Spring Lawn Care

Last year's wet summer and the long cold winter have left my lawn looking a bit worse for wear. Spring has arrived late this year so I need to catch up on some essential lawn maintenance. The moss problem which already existed was made worse by long spells of very wet weather. My lawn is old and has a build up of thatch which needs removing with a lawn rake in autumn to improve the surface drainage. This wasn't done last autumn so the moss problem has worsened. Spring is the time to apply a proprietary feed, weed and moss killer. The moss turns black as it dies off and can then be raked out. The lawn feed encourages the grass to thicken up and fill any gaps left by the removal of the moss, with the weed killer discouraging the spread of weeds. If you like to garden organically the moss can still be raked out and an organic lawn food then applied. Weeds can be dug out by hand using a daisy grubber. Use a garden fork to spike the lawn and brush in gritty sand to help improve surface drainage and discourage the growth of moss.
The lawn needs regular cutting to keep it looking good. The first cut of Spring should be with the mower blades set high - about one and a half inches. Once the grass has been cut a few times the blades can be lowered. Aim for a height of about three quarters of an inch for a fine lawn, but as my grass is a bit coarser I find setting the blades at a height of one inch gives the best result. Regular mowing produces a denser, greener, hard wearing lawn. The lawn edges also need attention as they tend to become worn and untidy. Neaten them using the back of a spade or a half moon lawn edger to give a clean sharp edge which can be kept neat with lawn edging shears or a strimmer.
One last note - if you cut the grass shortly after using a lawn weedkiller, only add the cuttings to the compost heap if you are not going to use the compost for at least six months.