Why Winter Lawn Treatments are Essential

Winter lawncare is often overlooked, but it is crucial in ensuring the health and longevity of your lawn. Winter lawn treatments not only protect your grass from the harsh cold weather but also prepare it for a lush and healthy growth in the spring. In this article, we look at the importance of winter lawn care, the steps you can take to protect your lawn during winter weather and the best practices for maintaining a healthy lawn throughout the winter months.

Winter lawncare is essential to maintain the health and beauty of your lawn throughout the year. The harsh cold weather and frost can be detrimental to your grass if proper measures are not taken to protect it. Neglecting your lawn in the winter can lead to damage of the grass plant, discoloration of the leaf, and in extreme situations even death of the grass, leaving bare areas for moss or weeds to establish.

Winter weather can cause a variety of damage to lawns if they are not properly protected. Cold temperatures and frost can cause grass blades to freeze and become brittle. Walking on the lawn whilst frozen can leading to bruising of the leaf and discoloration. Worst still, bruised leaves are more susceptible to diseases such as snow mould. Snow mould, a fungal disease, can also develop when snow or heavy frost lies on the lawn for extended periods of time. This blocks air circulation and provides ideal conditions for this fungal disease to attack the grass plants.

Prepare your lawn for winter

Proper autumn maintenance will help protect your lawn from damage. One of the first things to do is to remove any fallen leaves and moss from your lawn. These can trap moisture, block out light, and lead to the development of fungal diseases that kill the grass. Fertilising in the autumn will help to strengthen the grass and make it more resilient to cold temperatures and the rigours of darker, wetter days. Aerating the soil will also help to relieve compaction, reduce waterlogging, and ensure that water and oxygen can reach the roots of the grass.

Proper winter lawn maintenance not only protects the lawn from damage caused by winter weather, but it also promotes healthy growth in the spring. A well-cared-for lawn in the winter will be better equipped to bounce back in the spring and recover more quickly from any damage that may have occurred due to poor weather. By taking the necessary steps to protect your lawn in the winter, you can ensure that it will be lush, green, and healthy when the weather improves and you want to get outside and enjoy your garden. Lush, thick grass also has less issues with moss and weeds as there are fewer bare areas for these troublesome plants to establish themselves. Aerating your lawn can also help to protect it from winter damage. Aeration involves making small holes in the soil and cracks beneath the surface, which allows water, oxygen, and fertiliser to reach the roots of the grass. This can help to prevent compaction and ensure that your lawn stays healthy during the winter. It also aids root development which promotes heathier grass plants that are more drought tolerant.

It's important to address any existing problems with your lawn before winter and again once winter has passed. If you have any bare spots or areas of thin grass, you should reseed those areas. This will help to protect your lawn from further damage and ensure that it is healthy and strong when spring arrives.

The Importance of Moss Control

Moss is a common problem in lawns, especially during the winter months. Moss not only makes your lawn look unsightly, but it can also choke out the grass, making it difficult for it to grow. Moss thrives in damp, shady areas of the lawn, and if left untreated, it can quickly take over.

One of the most effective ways to control moss in your lawn is by using moss control treatments. Iron is a natural moss killer, and when applied to the lawn, it will help to dehydrate the moss and prevent it from becoming dominant. Iron also helps to harden the grass, making it more resistant to disease attack. The iron treatment will penetrate the moss and cause the moss to turn brown. This moss should then be removed with a spring rake or scarifier. Moss treatments can be difficult to apply. It’s easy for the amateur gardener to get this wrong and kill areas of the lawn. It can also stain hard surfaces so extreme care should be taken. At this time of year we are also applying our lawn tonic to boost general grass plant health and help it through the challenges winter throws at it.

It’s often cheaper and easier to use a professional lawncare company than to buy and apply treatments yourself and risk getting things wrong. Read our reviews online and contact us to benefit from our exceptional customer service and great result.

Ian Kenyon sits on the committee of the UK Lawn Care Association and owns Shrekfeet Professional Lawncare. He is always happy to offer friendly, professional advice and help: T: 01962 460146 www.shrekfeet.com

Contentious Probate & Inheritance Claims

Arguments between relatives and family members over a person’s will or their estate can be painful and deeply divisive. Areas in which our contentious trust and probate team have particular experience and expertise include arguments over a person’s entitlement to be a beneficiary under a will, where there are questions over the deceased’s testamentary capacity or where undue influence may have been exercised over them, as well as where there are questions as to the construction, interpretation or validity of a will (including advising in respect of ‘Mutual Wills’ claims).

We also act in claims over the administration of an estate, including where necessary making applications to the Court to pass over or remove Executors and deal with disputes relating to a Power of Attorney, including applications to the Court of Protection to have a Deputy removed or appointed.

We are regularly instructed (both in bringing and defending claims) to act in cases involving the family or dependants of someone who has died where either no or inadequate provision was made for them,

2023 Petersfield Festival reaches out to broad community

This year’s Petersfield Musical Festival aims to reach out to all ages and tastes with its programme of diverse events including two large-scale choral concerts, small-scale chamber ensembles, music theatre, youth and family concerts. The programme will be rolled out in Petersfield’s Festival Hall and St. Peter’s Church 17th – 25th March.

Book-ending the week will be the Festival’s two flagship choral concerts. Handel’s glorious 1752 oratorio Jephtha, on the first Saturday, dramatically depicts the Biblical narrative of Jephtha, who, recalled from exile to lead the Israelites against their enemies, vows to sacrifice the first person he sees if he is successful in battle; tragically this turns out to be his own daughter. The poignancy of the moral dilemma which ensues calls forth some of Handel’s most moving and heart-felt writing for both soloists and ensemble.

A cast of young soloists drawn from London conservatoires, conducted by Paul Spicer and accompanied by Southern Pro Musica and the Festival chorus will portray a powerful gamut of emotions from despair to joy.

The following Saturday sees a contrasting programme of works featuring British composer Charles Villiers Stanford, Giacomo Puccini and Edvard Grieg. Stanford’s Songs of the Fleet was written in 1910 and its fast movements reflect the typical Edwardian brio of their era. The style of Puccini’s Messa di Gloria - sweeping melodies and dramatic orchestral accompaniment - foreshadows the composer’s later work as an opera composer. Paul Spicer will take the helm of the Basingstoke Symphony Orchestra and Festival Chorus. The much-loved picturesque ‘Peer Gynt’ which can result in a claim being issued for a share of the deceased’s Estate under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975.

Our contentious trust and probate team also advises in situations where there has been negligent drafting of a will.

We seek to approach cases sensitively and with care and to help our clients explore all alternative options for settlement, as well as to provide support should court proceedings become necessary. Please do contact us on 01730 268211 to speak to our litigation team if you would like our help. www.macdonaldoates.co.uk/ completes the programme under the baton of Stephen Scotchmer.

Amongst the soloists in Songs of the Fleet and Messa di Gloria, Ed Ballard, an internationally renowned baritone, will make his second appearance at the Festival. Elsewhere, the ever-popular Liss band, prevented from performing last year by illness, kick off the Festival on 17th March with a brass concert while the Petersfield Community Choir gives voice to popular classics. Young people get their share of the limelight in the sell-out Youth concerts mid-week, which will bring together talented performers drawn from local schools aged 8-18. The Family concert on 19th March Dancing through Time should be hugely enjoyable as it explores dance forms from Pavanes to Tangos presented by the string players of SouthDowns Camerata (including audience participation). A choreographed evening of musical theatre and popular classics with artists from Guildford School of Acting features later in the week.

One highlight of this year’s Festival promises to be the blockbuster concert of two musical masterpieces on 23rd March. Rising star Cordelia Williams will be the soloist in Schumann’s famous romantic Piano Concerto followed by Elgar’s much-loved orchestral suite, Enigma Variations which Elgar dedicated to ‘my friends pictured within.’ The Petersfield Orchestra will be conducted by Robin Browning.

Music lovers looking for smaller-scale entertainment may be tempted by a couple of chamber concerts in St Peter’s Church. The Anemos wind ensemble with pianist Karen Kingsley, are performing two masterpieces of the genre: Mozart’s wind quintet and Poulenc’s lively and exuberant sextet. Finally local musician Angela Zanders is giving a lecture-recital of Shostakovich’s Piano Trio no.2 on March 21st at 1pm.

Priority booking is open now with tickets on sale to the public from 6th February online or at One Tree Books. Full details of concerts, timings and ticket prices are available at: petersfieldmusicalfestival.org.uk

Mr Mac

Beware of cheap Apple, Fitbit and Samsung smartwatch lookalikes that snoop on users. According to a recent report in the Which consumer magazine all the cheap lookalike watches are full of security flaws including excessive tracking. Some of these watches are ridiculously cheap and purchasers might be fooled in to believing that they are a serious alternative to the real thing. They are not and should most definitely be avoided. The biggest problem is that they can look like the real thing!

All broadband providers give a basic router as part of their package and for small houses or apartments these are OK. For larger houses it is worth considering changing a basic router for one with Wi-fi 6 as this provides a much better coverage without the need for extenders or repeaters. Larger multi room properties will also benefit from adding a Mesh extender system. If anyone is considering doing this, please contact me for unbiased advice.

Most iPhones have great cameras, especially the iPhone 14 Pro. However, there are times when you might want to have a camera strap for security. I took a scenic train ride recently and it had an open carriage for taking photos. The driver made an announcement making it very clear that if anyone dropped their camera the train would not be stopping for them! It was then I wished I had a case with a strap. They are not expensive, just search online for phone cases with a lanyard strap, much cheaper than buying a new phone.

Andy - Mr Mac, 07392 552592