This autumn and winter have been both wet and mild and that means moss and plenty of it, best to rake or scarify this out to provide room for the grass to grow and apply a moss control to finish it off.
The heavy rain over the winter means many lawns have been slow to dry but as air gets back in the soils as they warm any winter thinning will usually reverse.
Be gentle with the first few cuts of the year, never take more than 1/3 of the blade in one cut and make sure the blades of the mower are as sharp as possible.
Growth can be slow in Spring, whilst daytime temperatures may be healthy, they can drop significantly at night and frosts occur quite late into April so be patient as its when night and day temperatures keep the soil temperature at a good level that the grass will respond. Once that happens growth will be much stronger and the grass will naturally thicken, regular mowing, at least weekly in peak growth periods, is best for grass health.
Use a good spring feed to support the grass as it springs back to life.
Once soil temperatures are good seed any bare areas, just remember frost is no friend of new grass. Make sure there is good soil contact and protect the seed with a little dressing and keep it moist till it germinates.
We are seeing early year damage from Lawn Pests, Leather Jackets as warm soil has kept them feeding close to the surface and the wet autumn means more survive, for more advice on these pests follow the link below.
Lawn Pests & Diseases
As temperatures rise weeds will start to show, different weeds come at different times and in different conditions so again be patient and apply controls at the right time.
Disease pressure can be high at this time of year so be vigilant in relation to fungus attack.
Finally, once grass and surrounding vegetation start growing with vigour then moisture can quickly be lost from the soil so if its not raining be prepared to irrigate, keeping moisture in the soil can prevent or reduce drought pressures when the summer heat arrives, you could consider adding a wetting agent to help with this.
The heavy rain over the winter means many lawns have been slow to dry but as air gets back in the soils as they warm any winter thinning will usually reverse.
Be gentle with the first few cuts of the year, never take more than 1/3 of the blade in one cut and make sure the blades of the mower are as sharp as possible.
Growth can be slow in Spring, whilst daytime temperatures may be healthy, they can drop significantly at night and frosts occur quite late into April so be patient as its when night and day temperatures keep the soil temperature at a good level that the grass will respond. Once that happens growth will be much stronger and the grass will naturally thicken, regular mowing, at least weekly in peak growth periods, is best for grass health.
Use a good spring feed to support the grass as it springs back to life.
Once soil temperatures are good seed any bare areas, just remember frost is no friend of new grass. Make sure there is good soil contact and protect the seed with a little dressing and keep it moist till it germinates.
We are seeing early year damage from Lawn Pests, Leather Jackets as warm soil has kept them feeding close to the surface and the wet autumn means more survive, for more advice on these pests follow the link below.
Lawn Pests & Diseases
As temperatures rise weeds will start to show, different weeds come at different times and in different conditions so again be patient and apply controls at the right time.
Disease pressure can be high at this time of year so be vigilant in relation to fungus attack.
Finally, once grass and surrounding vegetation start growing with vigour then moisture can quickly be lost from the soil so if its not raining be prepared to irrigate, keeping moisture in the soil can prevent or reduce drought pressures when the summer heat arrives, you could consider adding a wetting agent to help with this.