A lawn rarely looks its best after months of cold, wet weather, and we have had quite a bit of wet this year! Your lawn may be patchy and waterlogged, with grass struggling to grow. But spring is exactly the right time to revive your lawn ready for the warmer months ahead.

You may need to repair minor damage, add seed to encourage a lusher lawn, or even returf areas that are beyond saving. So how do you get your grass back in top condition?

Assessing winter damage

Firstly, look closely at the condition of your grass. Some of the usual issues include:

• Moss build-up: this can choke your grass and prevent healthy growth.
• Waterlogging and compaction: heavy rain and frost can compact soil, making it difficult for grass to thrive, particularly in the South West where we have clay soil.
• Bald patches and thinning areas: often happens after wet winters or where the lawn has been walked on a lot, which can damage the turf.
• Weed invasion: weeds often do well in winter conditions and can take control where there is weak grass.

Once you’ve identified your problem areas, you can start your spring lawn revival.

Step 1: Feed your lawn

As temperatures start to creep up, your lawn needs nutrients to help it recover from winter stress. Apply a balanced spring lawn feed – look for one with nitrogen to encourage green growth, and phosphorus and potassium to help strengthen roots. Eco-conscious gardeners might prefer to consider organic options, such as seaweed-based feeds.

Step 2: Scarify and aerate your lawn

If your lawn has become overtaken by moss or dead grass, rake it over. This helps to remove this layer and allow fresh growth. Manual raking can be therapeutic, if you have a large area of grass, you may prefer to use a powered lawn scarifier.

It’s essential to aerate waterlogged or compacted soil. You can do this by spiking the ground with a garden fork or a solid or hollow-tine manual aerator. This will improve drainage and allow air, water, and nutrients to reach the roots.

Step 3: Reseed for a healthier looking lawn

Thin or patchy areas of lawn can be overseeded to encourage new grass growth. There are different types of seed mix to choose from, so decide if you need, for example, a shade-tolerant variety or hard-wearing blend for well-used lawns. Spring is an ideal time for overseeding, as temperatures are warming but the soil still retains moisture.

• Rake and loosen the soil in the affected areas.
• Scatter the grass seed evenly over the patches.
• Lightly rake again to ensure good seed-to-soil contact.
• Water gently and keep the area moist until new growth appears.

Step 4: When to consider returfing

If large sections of your lawn have excessive moss, show extreme wear or even signs of disease, you may decide to returf – this is basically laying fresh turf rather than reseeding, which will give you quicker results.

How to returf your lawn

1. Use a spade or turf cutter to lift the old turf. If the soil is compacted, break it up with a fork.
2. Make the soil level using a rake, carefully removing stones and debris. Adding a layer of quality topsoil improves conditions for new turf to establish (see: https://wesellturf.com/products/topsoil/)
3. Starting at one edge, rolling out each turf roll tightly against the next. Stagger joints like brickwork for a natural look.
4. Gently press the turf down and give it a deep watering to help it settle.
5. Avoid walking on the new turf for a few weeks to give the roots time to establish.

If maintained well, the fresh turf will root quickly and blend seamlessly into your garden.

Step 5: Regular mowing and ongoing care

Once your lawn starts growing again, regular mowing will keep it neat and healthy. For the first few cuts of spring:

• Set the mower blade higher than usual to avoid stressing the grass.
• Only cut when the grass is dry to prevent damage.
• Avoid removing more than a third of the grass height at a time.

By mid-spring, your lawn should be thriving. Continue to feed it every 6–8 weeks, water in dry spells, and tackle weeds and moss as needed.

Enjoy your revived lawn this spring!

With a little TLC, your lawn will bounce back beautifully after winter giving you a lush, healthy lawn ready for spring and summer enjoyment.

If you need turf or topsoil just get in contact. For smaller amounts of turf we will recommend a local supplier of our turf.

If you would like any further advice on spring lawn care or would like to talk to us about your order, please contact us on 01392 231040 or email sales@wesellturf.com

Topsoil for laying turf on

We recommend laying turf on a 10-15cm layer of topsoil for it to grow successfully. If your plot doesn’t have enough then our screened topsoil is the ideal material to put down.   It can be mixed with your existing soil or just added on top. We can calculate how much soil you would need from your measurements and give you a quote – just call or email us to ask.

Topsoil for planting beds

You might want to add some compost or other specific nutrients if you plan to grow something particular when using it for beds. All our batches of soil have been tested so we can let you have that information: nutrient levels, pH, etc.

Delivery – loose topsoil

Our screened topsoil is delivered loose and tipped in quantities from 2 tons upwards. Our small tipper lorry carries up to 7 tons. Larger quantities can be delivered on 6- or 8-wheeler lorries which carry 16 and 20 tons respectively.

Bagged topsoil

We can supply bagged soil on request, that’s approximately 800kg. Give us a call if you’d like more information.

About our topsoil

We operate an Environmental Permit at our site just near to J30 of the M5 for handling locally sourced topsoil. Topsoil that is to be moved must have contaminant tests done on multiple samples. These tests enable us to establish if it is suitable for residential use before we accept it. But crucially we only handle material that is low clay-content, nutritious and easy to handle and our customers want to come back for all their projects.

We’ll then screen the soil at our site and test samples against BS 3882:2015. This standard gives information about nutrients, structure, pH, etc in a handy one-page format that we can send out on request.  You can also chat with us about the characteristics of the soil and get a free sample.

We supply quality turf all year round. If you would like any further advice on lawn care or would like to talk to us about your order, please contact us on 01392 231040 or email sales@wesellturf.com

Untold hours of labour and love go into the fantastic entries for campaigns such as South West in Bloom. But there are also some key points to be aware of when preparing for any garden competition which will give you that all important edge over the others.

Some judging tips:

– Its important to make a good impression; the judge has limited time

– Shrubs and hedges should neatly clipped and any dead plants, flowers or leaves removed

– Plants should look healthy. There should be no disease or insect infestation

– Garden design is important, and includes layout, use of colour, line, form, texture and plants

– Beds should be well mulched with material that doesn’t look as though it was put down the day before judging

– Try to have a clear theme for the garden and stick to it

– Lawns should be healthy, weed free and nicely edged

– Resist the urge to put in an instant garden or planted garden. It will be obvious to a competent judge.

We are delighted to welcome Richard as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022. Here’s a bit more about him.

I have worked in the horticultural industry for forty six years years, forty two of which have been spent working in local government. In local government I came up through the ranks from gardener with Birmingham City Council to becoming Leisure Community Development Manager at Torbay Council where I worked for fifteen years until I retired in 2015. At Torbay I was responsible for parks, allotments, sports fields, play areas, funding and park friends groups.

 

I have been a South West in Bloom judge for over fifteen years and am also the Devon coordinator for the Royal Horticultural Society’s ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood” award, entries which are managed by South West in Bloom. 

 

In my home town of Bovey Tracey I lead the South West in Bloom entry. I also manage South West in Bloom’s Best Parks competition.

 

For over twenty years I was a Green Flag judge for Keep Britain Tidy, judging parks, nature reserves and community projects in the South West.

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

I am a Living Options Devon Trustee and a keen walker. Being able to access the outdoors with friends and family means everything to me and is really the best thing for my mental and physical wellbeing.  There are over 14 million disabled people in the UK, and more than one in five of us will be affected by disability at some point in our lives. Why would we as a society not want everyone to benefit from the great outdoors?

When I see a tramper being used is one of the most joyous things I think – and it’s so simple, there should be trampers everywhere!    I am sure most of us, or family and friends we want to spend time with, will need some sort of tramper at some point in our lives. Living Options will continue to work tirelessly to make sure that our world is accessible for all and all are included in the benefits of being outdoors.

Please get involved with the HCT Turf  #ILoveMyDevonGarden capaign and feel proud that you are part of sharing the outdoors with everyone. And if you are not already a tramper user, do look out for them when you are out and about!

Susan Fallon

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

Susan Fallon

We are delighted to welcome Susan as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022.

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

The art of capturing a great photograph often doesn’t come down to what equipment you have but rather some basic understanding of light and composition. Let’s have a look at some ‘rules’ of photography.

Composition – an essential one

This usually draws people in; things such as leading lines and the rule of thirds are two popular compositional guides. The rule of thirds works by placing the main centre of attention on both a horizontal “third” line and a vertical “third” line, which you can see in this picture below. When relating this to lawn photography, possibly by placing the horizon on one of the horizontal lines, this could achieve the rule of thirds. Another example would be to place a feature such as a shape in the lawn on one of the verticals.

“The rule of thirds” – HCT Turf archive image

Lighting

Arguably as crucial, if not more, is lighting. When lighting your lawn images, you rely on the natural light around you. As a rule of thumb, bright sunshine looks warm and inviting but creates shadows in your picture. Cloudy or overcast days give the image a cold and flat look, but shadows are reduced. When thinking about the time of the day, I love to shoot during the golden hour, or as the sun becomes much lower and gives a lovely golden glow to the image. Try taking pictures at different times of the day and see which you like best; there is no right or wrong, so try and experiment.

2021 entry

Angle

When taking your images, it’s good to think about the angle or height you might want to take your photo. The height at which you take your picture will change the depth/layering of the image. The higher you take the photo, the flatter the image will look; try getting lower and creating foreground interest. As a rule of thumb, choose either low down or from height. Taking a photo from head height is the easiest way to take a picture, but it will mean your images look very similar to all the other images we see on the internet.

2021 entry

Now you have a few tips and tricks that you can use while photographing your lawn images. If you can remember composition, lighting and angle, you will be set to capture a great shot. I look forward to seeing your entries. Good luck!

Felix Northover

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here

We are delighted to welcome Felix as one of our judges for #ILoveMyDevon Garden 2022. Here’s a bit more about him.

With a distinction in UAL Photography and a 1st in Film and TV from Exeter College, as a professional full-time photographer and filmmaker I now list the college, Exeter Chiefs, Exeter City Council, Devon County Show, ISCA Wellbeing and SWComms, among others, as key corporate clients.

 

From my base in Devon, my work takes me across the country and often beyond; opening up opportunities and experiences that both challenge and excite me on a daily basis.

 

Professionalism stands at the core of my work, allowing me to create content that captivates and engages my audience from every aspect; each and every new project offers an opportunity to grow, to learn and to exceed client expectations with the highest quality end result.

 

To find out more, visit – felixnorthoverphotography.com

For all the details of our #ILoveMyDevonGarden charity campaign click here