House & Home

S lawns get older, most develop problems that need addressing early in the year, as soon as conditions permit. Here are some common grassy ailments and how to fix them.

LUMPS, BUMPS AND HOLLOWS Slight hollows: Spread half an inch of sifted compost or topsoil evenly over the sunken area and work it in with a stiff broom or rubber rake. The top-dressing must be only a thin layer that sinks in without burying the grass. Repeat every few months all year round, until the area is level with the surrounding grass. Deeper hollows: First remove the turf over the affected area, then fill the hollow with topsoil and replace the turf over the top. Tread well down afterwards, and adjust the soil level if necessary to leave the area flush with the surrounding lawn.

Bumps: Strip off the turf, then level the ground underneath with a spade. Prick it evenly all over with a fork to loosen compacted soil so the turf roots back in easily. Replace the turf and firm it down, checking it is flush.

PROBLEM EDGES

Collapsed edges: Dig out a square of turf all round the hole, lift out and replace it in the same spot after turning it round, so the lawn now has a solid edge with a hole a few inches further back. Repair the hole by topping up with soil and sitting a pre-cut piece of turf over the top, or reseed, ideally in April.

Blurred edges: Lawns and borders gradually merge over time, so you can’t see where one ends and the other begins. To remedy this, every year or two, in early spring, redefine lawn edges using the back of a spade or a half-moon iron.

Moss and liverwort: Rake moss or liverwort out, then improve the surface drainage by sprinkling a bucketful of sharp sand evenly per square metre. Spike the area well with the points of a garden fork. If the grass in affected areas still looks thin by April, over-seed using a mixture of grass seed and sifted topsoil or seed compost for the best results.

BARE PATCHES

Quick fix: Grass often wears out in places where people walk regularly, especially when the underlying ground is wet and boggy or the same garden route is taken regularly. Prick over the bare area with a fork to loosen compressed soil and unroll turf over the top. Add or remove soil to ensure it fits flush with the adjacent grass, and firm well down with your feet. Make sure there’s no raised rim where the old and new grass meet. Long-term solution: If the same patch of grass is regularly worn bare, a better option is to set a staggered row of paving slabs into the lawn as stepping stones.

Sink them in, so the surface is flush with the lawn and the mower glides safely over the top – or put in a proper path. Set a square of paving slabs outside the shed door and any other heavily used areas.

Well-worn lawn: Where large parts of a lawn are frequently muddy or scuffed due to heavy use, it’s best to reinforce the turf with stiffish plastic mesh with holes about an inch across. Some products are designed especially for this job but you can use any strong plastic mesh sold for general garden use.

Cut the grass short then lay the mesh out all over the area. Pull it taut and secure firmly with the special pegs provided, making sure they’re not sticking up to wreck your mower later. Ensure that edges and corners of the mesh are secured, for the same reason. Then apply a light top-dressing.

Grass will soon grow through the mesh so you can mow over the top of it.

This is one of the more glamorous earlyflowering spring bulbs, with varieties in shades of blue, violet and purple. Dry bulbs appear on sale in the autumn and are excellent for planting in pots, troughs and tubs or raised beds. They do best in well-drained conditions and bright sheltered places, where the same bulbs will often keep coming up again and again for several years. Alternatively, you can buy ready-grown plants in pots in early spring, when they first come into flower, and sink the pots into a container filled with compost to use as an instant display. If buying now, choose plants in bud, where the colour is just showing, or with flowers that are not quite fully open, so they last well. Avoid placing them in exposed, windy areas. When they are finished, tip the plants out of their pots, plant them out and you should have a further show next year. Lawns need regular attention to avoid this

New soil and seeds wipe out hollows