Spring Lawn Care

 

Spring is one of the most exciting times in the garden, previously dormant plants spring into growth with the first signs often being the appearance of delicate bulbs. In our previous article I shared a few spring lawn care tips which should help you get your lawn off to a healthy start. In the following article I shall be taking a closer look at caring for your lawn in spring.

I do not class myself as a "tree hugger" but there is something really soothing about nature and it has been scientifically proven that standing barefoot on grass can reduce stress levels noticeably. This amazing calming influence reduces the heart rate and also your blood pressure so I could easily say that a healthy lawn is vital to your health! However, if you do not invest in a little spring lawn care you may find that your lawn struggles for the rest of the year.

As well as looking good your lawn actually performs a number of vital roles. Essentially a mass of grass plants, your lawn enhances the environment greatly by filtering and purifying water (as it passes through the root system), enriching and conditioning the soil (if you allow a certain amount of clippings to remain on the lawn) and it can also perform other important tasks such as reducing soil erosion. Most importantly a healthy lawn enhances the beauty of your garden no end - that is if you look after it.

Too many people are replacing lawns with paved areas, for parking etc, decking or gravel. This has led to an increase in the amount of rainwater unable to penetrate the ground which can cause localized flooding but also it restricts the amount of water entering the ground in your garden. Garden plants need plenty of water so a lawn is a vital element of your garden plan.

Spring lawn care is all about preparation. You have to prepare the lawn ready for the growing period. You need to remove, preferably by digging out, all weeds (or you could scald them with boiling water if they are large). Spring is when you should also carry out repairs to your lawn.

Spring lawn care is much like repairing a neglected lawn. As soon as the grass begins to grow you will need to mow it (the first cut should take it down to 4cm). Rake off all the mowings/clippings, apply fertilizer, water the lawn, scarify (if needed) aerate and apply a top dressing. Though these tasks can be performed in late fall you can do it in spring when the lawn will recover very quickly.

In later articles I will describe the above processes in detail but, for now, you can follow the link below to view all of the articles in our lawn care section.

 

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