Lawn and order

Bored of lockdown? Get your mower out and give the grass a pampering, writes David Overend.

Alot of people now have a lot of time on their hands – which is one of the reasons why lawnmowers are busier than ever. The lockdown, the boredom and a bit of fine weather are persuading gardeners to put a bit more effort into crafting luxurious lawns.

Now it is possible to do more than just dash round doing a quick once-over – the grass can be preened and pampered because there is plenty of time to spend on making it something special.

Basically, you can now trim the grass whenever it requires it. A twice gentle going-over with the mower, taking off very little, is the way to encourage a good, thick turf. It’s less of a shock to the grass and helps to keep weeds at bay.

And always trim the lawn edges regularly to give a neat appearance – and to remove moist hiding places for slugs and snails. A well-manicured lawn helps make a gorgeous garden.

If you’re going to water the lawn during any dry spells, then now’s the time to build up the moisture reserves. Fork over the turf so that any artificial watering or rain can penetrate deep down to the roots and beyond. And remember to water either early in the morning or late at night to reduce evaporation.

Forget applying dry granule lawn treatments if the weather is hot and dry. Many people ignore the instructions on the packs that tell you to apply only when the soil is moist and the weeds and grass are actively growing.

When it’s dry, applying a liquid treatment is best. A week or so after it is applied, check the lawn for weeds. Small-leaved weeds are notoriously difficult to control so it may be necessary to use a very selective weedkiller (and remember to always read the label).

Don’t mow the lawn for three days before or after treatment – for best results, leave it even longer for the weeds to grow. This interval means there is good leaf coverage to absorb the weedkillers and enough time for them to be absorbed before the next cut.

And only spray on a calm day when there is no likelihood of drift on the wind reaching treasured plants. Weedkillers aren’t choosy what they kill.