Make the most of good weather days to prepare for winter
It’s time to give your lawn some love before we head into the wetter days of winter. You may be wanting to get rid of moss, fertilise the grass so it’s in a healthy state, or re-seed bare patches.
You can also lay turf now, though reseeding a large area of grass is best left until the spring when the warmer weather will encourage the seed to germinate. I always start my autumn lawn regime by scarifying the grass with a rake. This helps ‘brush’ out dead grasses, moss and other unwanted debris that can hamper drainage and airflow around the grass roots.
We often get moss building up in shaded areas where the soil has become compacted, and I like to use Mo Bacter to get rid of it.
This is an organic product that is safe around children, pets and wildlife and it kills the moss without turning it an unsightly black, and also feeds the grass helping it grow back.
It’s always worth edging borders now too, to remove long grass where pests can overwinter, and mow regularly to keep the lawn growing healthily.
If you need to fertilise, use a specific autumn fertiliser that promotes robust root growth, so the grass will grow well next spring, rather than lush top growth that can be damaged by the cold and wet and be more vulnerable to fungal diseases such as red thread and fusarium patch.
Lawn jobs for now
Keep grass looking good
1. Open up compacted areas of lawn to help drainage. This will also help to prevent mud patches appearing and encourage improved growth in your grass.
2. Rake up leaves as they start to fall, otherwise they can provide a hideout for pests and create yellowing patches on the grass. Store them in piles or wire bins so they break down and can be used as leaf mould. The piles of leaves provide a useful habitat for wildlife over winter in the process.
……..
WHATS ON
27-29 Sept: Malvern Autumn Show, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW. 9am-6pm.
1 Oct: Thrive’s Trunkwell Garden Opening & Plant Sale, Thrive Trunkwell Gardens, Beech Hill, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 2AT. 2-4pm.
4-6 Oct: Living Willow Open Weekend, West Wales Willows, The Mill, Gwernogle, Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire, Wales, SA32 7SA. 10am-4pm.
5 Oct: Alpine Garden Society Hexham Autumn Show, Hexham Auction Market, Tyne Green, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3SG. 11am-3.30pm.
5-6 Oct: Great Dixter Autumn Plant Fair, Great Dixter House and Gardens, Northiam, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 6PH. 11am-4pm.
5-6 Oct: The Bonsai Show Live, International Centre, International Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4JH.
5-6 Oct: Festival of Flavours, RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington, Rosemoor, TORRINGTON, Devon, EX38 8PH. 10am-4pm.
5-6 Oct: Heritage Orchard Days, Brogdale Collections, Brogdale Farm, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8XZ. 10am-3pm.
5-6 Oct: Apple Festival, Woodside Plants Centre, Woodside Walled Garden, Ancrum, Jedburgh, Scotland, TD8 6TU.
9 Oct: Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens Opening for the NGS, Beth Chatto’s Plants & Gardens, Elmstead Market, Colchester, Essex, CO7 7DB. 10am-4pm.
9 Oct: Open day to see the National Plant Collection of Apples, Sparsholt College, Winchester, Hampshire, SO21 2NF. 10am-noon.
Find more tips, advice and articles like this at the Amateur Gardening website. Subscribe to Amateur Gardening magazine now
