How to care for your lawn 

 

Lawn care is an ongoing process and the best results are obtained when owner and lawn-care professional work together in partnership. Here are some care tips to ensure that you give your lawn the best chance of becoming - and staying - a lush, green, healthy lawn.

 

Mowing 

Regular mowing promotes healthy growth, it is far better to have a ‘little and often’ approach when it comes to cutting your lawn as erratic or infrequent mowing can be very detrimental to the lawn's health. 

 

Top tips for mowing

1. Only cut a maximum of one third off the height at a time, to ensure the grass blades retain enough area and light-collecting chlorophyll to continue growing strongly. 

2. Aim to keep mowing height to around 30-50mm for a ryegrass lawn, or 20-30mm for a fine grass lawn. 

3. Ideally mow in dry conditions to prevent tearing of the grass and avoid mowing the grass if the ground is saturated, as you can damage the soil structure by walking on it when it is very wet.

4. During hotter, drier periods, raise the height of the cut to encourage deeper rooting of the grass and better shading of the soil.

5. Make sure the blades on your mower are kept sharp - a clean cut helps to keep the grass healthy, whereas a torn blade of grass can start to turn brown and attract fungal disease. 

 

Which type of lawnmower should I use?

Really it is down to personal choice and the easier and more enjoyable you make it for yourself, the more chance you are going to have of keeping on top of the cut! There are some really good lightweight cordless electrical mowers out there - remember to keep the battery charged up. Alternatively petrol mowers are great for large areas - just make sure you don’t fill the petrol up on the lawn, as this will kill the grass! We’ve seen some great results with the robot mowers too as their ‘little and often’ approach takes off a tiny portion of leaf at a time, which gives great long-term results for the lawn. 

 

Watering 

Lawns need moisture to survive, but excess moisture can lead to further problems. Here are some top tips for optimum watering of your lawn:

 

1. During dry periods water occasionally but heavily - far better to water well once or twice a week, rather than a little water every day as the water will penetrate further and facilitate deeper root formation.

2. Ideally use a sprinkler to get good even coverage on the lawn.

3. A healthy lawn needs around 25mm of water a week - put an empty tuna tin on the lawn as you’re watering it, and when it fills you know you’ve reached the desired amount for the week. 

4. Water early in the day wherever possible to avoid fungal spread due to night-time humidity. 

5. Where possible use collected rain water to water the grass. 

 

Leaf clearing 

Leaves on the grass can mean that light is not getting to the grass and growth is restricted. Even after a few days of leaf coverage, the grass can start to decline, so it is good practice to clear leaves at least every three to four days during the autumn. 

 

Pet urine

Pet urine is a common killer of grass as dogs naturally have nitrogen in their pee from the normal breakdown of proteins. This concentration of nitrogen can burn the grass and although it’s difficult to stop the damage to your lawn, there are a few ways to minimise the impact: 

1. Have a watering can handy and saturate the area every time they ‘go’ to dilute it.

2. Train your dog to go in a particular spot, that’s preferably not in the middle of your lush green lawn! 

3. Walk the dog in the morning away from the garden to reduce the impact of their first, extremely nitrogen-rich pee. 

4. Keep the lawn well watered and fed to encourage the lawn to recover. 

 

Frost 

Frost itself doesn’t damage a lawn, but walking on a lawn after a heavy frost can cause damage. The leaves freeze and become rigid, and when stepped on the compaction of the blades allows ice crystals to puncture the cells. This can leave footprint marks across your lawn once the grass thaws which can take several weeks to disappear completely. These patches will also create an ideal breeding ground for fungal diseases such as fusarium patch.

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Raking 

Raking is very beneficial for the lawn as it helps to remove dead and dying grass leaves before they go on to contribute to thatch formation, raking also helps remove tree leaves and other organic debris and keeps the grass growing in an upright fashion without tangling. It is best undertaken when the grass is growing strongly and is particularly suitable during autumn to remove dry leaves from the summer. Vigorous raking should be avoided during dry weather since it can bruise the leaves and lead to further water loss; you should also avoid raking if a fungal disease is present as this can facilitate the spread of spores. 

 

If you have any questions regarding the care at home for your lawn, please don’t hesitate to contact our Hampshire Lawncraft expert who will be happy to help.