What’s left to do for your lawn in winter?

It’s all about stopping after all, so try not to walk on wet grass as your footprints in soft soil will leave a bumpy surface. But it’s not a big deal if you do.

But before you stop completely remove any final fallen leaves which can rot down and smother healthy grass. Look out for any last remaining areas of maintenance. Do you have any puddles forming?  This may mean you have poor drainage or compaction and will need to look at aeration in the spring, but if you want to get out and put air back into the soil it’s perfectly fine to do it during the winter months.

Don’t despair if your lawn does become water-logged during the winter, you may need to over-seed in the spring. A relatively simple and easy step.

You might want to move any garden furniture to stop it from winter damage and also give the lawn a chance to recover from it’s weight.

Mowing will have almost certainly have come to a halt for some, however, venturing out once a month is a good idea, but avoid mowing if the lawn is too wet.

All applications of fertilisers and weed killers will have to wait until the spring when the grass is growing.

If frost or snow is likely

The great news is that frost and snow don’t really do any damage to your lawn. Damage can occur when there is movement across it, so it is advisable to try and stay off your lawn to reduce footprints in your grass when it is frosty, frozen or after a heavy snowfall. But thankfully there won’t be any long-term damage, grass is surprisingly resilient and any scorch marks will grow out by spring. So don’t be put off building that snowman when the snow comes!

Laying new turf

It may come as a surprise to know that is perfectly fine to lay turf during the winter months, it really is very resilient. Frost and snow will not do any damage. Winter is actually quite a good time to lay turf as it gives the turf time to settle in and take a firm root. It might be worth noting that turf maybe more difficult to locate in garden centres, during the run up to Christmas, but it will be available to order from us by phone any time. (Click here for more information on laying turf in winter.)

With your feet firmly up, and with that log fire burning, it’s the ideal time to draw up a spring time maintenance plan and get your garden tools in working order (maybe even ask Father Christmas for some new ones) and don’t forget to include any mower repairs, so that by the time spring is on the horizon you will be lawn ready.

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

The front garden and exterior of the house will form the vital first impression for viewers. Within minutes of arriving at your home, they will have made some sort of opinion and decision. An unkempt, patchy and tired looking lawn can instantly leave a negative impression.

Simon Cooper, partner at Stags, the region’s leading estate agent says, “Present the property as best you can: first impressions are so important. The outside space is crucial to this. If you get it right potential buyers will leave with good, lasting impressions.”

A tidy, low-maintenance garden with enough space, will have the widest appeal to potential buyers. Even just mowing the grass will have great visual impact on the overall appearance. It’s important to think of your garden as another room of the house with the lawn as the carpet.

We have a few simple tips to ensure your lawn looks in tip-top condition when potential buyers come to view your property:

Condition

To establish lawn health, spring is one of the optimal times to feed your lawn. To help prevent weeds and moss forming, feed with an all-in one feed, weed and moss killer up to 6 times a year (but especially in the spring and autumn). If you are an organic gardener a daisy grubber can lift out the weeds and feed the lawn with a mixture of blood, bone and fishmeal.

Aesthetics

To give the illusion of space: extend the lawn by grassing over any unwanted flower beds; narrow the borders and trim back any over-flowing plants to open up the space.  It also enables the garden to be easier to care for and has the potential to be more adaptable to the new buyer’s needs.

MAINTENANCE

Mowing

Keep the lawn in shape by regular mowing. It doesn’t just cosmetically alter the appearance of your garden but it keeps it healthy and removes any pests and potential diseases.

In the spring and summer months, it’s a good idea to mow your lawn just before the viewers arrive. It will help draw attention to it and the smell of fresh cut grass might just woo them over.

So, where possible, between April and September, mow the lawn every seven days or so.

And if you really want to go the extra mile, to get those quintessential lawn stripes you’ll need a rear roller on the back of your mower.

Raking

Clear any fallen leaves from the lawn in the autumn and winter. Raking allows lawns to breathe, prevents grass damage, pests and disease. Autumn is also the ideal time of year to attack any moss growing in your lawn before it takes hold in the winter months.

Investing time in your lawn will not only make it easier to maintain and be cost-effective in the long run it will be more aesthetically pleasing for you and any potential buyers.  What bigger return could there be? An eye-catching, lush, healthy green attractive lawn will pay dividends.

SUMMARY

• When selling your home, think of your lawn as an extension of the internal space, ensure it looks neat and tidy.
• Low maintenance lawns offer the widest appeal – keep it simple!
• Feed and water your lawn to keep it in the best condition during the spring and summer
• Mow your lawn just before potential buyers come to view your property

If you would like more advice about selling your property please visit Stags.

If you are considering investing in turf for your garden to sell your property please contact us for further advice on 01392 231040 or email sales@wesellturf.com

It’s only natural to want to get out and mow your lawn as soon as spring arrives, but the best thing you can do is to encourage nourishment with plenty of TLC and some good feed, which all goes towards putting vital energy and nutrients back into the soil and helps to fight off disease, ensuring your lawn is full of luxurious vitality for the summer months ahead.

We have devised some helpful tips for those of you ready to get your lawns in order this spring.

Mowing

With the sun making an appearance at this time of year, it easy to think I’ll jump in the garden and give the grass a mow to get it ready for the Spring. And while it is a very important job to do, caution is required. Grass leaves have a lot of work to do at this time of year as they are storing any available nourishment and sending what they can down into their roots to enable new growth to form on the surface, as well as trying to stave off diseases. Therefore, mowing too early will cut off any vital nutrients that they need.

For the first mowing in spring, set the cutting height to the highest setting. Thereafter, gradually reduce the height of cut until the desired height is reached. The general guideline is never remove more than one-third of the leaf in any one mow. A little and often approach is better in spring; think, once a week in spring time but never when it is wet or frosty.

Aerate

From March onwards a key part of looking after your lawn is to aerate it. It is an often overlooked part of lawn care but is well needed after the impact of winter which can lead to compacted soil and also sometimes very wet grass – conditions not conducive to spring growth! Aeration allows air into the soil enabling better root growth and absorption of more nutrients from the soil, allowing it to breathe again. This can be done with a hand-held aerating tool or a powered aerator.

Scarifying or raking, is a really useful thing to do in the spring and the autumn. You can easily hire a machine, which makes it simple to do. Scarifying prevents too much thatch from accumulating by removing the build-up of dead vegetation. This ensures that air and water can permeate into the soil and it discourages moss from spreading too. Of course to keep cost down, a hand held spring-tine rake can be used. Vigorously pull the rake through the grass sward to remove dead grass, roots and moss.

Moss and weed removal

After the winter you may see lots of moss and weeds in your turf, they’ll be competing with the grass for nutrients and moisture and need to be dealt with. An all in one lawn feed, weed and moss killer is ideal to increase the nutrient levels of the grass and kill off the moss at the same time. Or for a less chemical approach, Scarifying or raking, as described above can really help. It’s a good idea to wait at least until April or May to use weed killer. But manual weeding can be done earlier. Not all weeds are created equal!

Also, the presence of moss, could be a sign of compacted soil if your lawn has been subject to high levels of traffic. Aeration is the best remedy to rectify it, but this kind of solution is best kept until the autumn.

Once moss has been removed you may have to consider over-seeding to cover up bare patches or even out the whole lawn with the appropriate grass seed and then add fertiliser for optimal growth.

Over-seeding

If your lawn is plagued with bare patches due to heavy traffic, pet activity or neglect or it suffered from the ravages of an excessively wet winter, you may need to apply grass seed to fill in the gaps. Spring is a great time to over-seed your lawn after any winter damage. It’s easy and quick, just sprinkle where needed. April to September is the ideal time to over-seed.

Feeding your lawn

To establish lawn health, spring is one of the optimal times to feed your lawn. In fact it’s ideal to feed it up to 6 times a year and helps prevent weeds and moss forming

Summary

• Feed your lawn regularly with all-in-one feed, weed and moss killer, especially in Spring and Autumn
• Set the mower blades high for the first mow in Spring and don’t remove more than one third of the leaf at a time
• Aeration helps a compacted lawn to thrive better
• Scarifying removes dead vegetation to encourage grass growth
• Moss and weeds can be removed with chemicals or manually
• Over seed bare patches left by moss and weeds between April and September

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

We’ve been asked a few of these question this week with the weather taking a turn for the worse. Just as we were beginning to look forward to the spring a blast of Siberian weather has arrived. But fear not, it’s not all bad news. The cold snap shouldn’t affect the harvesting and supply of our turf, unless the ground is frozen, and usually we can harvest in the afternoon following a frost. And as long as the roads remain clear we can still deliver as usual.

LAYING TURF IN THE WINTER

Generally the cold weather won’t affect laying turf either. Winter is actually a great time to lay turf as it gives the turf time to settle and root before the summer months when you‘ll be wanting to use the lawn more often. It will actually be easier to manage; it will require much less maintenance and watering (no long hot sunny days to worry about … ah, wishful thinking!).

CAN I LAY TURF WHEN THE GROUND IS FROZEN?

Laying turf onto frozen ground is not advised, however if you have already received your turf and the rolls have frozen, simply wait until they thaw and then lay.

WHAT IF I’VE JUST LAID NEW TURF AND THE FROST COMES?

If you’ve recently laid new turf, the frost won’t cause any long-term damage either, just follow our tips below to ensure it stays in tiptop condition.

HOW CAN I TAKE EXTRA CARE OF MY LAWN IN THE FROST AND SNOW?

As snow and frost won’t really do any damage to your lawn, there isn’t really too much to worry about. However keeping off the grass when it is frosty or frozen can help to reduce ugly footprint forms in the lawn, but rest assured they’ll not cause long term damage – grass is pretty hard wearing! Any scorch marks will then grow out of the grass in the spring.

When it comes to snow, prolonged compacted snow cover can cause an outbreak of snow mould (small circles of straw coloured spots in the grass).  To reduce the chance of snow mould damage we’d advise you to avoid throwing snow on the lawn from paths and driveways, and, as much as we don’t want to spoil the kids fun, remove snowmen when they are finished with (shh … don’t tell the children we said that).

Obviously, this is not the time to be mowing or applying any fertilisers or weed killers either. The grass needs to be growing rather than dormant for them to work.

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