using garden compost and sharp sand. The proportions will depend on your soil type, but for my heavy clay, I will use a 1:1 ratio of garden compost to sharp sand. For lighter soils, use less sand. Spread the top-dressing over the lawn and use a stiff broom to brush it into the holes created during the aeration process.
4. Apply an autumn lawn feed and reseed any bare patches
In autumn, your lawn needs a fertiliser that is high in potassium to promote strong root growth, but low in nitrogen. Excess nitrogen would encourage a flush of new, soft growth that would be less likely to withstand winter conditions. Look out for lawn-feeds sold specifically for autumn use, for this reason.
Read and follow the instructions on the packet for applying the fertiliser; over-application can damage the lawn.
Reseed any bare patches; after raking out the thatch on the are to be reseeded roughen up the soil surface and then level it to a fine tilth using a rake. Mix your grass seed in a bucket with an equal volume of sieved compost. Spread it over the bare patch and tamp it down with the back of a rake. Cover the newly-sown patch with polythene, pegged at the corners, to encourage germination and prevent the birds eating the seeds. Once the grass seed has started to germinate, remove the polythene.
All you have to do now is look forward to a marvellously healthy green lawn in spring.