Lawn Care Tips in Autumn
Lawn Care Tasks in September
When in drought…
Many a mature lawn will be suffering badly from the drought, especially the ornamental lawn comprising fine, bent grasses. Those containing fescue are likely to have more resistance but even so, once the top 10cm (4 in) of soil has dried out, the grass can stop growing and turns brown. Usually, if you have kept your lawn well maintained, it will quickly recover with the autumn rains. But the not so well maintained lawn will suffer root deterioration and become weak, allowing the weeds and moss to become established as soon as rain is frequent.
Our summers are becoming hotter and drier and hosepipe bans mean we can’t water the lawn, so it’s going to suffer even more. It’s all the more important to maintain a care regime through each season to ensure the lawn is healthy and therefore will be more drought resistant next year. Now is the time for repair and we can begin by scarifying and aerating to get rid of thatch and open up the soil to let air get to grass roots and provide good drainage. The deeper the aeration, the more the roots will push down to take up water, creating a healthier top growth.
Deeper spiking will be beneficial. Over-seeding to follow will fill areas made sparse by drought and it’s a good time to introduce deep-rooted, drought tolerant grass that will become well-established with autumn rain. Seriously badly, drought affected lawns may need areas re-turfing and this can be done from September through to March. Similarly, a new lawn can be laid using turves when the ground is dry and the area prepared.
Sowing a new lawn from seed is best done on prepared ground in late September and through October. Usually come autumn we would be feeding the lawn and applying a lawn weedkiller, or using a four-in-one weed and feed. Don’t apply these on drought-affected turf, wait until next spring.
Lawn Care Tasks in October
The patient in recovery
The long, hot summer that led to drought, brown lawns and heavy compaction was heartache for proud lawn gardeners who love their Wimbledon stripes. For many of us, hosepipe bans are still in place. But grass is nothing but resilient and the first real rains for a long time saw the lawn start to recover.
There is much we can do to help the patient and October is a good time to give the lawn a cut, then scarify to get rid of dead thatch and moss.
If you have a large area of lawn, compaction and standing water can be relieved by aerating either with an aerator driven by the PTO on the garden tractor or by hiring in a motorised walk-behind machine.
Small areas can be treated with a spiker or even the garden fork. Either way, getting oxygen to the roots and allowing drainage go a long way towards getting back that lush green sward. Bare patches can be seeded, and it’s a good time to overseed and top dress. Depending on what you use the lawn for, you can buy seed to suit your particular purpose. A drought resistant mix makes sense for future hot summers, and there are mixes that are designed for sprogs and dogs!
For top dressing, you can buy ready mixed packs such as Westland and Miracle Grow or in bulk from a supplier like Lawnsmith and Rolawn. Or you can make your own using a sandy loam to top dress lawns that are on clay, loam and sandy loam soils and loam for very sandy soils.
Ideally, a mix of three parts soil to six parts sharp sand and one part compost should be used. After the long drought, the patient will also benefit from an autumn fertiliser feed but one that is low in nitrogen.
Lawn Care Tasks in November
Less stress makes finer lawns
A lawn of fine turf grows under conditions that are not entirely natural. The winter months will subject it to stress with the cold, wet and freezing conditions, so it needs a helping hand. You will probably have scarified, aerated and treated the lawn to a fertilizer last month.
Spiking and slitting, either with a garden tractor accessory, a walk-behind, or even a garden fork, will help drainage even more and get air to the roots. A feed of low nitrogen, high potassium and iron will help combat stress, combat disease and green up the lawn if you haven’t already applied one.
Be careful though, grass is greedy and will take up as much as it can get. Check the instructions and application rates on the packaging. If you’re keen on organic an organic fertiliser such as Viano Recovery provides autumn nourishment and greens up the grass. You will find it online and in garden centres.
With mild weather once again during October, the grass has been happily growing back after the drought of summer and where the air temperature is above 5º C it will continue to do so. Which means you will still need to mow, possibly into December, on days when the grass is not too wet.
Less frequent mowing should still ensure only the top twenty-five percent of the grass is cut to keep it tidy and protect it through the winter. Clear any leaves from the lawn, brush off worm casts and when you’re finally done, put up your boots and send the garden tractor or mower for a service ready to have it running for the next mowing regime.
