LAWN AND ORDER
Exact date you should start to mow your lawn this Spring and top tips to keep it green
The Sun's gardening content is powered by
IT’S the week we’ve all been waiting for. The Woodland Trust’s says the average date Brits get our mowers out is March 18.
Flymo has been campaigning for years to make tomorrow (Sunday) First Cut Sunday - and Spring became properly official on Wednesday.
10
So whoever you listen to - it’s definitely time to get going with your grass. But keeping a lawn flourishing is not that easy - so here are some top tips to help you this Spring.
Keeping an eye out for pests is crucial.
Chris McIlroy, Lawn Expert at said: “Leatherjackets, which are the larvae of crane flies, AKA daddy long legs, thrive in damp lawns with poor drainage, feasting on the roots of grass seed so they can destroy lawns from the inside out.”
Chafer grubs also eat grass roots - and birds tear up lawns trying to get to them.
GARDENING
Nematodes - microscopic bacterial worms - are one of the only methods to get rid of them both.
10
, chair of the urged: “Choosing the right grasses is paramount in making lawn care easy - don’t fall for the marketing boasts about ‘sports grass, heavy duty or luxury turf’ - all too often these are ryegrass, which inevitably fails.
"Go native with bentgrass and fescues to make life easier.
“Ensure your soil is aerated, this is so important. But rather than using your usual fork tines, use a hollow tined fork otherwise you’re just compacting the soil. But if you don’t have one of those, aerating in any way is crucial to preventing soil saturation.
Most read in Fabulous
He added: “Prune lawns at least once per year by scarifying. While ryegrass will not respond well to pruning, native bents and fescues excel from it. And mowing helps thicken the lawn.
“Nourish both the soils and the grass. Incorporate soil conditioners like Truegrass to support the growth of beneficial microorganisms, increasing perfect growing conditions.
"Be careful of lawn feeds if you have ryegrass - that just makes it grow upwards and doesn’t help the roots - so you’re just adding to your compost pile.
“But ultimately, whatever turf you’ve ended up with - it's all about improving and maintaining the soil structure, by pruning, aerating, grass seed choice and providing the correct nutrients.”
10
TOP TIPS FOR MOWING THE DISTANCE
- First Spring Clean your lawn, says Cheryl Cooper, Lawn Care MD - pick up sticks, stones, and dead leaves, and watch out for wildlife.
- For the first mow, choose the highest blade setting - and if grass is really long, consider starting with a strimmer.
- Mowing fortnightly in Spring and weekly in Summer encourages denser grass and combats weeds.
- Never mow wet or frosty grass as it damages turf and compacts soil.
- Never take off more than a third of a blade of grass.
- Extremely low cutting levels encourages shallow rooting and makes the lawn more susceptible to drought damage, moss and weeds. It can also scalp the turf.
- Scarifying the lawn - ie, giving it a good hard rake in various directions - collects all the thatch and moss and allows proper growth.
- Compost your clippings, or leave them on the lawn to keep moisture in.
ALL THE FEELS
WE all know lying down on a freshly cut lawn is a great way to relax.
Now scientists have proved it’s good for both our hearts and minds.
A study in China has revealed just touching real grass, as opposed to artificial, increases relaxation and reduces stress levels.
In the survey a group of women were asked to stroke natural and fake grass for five minutes each.
The boffins found the women’s blood pressure levels were reduced and they scored higher in meditation and attentiveness.
10
BERRY GOOD
An Australian farm has smashed the record for the world's largest blueberry with a fruit the size of a ping-pong ball - 4cm wide and weighing in at 20.4g - about 10 times the average blueberry.
10
THIS WEEK'S JOB
Plant your summer flowering bulbs like Gladioli, Agapanthus and Freesia’s. Make sure the soil is well draining so they don’t rot.
10
TOP TIP
Flymo have teamed up with ebay to sell refurbished second hand mowers for TWENTY per cent less than buying brand new.
10
WIN!
We have a fabulous lawn care bundle for one lucky reader worth £265 including a , and , , , and a tin of Celebration Wildflowers.
For more details on the prize visit www.mcb777.site/LAWNCARECOMP
Or write to Sun Lawncare Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP.
Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Ends 23.59GMT 6/04/24.
Terms and conditions can be found HERE
SAVE!
Give your garden a good going over with this Homebase large garden rake for £20
READ MORE SUN STORIES
10
Or go for the Charles Bentley Rake from The Range for £7.99
10
LEARN!
Q. I am looking for advice on how to remove moss from my garden lawn. I don't want the moss to go black, if possible, but need to kill it. It was suggested I use Mo Bacter, would this work? Robert Sturrock, via email.
A. Have you thought about living with the moss? It can provide better cover than grass and often grows where grass won't. Or you can use a hand rake to get it out. Organic moss killers like Mo Bacter can take a long time to work and are expensive. If you want to buy a chemical remover, it will blacken the lawn. Scarifying and a nutrient feed works quickest.
10
Topics