Spring is just around the corner and now is a great time to start to get your lawn in good shape.

After rigours of winter, your turf needs a bit of a hand to get back into its best condition with some gentle aeration, feeding, weeding and some treatment for moss which builds up in the winter months.

Moss

Moss is a common problem in spring, but now is the time to change that. At greenmaster we use a natural moss treatment that kills off the moss, ahead of raking or scarifying it out. Don’t scarify your lawn if it has live moss as this will just spread it around further.

Scarifying

Once the moss has been treated, we will scarify the dead moss and any winter thatch build up out of the turf. This allows in sun light and much needed oxygen to the base of the grass plants and re-invigorates your lawn.

Lawn Feed

At this time of year your lawn has a requirement for a little quickly available Nitrogen and Phosphorous to help it get started growing and putting down strong new roots before the soil has warmed up properly. As the spring progresses it’s important to make sure there is a source of slow release Nitrogen in the soil to help feed the grass as it wakes up in spring.

We use a specially formulated natural fertiliser that contains both slow and quick release forms of Nitrogen and Phosphorous for strong root growth, giving your lawn everything it needs for the spring period.

Weeds

When grass growth slows down in winter, the sward becomes a little thinner and this can make space for weeds like daisies, chickweeds and clover. Winter worm casting on the lawn surface also creates a perfect seedbed for some of these common weeds.

During your spring lawn treatment, we will apply a selective product that kills just the weeds and leaves the grass strong and healthy.

Aeration

The long winter can leave your lawn susceptible to compaction, which squeezes a lot of the air out of the soil and can cause problems with poor surface drainage and a waterlogged surface. This can be detrimental to healthy grass growth too.

When this is the case it will help a lot to have your lawn aerated using our specialised spiking machine that punches thousands of holes over the lawn surface. This improves drainage and allows water, fertilisers and roots to penetrate easily and deeply into the soil to strengthen your lawn.

 

Autumn is a critical time for getting your lawn in shape ahead of the winter months. After a lot of hard use and of course the stresses of the long hot summer, your lawn will respond well to some timely treatments to keep it healthy and strong.

It’s also in autumn that we see a lot of the most damaging problems on lawns like Moss, Disease and Puddling after heavy rain.

A lot of this is down to a build up of thatch at the surface. Thatch builds up when the grass is growing fast and is simply an accumulation of old roots, shoots and dead leaves from the grass plants. When your soil is in top shape the lawn can usually handle this and break it down naturally into much needed plant food. However, when oxygen is in short supply in your soil due to compaction then it can sometimes need a bit of help from us.

Here are some of the common Autumn lawn problems and how we deal with them.

Thatch

Thatch encourages diseases such as fusarium and insect pests such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs. It can also contribute to the onset of Localised Dry Patch where your soil becomes unable to take in water.

What can be done about thatch?

We’ll assess how much thatch your lawn has and recommend a plan that might include Scarifying and/or Deep Aeration with a mechanical spiker.

Compaction

Compaction is simply the process of air being squeezed out of the soil by downward pressure from the foot and maintenance traffic on your lawn. On heavier soils this can become a big problem as  it impedes natural drainage, making your lawn liable to puddles and bare areas.

It causes shallow rooting of grasses and encourages weed grasses such as annual meadow grass  and is a contributor to un-even surfaces and loss of grass cover.

What can be done about compaction?

When we inspect your lawn, if we find that it is compacted, we will recommend a remedial program of de-compaction using our deep slit tine spiker machine.

Moss

We often think of moss as something that likes wet conditions, but Moss will infest any area where there is less competition from grass or other dense plants.

There are many varieties of moss and they will infest saturated thatchy soil, but also dry patch ridden, completely arid soil. The common denominator being that the grass sward has been compromised or weakened by other factors.

What can be done about moss?

We will treat your lawn for moss using a natural Iron based product and follow this up with scarification after the moss has been killed off to remove the dead moss and aerate the lawn surface.

Autumn Fertiliser

Autumn and Winter is a stressful time for your lawn so it’s important that your grass plants are ready for the onslaught.

The most important nutrient at this time is Potassium as it is essential for strong, disease and cold resistant plants and this makes it the most critical nutrient in autumn and winter.

Potassium is subject to luxury uptake by plants and as such can sometimes be completely absent in the soil at the end of summer and will need to be boosted in autumn and winter to make sure it is available to the grass plants.

What needs to be done?

We will apply a well balanced Potassium rich fertiliser in autumn to make sure your turf has all the nutrition it needs to fight off the pressures it will face from the cold, wet and dark conditions of winter.

Arrange your free Autumn lawn appraisal today. We’ll inspect your lawn and provide you with a quote to undertake all of the autumn maintenance your lawn needs.

Call 0800 027 6561 today to arrange a visit from one of our professional greenkeepers!

 

Looking after your lawn in the winter will ensure that it is fighting fit and ready to take everything your family throws at it in the spring and summer months.

Cleanliness

It’s important to keep your lawn free of debris like leaves, twigs and litter all winter long. This will help to minimise problems with fungal disease, moss and bare patches.

Mowing Height

In most UK winters, we get long enough mild spells to ensure the grass never really stops growing. This makes it important to keep an eye on the length of your grass and make sure it is cut down to a reasonable height. Don’t let it grow on too long or it could encourage problems like fusarium disease. This happens when the long grass keeps the lawn surface a little bit warmer than the surrounding area, creating an ideal microclimate for fungus to take hold.

Nutrition

Potassium helps your grass to stay hardy and more resistant to the cold, wet, disease and darker conditions in winter. As Potassium is used up quickly and leaches out of the soil easily, it’s important to give your lawn a high potassium feed in mid winter to keep it hardy all the way through until spring.

Disease

Disease patches should be sprayed with a turf fungicide. This is best left to a professional who has the necessary knowledge and certification to do the work.