Complete lawn care
Watering – vital only on newly established lawns. Use a sprinkler attached to a hosepipe and leave it in any one spot only for half an hour. Do NOT water established lawns. It’s irresponsible. They’ll soon recover come the rains.
Scarifying – every March you can rake out dead grass (thatch) and moss. Don’t bother with moss killer – you’ll still have to rake out the stuff when it’s dead. I do this perhaps every third year. Powered lawn rakes are available or you can exercise your abs with a wire-toothed rake.
Edging – trim the lawn edges after mowing with long-handled edging shears. It improves the appearance of the lawn and gives it a sharp profile. Once a year, re-cut the edges, ideally with a half-moon iron.
Weeding – lawn weedkillers are not environmentally friendly. Learn to live with a mixed sward and remove any unwanted rosetteforming weeds with a sharp knife or a daisy grubber.
Repairing – worn or damaged lawn edges can be repaired by cutting out a portion of turf and reversing it so the good inside edge is turned to the outside. Bare patches can be re-seeded in spring or late summer or re-turfed at any time.
Feeding – use an organic feed such as blood, fish and bonemeal in spring and again in early summer. A wheeled fertiliser distributor will ensure even application and avoid using too much, saving you money.