Garden: Features

Keep your lawn in top condition

The lawn is the heart of any garden - where children enjoy playing during the summer and often the gathering point for barbecues. However, all that alfresco entertaining, combined with spells of warm and dry weather, can take its toll on your lawn making the grass thin and patchy.

Keeping your grass lush and green needn’t be a challenge – a mixture of feeding and regular cutting can work wonders to ensure your lawn feels soft between your toes all summer long.

We asked the experts for their top lawn care tips:

Feeding – the facts
Grass is a hungry plant so if it’s not fed, it grows thin and weak and cannot win the battle for space with the weeds and moss, which are often able to survive in poor soil. By feeding your lawn, it makes the grass grow thicker and stronger, taking up the space the weeds would otherwise occupy.

Dan Walford, gardening expert from www.lovethegarden.com, says 'It’s important to remember that watering your lawn is not the same as feeding your lawn. While watering is important to keep a lawn hydrated during warm spells, feeding will provide all the essential nutrients to keep grass looking healthy and lush. Feed regularly and you'll encourage a healthier root-system that will help your lawn survive a hot, dry summer and become more drought resistant.'


Mow your way to the perfect lawn
A major part of achieving a luscious and green lawn is not only feeding, but regular mowing. Mowing your lawn once or even twice a week not only helps to keep grass healthy, but it also helps regrowth to allow the grass become greener and thicker, and gives it a softer texture – perfect for bare feet!

The best time to mow your lawn is when it's dry - not wet or full of dew. Usually the evening is recommended as the ideal time for mowing, as this is when grass is likely to be at its driest, so you will put less strain on your lawn.

Avoid taking too much length off your lawn each time you mow - only aim to take off the top third of the grass, this regular trimming will keep the lawn looking neat and will encourage sustained regrowth of the grass to give you the lush lawn you’re after.

Jim Kirkwood, lawn and gardens tools expert from Worx, suggests opting for a mower with a mulching function is a convenient way to keep your lawn healthy whilst giving it a regular trim, 'To condition your lawn, use a mower with a mulching function – the mulched grass clippings are continually cut in the mower's drum until they are very fine and then fall back into the lawn, enriching it so that it grows back thicker and greener.'


Patchy problems
If you find there are patches on your lawn where the grass has worn thin in high traffic areas, such as around children’s play areas, or if the grass has turned brown in direct sunlight or deep shade, try using a dedicated patching mix to tackle these tough spots. 

We asked Miracle-Gro® for their step-by-step guide to banishing unsightly brown patches on your lawn:

Remove any dead grass from the patchy area and loosen the soil with a wire rake.

Now apply a specialist product, such as Miracle-Gro® Patch Magic™, to the area you’ve prepared.

If it’s a dry day, water thoroughly.

Over time the Patch Magic™ will lighten, letting you know when it needs more water.

In just one week you’ll begin to see grass filling in your patches and in a few weeks time, you’ll have a beautiful, patch-free lawn.


For further information and advice on lawn care visit www.lovethegarden.com