Spring is here. This is the time of year that the gardening season usually starts. The rain is starting to subside and the days are getting brighter. This Spring more than ever, due to COVID-19, more of us will be spending time at home whether we like it or not. So why not make the most of our time in self-isolating and start getting our gardens in order.
It was a pretty wild winter albeit a mild one, so there will be a good bit of growth on the lawn. What should we be doing first to start prepping our lawn for the cutting season ahead?
Clear The Lawn
Take a walk around your garden and pick up any branches or debris that has been lying on the lawn from the storms of January and February. You run a risk of damaging your lawnmower if you hit any of these when you start mowing. Use a blower to clear any dead leaves laying round and let any covered patches of lawn get some sunlight and air.
Let In the Spring Air
Next job on the list is to get some Spring air into the lawn. If your lawn has been covered in dead grass, moss and debris the past few months, rainwater will have been unable to penetrate the lawn which in turn will make your lawn water-logged. The excess water laying on the lawn will also cause extra moss growth which will make the problem worse. A great tool for this job is using the Agri-Fab 3in1 SmartLINK Master Platform with the Tine De-Thatcher attachment. This piece of equipment will attach onto the back of any ride on mower and can be pulled along. It features 20 heat treated spring-loaded tines will quickly remove any build-up of dead grass and moss from your lawn. This will allow your lawn to breathe again and allow water and nutrients into the soil. Doing this a couple of times a year will help to improve the appearance of your lawn.
Time for the First Cut of the Spring
Time now to take the top of the grass. The lawnmower deck should be set to a high height setting. You just want to remove the top of the grass on the first cut. This will encourage new growth and tidy it up a bit. For the next few cut’s you can lower the cutting deck until the grass is growing at a faster rate.
Most modern lawnmower will have a easy height adjustable lever with several different height settings to choose from. So whether its a Ride on Mower or Walk Behind Mower this function is available on almost all models.
Feed Me
It’s been a long winter, if you want your lawn looking great you need to give it some TLC. There is no other plant in your garden that gets as much abuse as the grass does. From people walking on it, dogs, children playing football and games the list is endless. Therefore, although it will always get some sunlight, it won’t always have nutrients so you must provide these from fertiliser. If you don’t apply fertilizer the grass will become thin and allow weeds and moss to build up on it. A properly fertilised lawn will be thicker and greener so it is definitely a job worth doing.
So from now on the work begins, there will be daily jobs that can be done in the garden. Hopefully now during this uncertain time we will have some pleasant weather where we can enjoy our outdoor space and the work we put in now will show in our gardens for the months to come.
If you would like advice on taking care of your lawn or would like any recommendations on machinery or products that can be used contact our helpful sales staff who will be delighted to assist you. We also have an in-house Garden Centre which supplies the finest plants, shrubbery and gardening products. David our horticulturist will be happy to provide advice where he can.
