The way to a beautiful lawn

As spring progresses into summer your lawn grows faster, the individual grass plants competing for water, nutrients and light. As with anything else in your garden, the better the growing conditions, the healthier the plants. What we all desire is that lush, green lawn that looks its best when we are in the garden most; so how do we achieve it? 

How about a lawn fertiliser combined with moss and weedkillers?

The trend in recent years has been to apply a triple action lawn treatment: fertiliser, moss killer and weed killer all in one. This can work well if applied carefully, evenly and when the soil is moist and rainfall is imminent. Sadly we cannot control the weather and even application is not always easy to achieve.

Most of these fertilisers are mineral or chemical based, so they release nutrients quickly, often causing a flush of green growth, or a patchy effect if applied irregularly. Over-application can cause scorched areas which take weeks to recover. If you are concerned about any of these factors there is an alternative?

Use the fertilisers that professionals use

Organic fertilisers break down slowly in the soil, gradually releasing nutrients over a long period. The effect may not be as immediate, but it is longer lasting, resulting in a stronger, healthier lawn. This type of lawn fertiliser is widely used by professional greenkeepers who depend upon reliable results. Vitax Green Up Enhance is an advanced lawn fertiliser containing organic nutrients as well as humic acids and micro-organisms. These organisms form a relationship with the grass roots, strengthening them and helping them to absorb nutrients more efficiently.  Here again this technology is employed by turf professionals.  A single application of Green Up Enhance is long lasting and delivers superb results.

So what about moss and weeds?

If you have a problem with moss and weeds it is better to tackle these separately and concentrate on feeding the grass properly.

Thatch is the dead material that collects on the soil surface beneath the grass blades.  Over time this builds up, causing the grass to stretch and weaken; this is when moss is most likely to invade. 

Moss is best tackled by scarifying and applying a moss killer early in the season. Later in spring and summer an application of Green Up Lawn Tonic not only improves the green colour of the grass, but it also helps to strengthen it and increases resistance to disease and moss invasion. Green Up Lawn Tonic is dissolved in water and applied using a watering can. It is ideal to use a few weeks after an application of Green Up Granular Feed Weed & Mosskiller or Green Up Enhance to give the grass an extra boost.

Weeds are most effectively eradicated with a selective lawn weedkiller: use it after feeding when both weeds and grass are growing vigorously. Vitax Lawn Clear is ideal. It is a fast acting lawn weedkiller which can be applied with a watering can or sprayer when the concentrate is diluted in water. Alternatively, if only a few weeds are present, the handy Vitax Lawn Clear Ready-to-Use spray is an economical way of getting the weedkiller right on the weeds.

Never be tempted to use a general weedkiller on your lawn: it will kill the grass as well as the weeds however careful you are.  

The right approach to mowing

For most garden owners regular mowing becomes a chore during the summer months; this may make you tempted to cut the lawn as short as possible to lengthen the intervals between mowings. This can be very damaging, putting the grass under stress and encouraging the invasion of moss and weeds. Only reduce the height of the grass by one third when you mow. This preserves enough foliage for the grass plants to photosynthesise and grow and will keep the lawn looking good for longer.

 What about summer drought?

Prolonged dry weather may put your lawn under stress, resulting in dry patches or even brown grass, especially if watering is not possible. Don’t panic. Grass doesn’t die when it goes brown, it just goes dormant. The leaves become covered by a papery sheath and soon re-grow when rain falls. However, a well-fed lawn in good condition is far more tolerant of drought and will recover quickly when put under stress; another advantage of the lasting effect of organic-based lawn fertilisers.

 Andy McIndoe for Vitax