Spring lawn care

So having a new lawn ( 2nd year now ) what do i need to do this spring to make sure the lawn has the best care possible ?

Cheers jamie

 

If the lawn is dry enough I'd be inclined to give it a cut but only on a high setting. Then in late March I'd give it a feed with a high nitrogen fertiliser, if there are lots of weeds get feed & weed. If there aren't many weeds just hand remove them.
Having a pristine lawn is a full time job and hard work, mine just gets cut once a week and feed every 6-8 weeks and looks OK for most of year.

 

As Mowgley said late March , if you have moss , I give it a dose of Iron sulphate - at the correct dilution . This kills the moss - amazingly quickly ! - and gives the lawn a tonic . You can buy the high strength iron sulphate for lawns on Ebay/Amazon.
Using Soluble Iron Sulphate on Lawns and Moss
Two weeks after this I prefer to use a liquid weed and feed - Vitax weed and feed. Not so easy to find at my local GC's so I buy from Amazon. Then during the season I may use a granular feed once or twice.
After all this Molly our cocker will dig big holes in the lawn But the grass around the holes is absolutely perfect

 

The first thing that I would do in a typical season would be to give it a cut. Normally for this cut I would have the side discharge attached to the mower. Then, the same day, scarify, rake everything up, and take it to the tip.

After that, apply lawn dressing. I use a home made lute to do this, but there are other methods. At the same time, I would reseed any areas that need it.

Then its just a matter of waiting for it to start growing. When that happens, just before rain, I will spread a selective weed killer/fertiliser mix such as Stroller Kombi. Thats the only one generally available here, so I have no choice.

After that, I will start cutting the lawn when its needed, taking no more than 1/3 of the length of the grass at a time when it is dry. Generally, at the beginning of the season this will be about twice a week. At this time, the mower will be used with the mulcher attached. The fine cut grass will be a form of feed for the lawn.

Now the controversial part. I know that some experts recommend collecting the grass cuttings, as this reduces the spread of disease. Amongst other places, this is recommended in the copy of "The Lawn Expert" that I have. Although this may be fine if the lawn is small, but on a larger lawn, its simply not practical. Grass cuttings in large quantities are not really suitable to be put on the compost, and neither is taking it to the tip when there is a couple of cubic metres every week...

 

The 3 best things you can do to your lawn to make it look better:

• Mow it twice a week with a good, cylinder mower with sharp blades. Just doing this will make your lawn will look better than any of your neighbours.
• Get a local lawn service to feed and weed it. (Professional treatment companies have access to trade fertilisers you cant buy in the shops which get much better results and last a lot longer than DIY green up feeds, which are just quick acting drugs mainly)
• Aerate it properly at least annually.

Everything else in lawn care is either aimed at fixing problems (which you shouldn't have with such a new lawn i.e. thatch or moss) or really don't make a lot of visual difference (i.e. top dressing).

 

I did say the comment was controversial.

 

I dont know, I was trying out a new word...I'll try to find out what it means another day!

 

There is a difference between a lawn and a field.

If you want a nice lawn you have to mow it regularly. Just because you have a huge space doesn't mean it's not the correct advice.

If you cut it infrequently and leave big clumps of grass on it, you have a field. If you treat your average British back garden like this it will just look unkempt and awful.

 

Quote Kris Lord.

Get a local lawn service to feed and weed it. (Professional treatment companies have access to trade fertilisers you cant buy in the shops which get much better results .

What's the fun in that?

 

That would be the answer to "how do I make my lawn look hilarious?" ...

 

I like the big lawn companies, I get lots of work of them.
If you go to a local trade supplier like mine they have a huge range of fertilisers available to purchase from straight to slow, iron based, weed and feeds and even organic.
I prefer to treat each lawn individually and if it's in pretty good shape after a spring scarify I aim at a nitrogen level that promotes growth at a more natural rate rather than a harsh high N feed.
The downside to a franchise company is that the individual needs a good turn over to get his cut after the cut that goes to the company, this forces them to take actions when the weather is against them be it scarifying or chemical use. I've seen plenty of tricks pulled from chalk to spraying water.
Nothing wrong with mulching if you cut regularly, lawn problems can appear from bad practise to weather related stress. Sometimes it pops up no mater what you do and that can be seen in sports industry where great care is placed on turf.
The key to a good lawn is to use as little chemicals as possible or the correct amount over the season and to understand how grass reacts to fertilisers and it's relationship to environmental conditions.
Personally I find my customers are happy with a fairly good standard lawn, a few like their lawns and others just want the basic cuts.

 

A perfectly valid personal opinion.