My Gardening Blog

If your lawn is not looking as green as you wish it might be time to consider some different lawn treatments including herbicide spraying and ensuring that you apply fertilizer regularly.

Lawn Fertilizer

We don’t recommend using fertilizer that has an excessive level of nitrogen as this may cause the grass growing faster but with a poor root structure. A better fertilizer will have the correct ratio between potassium,phosphorus and nitrogen and promote the grass to grow strong, long roots. Organic lawn fertilizers slowly release nutrients into the soil, don’t result in over application which leads to brown spots and gives continuing release of all the essential nutrients which is a great deal healthier for your lawn.

It isn’t a good idea to use weed control chemicals at random all over the lawn as this merely adds chemicals to the environment and is pointless. Buy a weed killer that is labeled as safe to use on lawns and use it as a spot weed killer only. Use a pump spray and aim for the weeds, not spraying around all over the lawn. In March or April it is an excellent to apply insect and fungus control products.

Grub worms (the larvae of June bugs) might be a nuisance in some areas and may cause brown spots to appear on your lawn. They can be dealt with easily by using a granular insecticide that is applied to the lawn and watered in. They can be prevented by using insecticide earlier on in the year.

A green and healthy lawn will be able to endure infestations of bugs a good deal better than a thin, unhealthy lawn! Keep to these lawn tips for a healthy lawn you are proud of.

During the cold weather you need to make sure that there is no young growth on your grass as this may cause it to be likely to succumb to pests and diseases. To do this gradually, lower the cutting height of your lawnmower until you are just about shaving the grass. Undertake this in steps over a few weeks as you do not want to abruptly take off all the tissue or cause more damage to the turf. You do not want to let the grass grow longer than 2 inches during the winter.

Apply fertiliser to your grass at the end of fall. Even though it will not be used by the grass during the slow growth of the cold weather it will be reserved in the roots and will be instantly available for use by the lawn in the Spring when new growth starts again. If you have brown areas reseed them at this time. In the colder weather the seeds will germinate.

Remove any trash from the lawn before the first snowfall. This includes leaves, logs, equipment, pots etc. If left on the lawn when it starts to snow these could smother the grass underneath the covering of snow and cause damage which can make the grass more likely to succumb to pets and diseases. During the cold season, even though the grass will grow more slowly weeds will thrive so you need to regularly pull out weeds to keep them from damaging the lawn.

As well you need to water the lawn during the winter, although not as much as you would in the warmer weather. For most grass species watering every week should be plenty. Some species, such as rye grass, Kentucky Bluegrass and tall Fescue grow quickly in the winter and will need fertilising and watering during this season.

If you use a watering system remove all the water to avoidharm in icy weather. You don’t want to use it the following Spring only to find the pipes are damaged and full of holes.

With some care your lawn will survive the winter in excellent shape and be green and healthy with new growth in the Spring.  Winter lawn care is not difficult if you stick to our guidelines. You’ll find more information on lawn care and lawn mowers at lawn mower reviews.

When you are preparing a new lawn you will have to choose between lawn seed or using turf. making use of lawn seed is a lot more economical than turf and has the advantage that you have a greater selection of different kinds of lawn seed to choose from. The best time to sow the seed is in the early Fall or Spring as you require damp and fairly warm conditions. The summer isn’t a good time to begin your lawn as you will need to water often and the hot conditions are not best for the new seedlings to grow.

Different sorts of grasses mature at different rates so how long it takes for your new lawn to be sturdy enough to walk on will depend on the type and the mixture of grass seed that you use. You will also have to to consider what kind of grass seed you need. There are specialized shade grass seed for spots that don’t get a lot of sunshine, sunny grass seed for regions that do! An exceptionally popular brand is Scotts grass seed.

Prepare The Area

In advance of seeding the lawn you must prepare the area correctly. The spot you have chosen must be dug thoroughly and the stones taken out and big clods of earth broken up. Rake the section and compress gently with your heels. The surface can then be scraped lightly to make grooves for the seeds.

How to Seed the Lawn

There are two ways used for seeding a lawn, by hand and by means of a seeding machine. To seed with a machine, weigh out the amount of seed mixture needed for the area then put half into the machine and apply by working up and down the area in strips. When you reach end of every strip, to prevent over-seeding, you could use plastic to cover the ground or shut the delivery holes in the machine. You could use sticks placed in the ground or string to steer you. Now place the rest of the seeds in the machine and, operating at right angles to the first rows, finish off seeding the lawn.

If you are hand seeding the lawn it’s best to divide the area into segments of a meter square by means of string and canes. Gauge the amount of lawn seed you need for each segment, weight this out and place in a small pot. Mark about how much this is so that you won’t have to repeat the weighing each time. Uniformly seed the first segment, setting the seeds in each directions to make sure that they are applied evenly. Now refill the container to about the same level as before and sow the next segment. Go on until the whole lawn area is finished.

Once the entire area has been finished rake over gently and water thoroughly.Over~the following seven days to fourteen days make certain you water on a regular basis if it doesn’t rain. The seedlings should start to come through during this time.

Mowing Your Newly Seeded Lawn

When the grass seedlings are around 4 cm high you can mow the grass for the first time preferably with a rotary mower. Carefully collect lawn clippings or use a rake and be cautious not to disturb the new seedlings.