May - June
The early summer treatments will eradicate pesky weeds & lawn grubs and improve density and vigour
There are many Lawn Diseases that can have a detrimental visual and damaging effect on the turf grasses in your lawn. Weed grasses, are also prone to Disease more frequently. The majority of Lawn Diseases rely on a Disease triangle consisting of Pathogen / Host / Environment. It is mostly the environment of which we have little control over that changes; resulting in Disease appearing to include: temperature, soil moisture, air moisture, shade, drought. Such lawn / turf diseases may include the very common Red Thread in the growing months, Fusarium in the lesser growing months, Fairy Rings in early Autumn and also Rusts and Smuts. There are numerous diseases of new seedling grasses. Some lawn diseases are genetic withing the grass seed and higher rated cultivars of a species will be listed in a free from a certain disease league table to help you purchase the best. If you maintain healthy turf grasses and maintain a regular mowing, feeding and maintenance regime, then you will be doing the best to keep your lawn disease free.
Read moreAn application of a slow phased release granular fertiliser with a nutrient analysis appropriate to the time of the year. The nutrients in the Lawn Shop fertiliser will be released over a period of 8 – 12 weeks, thus providing a steady supply of food to the turf grasses. You can fertilise your lawn as soon as you commence mowing it in the spring and also straight after you have mowed but do not mow three – five days after applying fertiliser otherwise it may end up in the mower. You can use a Spring and Summer fertiliser product at half rate as an Autumn and Winter fertiliser, as the technology of such products is so good, the nutrients will stop releasing when the weather turns colder and start again when it warms up. Always feed before you weed, thus fertilise the turf grasses before you apply a selective weed killer just in case you check the grasses. Fertilise every three months in the growing season to keep the grass health and free from disease like Red Thread.
Read moreThe are many lawn pests, most of which will be under the turf, eating the grass roots. You could have 100-200 larvae per square metre with a really bad infestation. Chafer Beetle and Leatherjacket Larvae will literally strip a lawn bare of grass cover and sadly, there are no pesticide control products to control them thanks to The Ministers in the EU Parliament. Your only option is to go for Biological control using Nematode worms which seek out their specific host and eliminate them. Leatherjackets live in the soil only for one year whereas Chafer Beetles live in the soil for up to three years making them harder to eradicate. Larger Mammals like Badgers and Foxes and also Birds will see the lawn grubs as rich sources of food when times are tough and they will all seriously rip up the turf to get to the grubs, making a right mess of the lawn surface and make it hard to repair it. Moles may also be a problem in allowing you to maintain a nice green sward.
Read moreScarification assists in the removal of the dead grass leaves that will turn into thatch.
The process should be performed in the Autumn and Spring periods and as part of a complete renovation programme but always in the growing season so as natural regeneration and recover can occur, never in the winter / slow growing season. A lawn should always be over seeded with new seed after scarification so that weeds and moss do not take root in the bare areas. Always plan to mow the lawn down tightly before you scarify as this reduces the volume and density that the scarifier has to work through. The scarifier blades should only be lightly touching the soil surface as you are grooming the grass at it’s crown level not rotovating! Be cruel to be kind to the lawn! If it wants to come out, it will. Make two passes across the lawn but not at right angles, collect the debris and mow again to collect and minor debris any straggly bits. Take care of the lawn edges. Then aerate.
Quality, not quantity is the key. When and how much water should you give your lawn in the summer months? Should you water your lawns or not in the dry summer? We can also get dry Springs and Autumns. The natural water loss from the lawn can be 7mm per hour when the temperature is 29 degrees and 4mm per hour when it is 24 degrees. We say no, don’t bother and water your plants instead before there is a hosepipe ban.
If you have to water a lawn, water at the coolest part of the day and do not water until run off. Use a wetting agent to solve dry patches in the lawn. The more healthy your turf grasses are, the best they will survive a dry spell. Weed grasses react violently with big changes in climatic conditions. Weeds in the sward take up a lot of precious water intended for the grass plants. Remember one thing – you cannot beat natural rain for evenly watering a lawn to a depth.
A healthy lawns should not have any weeds in it. Let’s say that again, a lawn should not have any weeds in it. Weeds compete for vital water with the turf grasses plus they look unsightly and grow faster than the grasses so you will increase your mowing frequency to suit the weed growth. Some larger rosette weeds can be easily dug out but the finer weeds are best sprayed with a Selective Weed Killer with a garden sprayer. Always apply a liquid or granular weed killer three or four days after mowing and do not mow for a few days after, longer if you can get away with it. It will take a few weed control sessions to finally rid of the weeds and not all lawn weeds are easy to kill, especially Parsley Piert, Speedwells and Field Woodrush. Some weeds are best controlled by using a Soluble Iron used for Moss Control rather than a Lawn Weed Killer. Always make sure that your sprayer is clean and calibrated correctly before mixing a treatment up.
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