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Welcome to our news feed. Soon we will be updating with information on our latest work and maybe a few garden maintenance tips as well. If you have any questions, please comment below.
How to Maintain your Garden Lawn between February and April
Maintaining your law in February depends mostly on the weather conditions. Only if the weather is mild the lawn care season will begin.
You may start to notice the appearance of worm casts in your garden. If this is the case then the garden needs to be scattered using a besom when the lawn is dry.
Worm casts
DO NOT be tempted to start to mow your lawns before March. However, providing the weather is good turfing is possible and sowing seeds. If sowing seeds, then soil preparation needs to be started at the end of February.
March is when the lawn care work really starts, as soon as you notice the grass starting to grow and weather conditions are in your favour, you should start to rake the lawn to remove any debris, leaves and surface rubbish that may still be on your lawn. DO NOT rake too hard as you may damage the grass.
If you have had heavy frosts during the winter now is a good time to settle the turf by rolling it with a light roller. A useful idea is to use your lawn mower if fitted with a roller, raise the cutting head high and use this.
When cutting your lawn for the first time of the year, you should aim at only cutting your grass at the top, cutting the grass too short at this time will cause the grass to have a severe yellowing colour.
For the month of March you only need to cut your grass twice, and this will be more than enough.
Also, in this month, you should keep your eyes open looking for early signs of lawn disease, apply moss killer if needed.
You may also consider, neaten up your lawn edges to make sure you have a neat and tidy looking lawn.
Any broken edges can be repaired at this time.
You can start your feeding and weeding of the lawn at the end of April, but only if the grass and weeds are actively growing. Ensure that you follow the guidelines on the feed and weed products, to ensure you are not carrying out any unnecessary treatment of your lawn.
If you are using lawn sand you must make sure you spread it evenly over your lawn, make sure that you rake up the dead moss a fortnight later.
You can mow often enough to stop the grass from growing too long, but do not cut the grass to low, setting your mower to cut at a height of between 1” to 1.5”, depending on the type of lawn that you have.
If you are replacing patches of coarse grass then fill the holes with sifted soil and either grass seed or re-turf, if re-turfing ensure your new turf is properly checked.
How to Fix Brown Patches on My Lawn
Brown patches are common. Here are a list of symptoms, causes and remedies. Should you need any help to make your lawn green all over, then you should call in the experts (TBG’s of course!).
Symptom: Dead patches that appear on ‘high spots’ on uneven lawns after mowing
Cause: This is known as ‘scalping’ of the turf by the lawn mower
Remedy: Raise the mowing height. See our advice on lawns: repairing for more on dealing with this problem
Symptom: Irregular brown patches on new lawns
Cause: Buried builders’ waste or rubble. Soil compacted by machinery
Remedy: Remove the material or remedy soil compaction before over-seeding, re-seeding or re-laying the lawn
Symptom: Circular patches with bright green margins on lawns to which dogs have access
Cause: Female dogs’ urine in particular can damage grass
Remedy: Water affected areas immediately. Consult your vet before feeding your dog any of the products that are claimed to prevent damage
Symptom: Dead or discoloured patches that spread rapidly, often during moist weather
Cause: Lawn diseases mainly strike in moist weather, particularly in late summer, autumn or winter.
Remedy: See our individual advice pages on lawn diseases below to find out more information.
Symptom: Regular brown stripes or patches appearing after feeding the lawn
Cause: Overdoses of fertiliser
Remedy: Carefully calibrate equipment before use. Also take care to deliver the correct dose evenly. Ideally, spread fertiliser before rain, or else water the lawn just after feeding. Controlled release lawn fertilisers may be less likely to cause scorch
Symptom: Irregular random patches that appear after mowing
Cause: Spilt petrol and oil can kill grass
Remedy: Avoid topping up fuel and oil levels on the lawn and be careful not to overfill fuel tanks or exceed recommended oil levels. See our advice in lawns: repairing for information on repairing the dead patches
Symptom: Regular stripes or patches that appear after applying weedkiller or moss killer
Cause: Overdose by lawn weedkiller or moss controls. Path and contact weedkillers can be carried onto the lawn on footwear and appear as footprint-sized dead patches
Remedy: Carefully calibrate equipment before use. Also take care to deliver the correct dose evenly. If walking on the grass after spraying is unavoidable, carry two carrier bags with you to place over your shoes
Symptom: Irregular brown patches during dry weather, where tree roots run under the lawn, or in sandy areas
Cause: Lack of soil moisture
Remedy: See our advice on lawns: care during drought for further information
Symptom: Dead patches spreading rapidly, often associated with birds pecking the surface
Cause: This suggests that insects are feeding on the grass roots
Remedy: Leatherjackets and chafer grubs are the most likely culprits.