Knowing what a lawn needs this spring and knowing how to treat it correctly will bring gardeners a sense of achievement and enjoyment. To help with this, Kate Turner, gardening guru at Miracle-Gro, has shared what lawn tasks need to be carried out this season.
She said: “A beautiful lawn complements the rest of the garden and a spring lawn care routine is the best way to spend a little time and effort getting your lawn into shape – mowing the grass, feeding with a lawn fertiliser and dealing with bare patches, ugly weeds and moss.
“A simple spring lawn care programme will give you a lawn to be proud of, keep it in perfect condition and make friends and neighbours green with envy making you their go to for garden advice.”
Mowing in the spring
Lawnmowers have most likely been out of action over winter. But once spring arrives, it’s time to dust off the cobwebs and wheel it back out of the shed, ready for the first mow of the season.
Kate said: “The most important lawn care job for a healthy and good looking lawn is correct and regular mowing.
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“You need to cut the grass whenever it is growing – which is likely to be weekly or even more frequently as the weather warms up in spring.”
The aim should be to keep it at the same height all through spring. For most lawns this should be about 2.5 to 4cm high.
For lawns that take a lot of wear and tear the height is better raised to 5cm. For very shaded areas, mow at a height of 7.5cm.
The expert warned that mowing too short has a consequence of weakening the grass. Kate said: “It’s the quickest and easiest way of allowing weeds and moss to become established and spoiling the lawn.
“Try not to let the grass grow really long and then scalp it. This will weaken the grass and allow moss and weeds to come through. Much better to mow regularly and at a higher cut.”
Spring lawn feeding
Next on the priority list is feeding the grass, with the “right lawn food” at the “right time”.
Kate explained that a good feed not only makes the grass “greener”, but it “makes it grow thicker and increases its strength, vigour and health” so it is more robust and better equipped to compete with weeds, moss and weather-related stresses.
She said: “In spring, the best results are achieved by using a granular feed that supplies a regular amount of nutrients over several weeks.”
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When using a granular lawn feed it is important to apply it evenly over the whole lawn at the recommended rate.
The “best, most accurate and easiest way” to do this is to use a lawn spreader. Hand-held spreaders are best for smaller lawns and wheeled spreaders for larger lawns.
If gardeners feed their lawn again in six weeks’ time it will remain “strong and healthy all summer”, claimed the gardening guru.
Treat weeds and moss
Lawn weeds are a major headache that can stop gardeners from fully enjoying their lawns. A strong, healthy and well-fed lawn will be able to deal with weeds and moss far better than one that isn’t fed and looked after properly.
Where weeds and moss are a problem, they need to be dealt with quickly. For those who just have weeds but no moss, then they can quickly treat their lawn with a liquid lawn weed killer.
These products contain special ingredients that, when applied in accordance with the instructions, won’t cause any damage to grass but will control most broad-leaved weeds.
For those who only have moss but no weeds then there are lawn moss killers available, most will also contain a feed so it will green up a lawn as it kills the moss – bear in mind the moss will turn black as it dies so gardeners may not want to do this just before entertaining guests.
For lawns with weeds and moss problems then the solution is also simple, use a granular lawn product containing feeding, weed control and moss control ingredients.
