Autumn lawn maintenance
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| The correct
autumn lawn maintenance program will help prepare you lawn for winter giving it a better chance of
going into the following spring in a healthier condition. The ideal time for autumn maintenance is
late August - early September. The reason for this, is ground is still warm and there is still
plenty of growth to aid recovery from the autumn lawn maintenance
program. |
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Scariying your lawn
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| During the course of the growing
season in the summer, thatch can build up in the lawn. If this is not controlled with regular
raking or scarifying it can be come a problem and have an adverse affect on the health of the lawn.
10mm of thatch would be an acceptable level, any more than that and your lawn will start to suffer.
Autumn is the ideal time to carry out this operation as the growth is still vigorous and there is
still time for the lawn to make a full recovery. For more information on this operation please go
to our Scarification
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Aerating your lawn
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Compaction is one most common symptoms
associated with poor quality turf and lawns, therefore a regular aeration program is necessary to
relive compaction. How much your lawn needs can depend on how much use the lawn gets and the soil
type. For an average lawn, a once a year aeration program should be enough to keep your lawn in a
healthy condition.
The two types of aeration used on lawns are
hollow tining (coring) and solid tining (spiking). Hollow tining involves removing small core
through a series of hollow tubes mounted on a frame of a machine. This operation is very beneficial
if your lawn has thatch problem as it physically removes thatch from the lawn.
It is also beneficial if you want to change
the soil type, as top dressing can be brushed down the holes into the soil profile. Spiking is the
process if inserting a series of solid tines or prongs into the lawn to create holes and nothing is
removed. Aim to go about 100mm deep with both operations and try and create a square pattern with
the tine holes. We have more information on these techniques on our Aeration page.
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Overseeding
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Late summer - early autumn is the ideal time
to do any overseeding on your lawn that you deem necessary. This is because the ground is still
warm and ideal for successful germination. There is also less chance of a drought (that would
affect new seedlings) as we head towards winter. However if your lawn has a healthy grass coverage
you may not have to over seed. On the other hand if you have any weak or bare areas overseeding may
be necessary to thicken up the sward before the winter arrives.
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Top dressing
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| After your lawn has been
scarified, aerated and over seeded (if necessary) the next step is to top dress the lawn with a
suitable material. Top dressing helps true up the lawn, improve the texture of the soil, dilute the
thatch layer and thicken up the sward. For more information on application rates and suitable
materials please visit out Top Dressing section. |
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Mowing
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| Raise the height of cut on your
mower before the growth slows down. This will help keep the grass healthier during the winter and
also discourages any damaging lawn disease such as fusarium. |
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Feeding
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Apply a suitable autumn lawn fertiliser to help maintain a healthy lawn
throughout the winter and into the following spring. The fertiliser should be low in nitrogen
and high in phosphate and potash. Regular applications of sulphate of iron every 6 weeks
during the winter will prevent moss invading and keep the grass a nice dark green colour
without promoting growth. It will also help discourage worms and
disease.
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