It’s been a long, hot summer and it’s been fabulous getting out into the garden and making the most of the sunshine. But while my plants and flowers have fared pretty well (with a little extra TLC and plenty of watering) sadly my lawn is not looking so good.
Lack of rain has taken its toll with the grass dry and parched at the top of the garden where it gets full sun, and weed-ridden at the bottom where there is more shade. But now the weather is cooler and before winter sets in, I’m determined to get the grass back in shape, so armed with plenty of expert lawn care tips, there are 5 things I’m doing to get my lawn autumn ready.
‘With warm soil, cooler winds and wetter weather, autumn is the the perfect season to both prepare and repair your lawn, giving your grass the TLC it needs to not just recover, but thrive,’ says Kate Turner, gardening guru for Miracle-Gro/Lovethegarden blog. ‘Grass can root and establish itself before winter comes and more frequent rain means less need for manual watering.’
Here’s how I’ll be sprucing up my grass to get it looking great again ready for next Spring.
1. Raise the mowing height
The hot weather and lack of rain through most of the summer has meant that growth levels really slowed down and my grass didn’t need cutting quite so regularly considering how often you should mow your lawn.
But just a few day’s rain in the last week has seen the grass really perk up, so the lawn mower isn’t being packed away any time soon. Regular mowing until the end of the season when the temperature drops and growth fully slows will help better prepare it for winter.
While I (lazily) tend to leave the mower cutting height the same throughout summer, now is the time I’ll be raising it so that the blades are at the highest point. All you need to do is adjust a lever on most mowers or remove spacers on a Flymo like mine to adjust the height. Longer grass helps protect the roots and reduces stress as you walk on your lawn until we reach the point of when to stop cutting grass for winter.
2. Scarify the lawn
While my dry, parched lawn after the hot summer doesn’t look great, I’ve learnt enough not to be too stressed about it. After having building work done a few years back the grass looked awful and I was worried we’d killed it off. But come the next summer it bounced back and was lush and green again, so do bear this in mind if worrying about how to revive a dry lawn.
One thing I know that will help get the grass looking its best is to scarify the lawn. While it might sound a little strange, scarifying can really help when there’s been a hot summer and you’re wanting to get the lawn prepped for autumn. How to scarify a lawn simply means removing dead thatch (the brown bits underneath the green grass blades) and the best way to do this is to use a spring tine rake, like the Wolf Garten spring tine rake, £32.99, Amazon.
Gently rake the thatch out of the lawn, working in different directions to ensure it comes out evenly. Don’t be too heavy-handed with it and aim to still leave a small amount of thatch which will help protect the lawn.
3. Aerate to improve drainage
‘Lawns can become compacted and thatch ridden after heavy summer use,’ says Kate Turner. ‘While scarifying helps remove dead material, aerating (which can be done with a garden fork) improves airflow and drainage which is vital for growing roots.’
There are a few different tools you can use when working out how to aerate a lawn, from the Spectrum 2-in-1 Petrol Lawn Scarifier Aerator, £329.95, B&Q, a simple roller-style McGregor lawn aerator, £30, Argos, to these fun-looking Lawn Aerator Shoes, £24.99, Amazon, which look hilarious but I’m told do actually work.
On my small lawn, I use a fork, working from top to bottom down the length of the garden and then across widthways, pushing the fork into the grass to make holes (around 12cm deep). It can be hard going, but aerating the grass allows water, air and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil as a stored resource for over winter so autumn is prime time if thinking about when should you aerate your lawn.
4. Apply an autumn feed
Autumn is the key time to feed a lawn, but when it comes to what lawn fertiliser is best to use, the expert advice is to always use one specifically formulated for autumn application. Autumn lawn feeds are rich in potassium and phosphates that encourage root growth through winter, rather than leafy growth.
Calculate your lawn size and the amount of feed needed before applying. A liquid feed can be applied using a watering can. Or for a dry formula like the Miracle-Gro Evergreen Autumn Lawn Care, £14.94, Amazon, that I’m using, a feed spreader comes in really handy. I picked one up secondhand or try one like the Einhell universal spreader, £29.99, Screwfix.
Adjust the flow rate before you start and fill with your chosen feed. Then simply open the dispensing hole to start and walk up and down the grass at a slow, steady pace so that the feed flows out evenly.
You’ll need to close the dispensing hole at the end of each length while you turn the spreader. To make it easier, it’s best to apply a header strip all around the perimeter of the lawn to act as a buffer and give you space to turn.
5. Re-seed and repair
One of the big problems with my lawn is that there are lots of bald patches of grass. Mine are mostly at the edges, next to the flower beds, where the bigger plants tend to shade out the grass, but it can also happen in heavy traffic areas or be caused by heat damage or pets.
Overseeding involves spreading grass seed over an existing lawn and is perfect for repairing damaged areas and bare patches, like mine, as you don’t need to seed the entire lawn as with sowing new grass. Late summer or spring is the perfect time for when to overseed a lawn, depending on the time of year.
Wait for a day when the grass is slightly damp (after rain) and not too windy (or seed can get blown away). I’m using Miracle-Gro Patch Magic Lawn Repair, £11.50, B&Q, which contains coir and acts like a super-absorbent topsoil to aid growing. Simply loosen the soil with a rake first, soak with water and sprinkle the seed on, it should show signs of sprouting within days.
‘Autumn’s combination of warm soil and regular rain makes it the ideal time to sow new grass seed, as these seeds will germinate faster now than any other time of year,’ says Kate Turner. ‘My top tip is to sow when the soil is warm, if you can’t sit on your lawn with a bare bum, then don’t sow it!’
Will you be getting your lawn prepped for autumn? Are there any great lawn prep tips you swear by? Let us know below!
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