During the dark and miserable months of Winter your lawn will have probably have become unkempt and look a little bit of a mess. Having a fine looking lawn can be something that fills you with great pride, but if yours is looking a little lacklustre compared to the end of last season then fear not......
eSpares are here to give you some simple - yet valuable - tips on how to get your garden looking back to its best ready for barbecue season.
Step 1 - The First Cut!
When Spring rolls around you’ll want to inspect your mower, and you should start by turning the machine over and directing your attention to the blade. If it has not changed since the final cut of last season, it may have become blunt and perhaps even rusted - which will affect the cutting performance it provides you.
When performing the first cut of the season there are a couple of things to remember:
- Replace the old blunt blade - as cutting with a worn blade can lead to your grass being pulled by its roots which will leave bare patches.
- Perform your cut at the highest setting, as you only want to ‘top’ the grass at this stage.
Depending on your mower, changing the height can be done by either removing the spacers under the blade - like on most models such as Flymo. Alternatively you might need to change the adjusting screws, like on a cylinder mower such as a Qualcast.
Step 2 - Clear the Lawn
Before you begin cutting the lawn, regardless of it being the first or final cut of the season, always remove any debris. Fallen leaves, twigs and mess from unexpected visitors in your garden could be on your lawn.
A large lawn may require you to invest in - or borrow - a garden vacuum, as this will easily make clearing your lawn a far quicker task.
eSpares Top Tip: Once you have begun cutting the lawn you will want to cut regularly, never wait till it begins to overgrow as this can put unnecessary strain on your mower. Also with each cut, ensure you change the direction in which you are moqing, as this will help keep the grass from leaning in one direction.
Step 3 - Weed and Moss
When left over the Winter months moss and weeds can begin to grow and take over your garden, and so to help remove any of these intruders from your garden we recommend using a trusted weed killer. A good weed killer not only kills off moss and keeps the weeds at bay, but the added nitrogen also boosts the growth of the grass.
A few things to note when using a weed killer though.....
- Before using weed killer give it a couple of days until you mow the lawn.
- The moss will go black as it dies, using a spring-tined rake you can remove the dead moss.
- Re-apply once every six weeks throughout the growing season.
Some come with a simple to use applicator, and allows you to walk up and down the lawn and evenly spreads the fertilizer.
Step 4 - Aerating the lawn
If your lawn is a little compacted; then there will be very little air flow into the soil and reduced water absorption, which, of course is not good for your lawn!
Using a garden fork, you can methodically work your way across your garden, piercing the ground, allowing air to reach the soil which will help your grass to grow more lush. Depending on the size of your garden this task could be easy or hard. For large gardens we do recommend buying or hiring an aeration tool - you will find that this will really help get the job done quickly.
So there you have it - some great simple tips to follow on how to help get your lawn growing efficiently. Just keep in mind that after a once over, your lawn won’t instantly look like the 18th green at St Andrews - but it’s a start at least, and with ongoing passion and determination on your part, your garden will soon become a garden to be proud of!
For more information on when best to mow, rake, re-seed your lawn see our helpful lawn car calendar article.
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