May - June
The early summer treatment will eradicate pesky weeds & lawn grubs and improve density and vigour to include: Slow Release Fertiliser & Selective Weed Control
There many Lawn Diseases. 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.
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 fertiliser will be released over a period of 8 – 12 weeks, thus providing a steady supply of food to the turf grasses to get them out of the winter doldrums and to keep them fit and healthy without the production of excessive vegetative growth. You can fertilise your lawn as soon as you commence mowing it 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 collector box. Alway fertilise your lawn ahead of applying a selective weed killer. 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.
Read moreThe are many lawn pests, most of which will be under the turf, eating the grass roots. 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. Your only option is to go for Biological control using Nematode worms which seek out their specific host and eliminate them.
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.
A lawn should always be over seeded with new seed after scarification.
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.
Read moreA healthy lawns 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. 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 a few days after mowing and do not mow for a few days after, longer if you can.
Read moreHow we can help bring your Spring lawn back to life
If your lawn is way past its best, the existing lawns’ surface may need stripping off and starting over again. More often than not, the lawn can be renovated without major levelling and soil input by following a Lawn Renovation Process. You may not currently have a lawn and wish to construct a new one, utilising either turf or grass seed.
Whether you are opting for a new lawn via turf or seed, the process of construction is pretty much the same but turf will provide more instant results. Do not be fooled into thinking that once you have a nice new lawn that you can forget about it! The minimum requirement is always fertilising the lawn every three months and reacting to control and weeds, moss and disease and to encourage healthy and dense grasses throughout the year. You should allow a project budget of at least 25% for growing in and after-care for the next 12 months.
New lawns can often get an attack of Fusarium Disease and an outbreak is not the fault of the turf grower nor landscaper or installer – welcome to real grass and real grass problems! Newly laid lawns, whether turf or seed, can quickly become thin with constant use and it is easier to over seed an existing but thinning lawn than to construct it again. London or City lawns will always struggle for an ideal balance of light, shade, water and wear which when in equilibrium, provide ideal lawn growing conditions
We have project managed really small lawn construction jobs up to and including country estates so whatever the size of your lawn, we should be able to assist you so long as we are realistically able to service your geographical location. It may be that you start the process of a booking a Lawn Consultancy visit as this can save you budget, time and growing a lawn pains on the project.
Please email sales@lawn.co.uk with as much detail as possible including size in square metres and some bullet points as to the problem/request and we can provide some sample costings for your consideration based upon past experiences.
Fairy Rings are not easy to control, especially as there are three main types, which vary in their visual appearance and effect on the turf.
Do not consider digging them out!! Apply a Wetting Agent to the area at frequent intervals and make the soil conditions unfavorable for the Fungi to survive.
Improving your turf culture practices may prevent an outbreak, to include: light surface aeration, applying a Wetting Agent, remove the fruiting bodies (mushrooms) rather than squashing them, applying fertiliser if you only have Type 2.
See the Technical Leaflet in the Download section of this site to discover more about Fairy Rings.
Total Weed Control of weeds and weed grasses on non crop areas like pathways and driveways can be performed at any time during the growing season.
Total weed killers can come with many different modes of action and as a result are applied at varying times throughout the year. There are three main classifications of total weed killers – Contact, Systemic and Residual.
Contact weed killers, those containing the active ingredient of Diquat also written as Diquat dibromide, Westland Resolva 24H Concentrate is one god example that will kill the weed upon contact by quickly turning the weed foliage black. You may remember the total weed killer Paraquat doing a similar task. Apply Contact weed killers in the growing season when weeds are present. Diquat may be joined in a control product by a Systemic weed killer such as Diflufenican or Glyphosate also written as Glyphosate diammonium. Glyphosate stops the plant producing chlorophyll and treated weed grasses will turn a pink colour a week or so following application before total death. Weeds will take a bit longer to fully die.
Apply Systemic, also called Translocated weed killers in the growing season so as early as March to end of November but ideally April to September when what you want to kill is actively growing. Systemic weed killers will kill what is there at the time and a repeat application may be required some 3 months following the first application to keep the area weed free.
The last group of total weed killers are Residual weed killers, applied usually to cold soils in the non-growing season as a blanket spray (all over) to prevent weed growth in the usual growing season occurring. The active ingredients are held in the soil for a few months and form a proactive barrier killing germinating weeds and grasses before they mature. Active ingredients will include Diflufenican, Oxidaizon. Residual weed killers often have some Glyphosate in the mix to pick up on any green vegetation present in the area at the time of the application. Gardeners make the mistake of only applying Residual weed killers in the growing season months of April to September when ideally they work better going forward if applied in November to March when soils are traditionally much colder. The active ingredients naturally break down in drier and warmer soils into harmless elements. It is an odd concept weed killing a gravel driveway when there are no weeds present but give it a go and this winter apply your weed killer containing the active ingredient of Diflufenican or Oxidaizon and you will visibly note a vast reduction of weeds coming through in the spring.
A typical weed control programme for gravel & non crop areas:
Jan/Feb – Apply Residual Weed Killer as blanket spray (all over) to cold soils to form a residual barrier in the soil to prevent pre germinated weeds and grasses. Even if weeds are not present. Weedol PathClear
May/June – Apply Systemic Glyphosate based product as blanket spray or spot spray to provide translocated weed control to weeds and grasses. Repeat after 6 weeks if control not achieved of tougher weeds like Ground Elder and Brambles/Nettles Weedol Ultra Tough Weed Killer Concentrate
August/Sept/October – Apply Systemic Glyphosate based product as blanket spray or spot spray to provide translocated weed control to weeds and grasses Weedol Ultra Tough Weed Killer Concentrate
Repeat annually. The important one is the Jan/Feb residual barrier spray treatment
How many times have you battled with trying to guess where you have or have not treated using a garden sprayer on your driveway or lawn?
Indigo Garden Spray Dye is a clever granule that is mixed into a garden sprayer containing your chosen treatment spray solution. When you start spraying your lawn or driveway etc, Indigo will literally provide a temporary visible spray pattern to show where you have or have not treated / sprayed. It will save you time, money, treatment product, effort and the guess-work when you make your next lawn treatment or driveway treatment. You can buy Indigo Garden Spray Dye in the Shop.
Leather Jacket Larvae are the Larvae of the Crane Fly or ‘Daddy-Long-Legs.
They are are about 2.5cm (1″ long), greyish black in colour, legless and with no distinct head.
The Larvae require controlling during the Autumn to Spring period. They live in the soil for a year. They eat the grass roots, which then die. Birds, Foxes and Badgers can rip up a lawn to get at this tasty food source.
Do not repair a lawn until the pests have all died off.
There are no pesticide controls of Leatherjacket Larvae, only Biological Controls using Nemasys Leatherjacket Killer, a treatment containing Steinernema feltiae a species of nematodes which controls infestations of Leatherjacket larvae naturally, safely, and effectively.
Red Thread Disease is seen on lawns during the Late Summer to Autumn during still, warm and moist conditions making a poor visual.
You will notice pink needles that protrude from the leaf of the grass plants and also a pinkish mycelium on the surface of affected areas. It indicates low Nitrogen levels in the soil, thus an application of a lawn fertiliser will initially control it.
Improving your turf culture practices may prevent an outbreak, to include: Reduce Thatch, Apply Fertiliser at regular intervals, Grass Seed Cultivar selection and Dew removal.
See the Technical Leaflet in the Download section of this site to discover more about Red Thread Disease.
Chafer Grubs are the Larvae of the Garden Chafer Beetle, which require controlling during the Late Summer to Early Spring periods.
They can live in the soil for up to three years. They eat the grass roots, which then die. Birds, Foxes and Badgers can rip up a lawn to get at this natural delicacy. They are creamy coloured with an orange head and are about 1.5 cm in length, they have 3 pairs of distinctive legs and will be found in the grass roots or deeper during colder weather.
Do not repair a lawn until the pests have all died off.
There are no pesticide controls of Chafer Beetle Larvae, only Biological Controls using Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer, a Biological Nematode treatment containing Heterorhabditis bacteriophora a species of nematodes which controls infestations of Chafer Beetle larvae naturally, safely, and effectively.
A Wetting Agent lowers the surface tension of water thus making it wetter. Soil naturally suffers from a condition called ‘Dry Patch’. A programme of Wetting Agent Applications will alleviate the condition and ensure the percolation of any water natural or artificial, through the soil profile. It will conserve water if the water moisture content is consistent down the soil profile. It will conserve water by making sure that any available water will not run off and be wasted. Can be added to irrigation systems too.
Dry Patch is a little known problem of turf in amateur lawn circles but one that has an incredible impact in ensuring consistent colour, growth, nutrient status, run of the ball and most of all visual impact and continuity of grass cover.
Dry patches that are hard to re-wet are the primary causes of lawn failure. If a lawn is renovated, it is always these long lasting dry areas that are the root cause of any seed failing to germinate and establish in these well marked and visual areas. You may notice a darkening halo on parts of the lawn, visible from the upstairs window. This is a good indicator that the soil underneath is starting to or has dried out.
This little known phenomenon is not only related to drought conditions but even if you are watering the lawn on a regular basis all throughout the year, some areas will still never become wet naturally to a depth, thus promoting grass growth in these areas. The surface of these areas will become dry and crusty and thatchy and be void of grass that cannot grow without water.
A Wetting Agent is used to alleviate localised ‘Dry Patch’ areas on a lawn or grass area. These areas have appeared because the soil-acting bacteria have made the soil hydrophobic (repelling water) and until you can get these areas wet again, nothing will grow. Trying to wet an old bathroom sponge, almost impossible.
A by-product of their activity in breaking down thatch in the lawns surface is a waxy substance that coats the soil particles, thus preventing them absorbing available water. It is important to get the lawns surface wet to a depth and consistently even across the complete surface area of the lawn to aid uniform growth and colour and make treatments effective. The Wetting Agent or Surfactant will reduce the surface tension of the water droplet and make water wetter making it easier to be absorbed into the soil and break down the waxy coating surrounding some of the soil particles. It is particularly good at reducing the activity of Fairy Rings by enabling you to get the soil in the immediate and not so immediate proximity of the fairy ring wet again. It is a liquid detergent that is safe to use on grass of a minimal salt content. Wetting Agents are available as a tablet that can be applied via a hose end diluter (like the Miracle Grow one shown) or in a liquid or granular form.
Please follow this programme to eradicate Dry Patch –
Apply once an evening in the first week – Curative
Apply once a week for the remaining weeks of the first month – Curative
Apply once a month thereafter between March and September – Preventative
If the grass trying to grow in these dry patch areas is dead, it is unlikely to come back if it is totally dead so some localised over sowing will be required. Nothing will grow in the garden without water!
So if you have an area of your lawn that is failing to respond to fertiliser applications, over seeding and some general renovation and tlc, then it is probably a Dry Patch problem. Get the soil wet again and you should be able to grow grass in these areas once again. I use mine for general plant watering too and also for getting wet dog urine burns on the lawn just prior to and after seeding.
Turf Managers will apply a Wetting Agent to their turf monthly during the period March to September, often with a Seaweed soil conditioner as a tank mixture. Making an application of a Wetting Agent to the turf way ahead before the soil dries out as a result of drought, will make any available water applied as a result of artificial irrigation or natural rainfall, will make the water wetter and ensure the even penetration of that water down through the soil profile.
It is possible to obtain a liquid wetting agent that can be dispensed via a side dispenser into the irrigation system. The products are safe for plants and you will in fact require less water as the wetting agent makes water wetter, making it possible to penetrate dry soils easier. They are quite effective products, one litre can treat 18 golf greens for example so if an irrigation system has a 100-litre diluter, you would only require a small quantity each month to be dispensed around the garden. Localised problematic areas should be treated by hand to cure the problem as irrigation systems do not always provide 100% coverage across a lawn. This can be achieved via a hose diluter and Wetting agents are also available in a granular form that is incorporated following aeration via a rotary fertiliser spreader. They can be applied diluted with water as a liquid spray via a knapsack sprayer too. Larger tablets the size of a small bucket can be introduced to the water inflow of an irrigation water storage tank.
If you have dying areas of grass on your lawn or areas that just will not grow, put your gardening knife into firstly a green area after watering or rainfall and then the problem area and cut out a small cube of lawn and you will notice that the dead or problem area is dust dry, much unlike the green area. Apply a wetting agent to these problem areas to solve the problem, but follow the procedure mentioned above.
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