Show some turf love
IT’S TIME TO GIVE PARCHED LAWNS A LITTLE TLC SO THEY GET BACK TO THEIR BEST
AFTER a hot, dry summer, lawns are looking yellow and dusty. They will recover remarkably quickly with a good downpour. However some will be in need of a little TLC to restore them to their green glory.
A well-maintained lawn throughout the year that is healthy and vigorous will be more able to withstand periods of stress and drought.
But if you have bare patches, September is a good time to reseed as temperatures are still high enough for germination. You can also lay carpets of turf for instant repair and this is a job that can be done from now through to spring as it requires moisture for roots to settle in.
It’s not a job for summer as it would require daily watering to ensure it doesn’t dry out and that’s not always possible for practical reasons including when there are hose pipe bans.
A question I’m frequently asked is about yellow-brown patches caused by dogs urinating. The yellowing is caused by an excess of nitrogen in their urine and the only solution is to go out afterwards with a bucket of water to wash it away.
Clever pet owners will be able to train their dogs to go in a more suitable area such as a gravel patch.
Excess fertilising with nitrogen can also cause yellow scorches on the grass or sometimes you might notice the grass is a very dark green depending on how much you have put on. Again a good rinse off with water is your best bet.
Yellow patches can also be the result of leatherjackets. These are small brown grubs that devour roots and stems in spring. If you suspect you have them, you can detect their presence by lifting the affected turf and they will be visible.
Alternatively, water the lawn and cover with black plastic overnight and you will find them underneath the cover in the morning where you can remove by hand. They can also be treated with a nematode, which you water in at this time of year – it is a biological method of control that doesn’t involve any chemicals.
Earthworm casts can be unsightly but the presence of earthworms is always a good sign in the garden. Underneath the lawn they are conditioning the soil, improving its structure and drainage. They do tend to disappear underground in summer, being more visible from September to March so just brush off the dried wormcasts to improve the appearance of the lawn.
Routine maintenance around now includes scarifying the lawn. This is basically giving it a good scratching with a spring tined rake to remove thatch. Thatch is the layer of debris that builds up on soil including old clippings. Lawns can be fed in autumn to promote root strength but this is not advised for ones badly affected by drought – leave this until next spring and likewise if you use weedkiller, delay until spring.
If your lawn or patches of it get waterlogged during winter, it’s a good time to improve drainage. You can use a garden fork in small areas to create holes that you then top dress with some free-draining lawn sand mixed with a little bit of garden compost to fertilise.
In larger areas or lawns that are very problematic, you can use a hollow tine aerator that will lift plugs of clay from the soil and again the gaps can be filled with top dressing to improve drainage and soil fertility.