By Pippa Greenwood
Gardening
Love your lawn Your lawn will probably be growing rapidly now, and with temperatures in most areas having evened up and the soil hopefully being less soggy, it is the perfect time for some spring maintenance. Grass needs regular mowing from now on; in some areas this may mean once a week, so make sure that the mower blades are good and sharp. On so-called utility lawns you will need to cut to about 2.5cm or 1”, while on higher grade smart lawns cut to about 1-1.5cm. Lawns benefit from a specially formulated spring feed at this time of year to encourage good strong growth. If you use a granular formulation, make sure that you water it in well if you cannot time the job so that the rain does this for you! Scarify the lawn with a spring-tined rake to pull out any accumulated debris or thatch from the base of the grasses. This allows for a better flow of moisture and air, thus ensuring that the grass grows stronger and more healthily. If your lawn has developed a lot of moss then apply a proprietary moss killer before scarifying. Use a combined feed and moss killer to save yourself time if you like, but whichever product you choose, make sure that you leave the specified time between applying the treatment and raking the dead moss out.
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If you don’t, the moss problem could get worse, as you’ll spread living moss as you rake. Worm casts may be there in abundance now too, so if necessary simply use a besom or brush to brush them away or distribute them over the lawn. Humps and bumps in the lawn or indeed any other sort of uneven surface can be dealt with now, but get this done promptly in case the weather gets hot and dry soon. A minor problem can be dealt with using a sandy top-dressing mixture, but if there are some prominent problems then use a sharp spade to cut an ‘H’ shape over the bump or hollow. Now carefully peel back the turf and then remove or add soil as necessary before replacing the turf flaps, firming well and providing a good drink. It is also worth sorting out any stepping stones that have sunk too low or become uneven. Use a spade to ease them out of the lawn and lift and readjust the level beneath before replacing them. It may sound as if there’s a lot to do, but remember that every hour spent now will make a huge difference to how the lawn looks for the rest of the year! At www.pippagreenwood.com you’ll find stylish cloches, practical and pretty plant supports, the fantastic SpeedHoe, gardening tools, signed books and the ‘Grow Your Own with Pippa’ system.
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