Summer Lawn Care

In the UK it’s often a rarity that we get the chance to enjoy the summer sunshine, but when we do, we like to enjoy the most of it in our garden with friends and family. It’s fair to say that relaxing on a great looking green lawn makes the summer experience even more pleasurable. But for a lawn this can be the most stressful time of the year. So what can we do to help our lawn look its best?

Watering

Summer is the time when drought can occur and a lawn can turn brown and straw coloured. The most important thing we can do is give it a much deserved drink. Your lawn typically needs between 1 and 1.5 inches of water per week. If it’s really hot and your lawn starts to yellow you may need to increase this. Try to water your lawn once a week rather than spreading your watering out. The general rule here is early morning or in the evening, which probably suits most homeowners. Remember to follow any local regulations when using water in summer (especially with current hosepipe bans).

Mowing

As temperatures hot up and we move into summer the growth of your lawn may actually start to slow down, mow as and when necessary never taking more than one third of the length of the plant off in any one cut. Don’t mow the lawn too short when it is very hot as this can cause damage to occur. Use an edging iron to keep lawn edges neat and tidy. If the conditions are ideal for growth you may need to cut twice a week to keep it looking good. Check out our range of mowers here.

Feeding and Conditioning

For maximum summer lawn care, apply a summer feed to help it grow well. There are several chemical feeds available which are designed for the summer months and will help keep your lawn green and crisp during hot weather.

Planning a Summer Lawn

Looking after and maintaining a beautiful lawn is a rewarding experience and past time. The results speak for themselves and are there for all to see. A grass surface is also one of the safest surfaces for you and your family to enjoy.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort to keep your lawn looking good throughout the summer season and with the right tools and treatments at your fingertips you simply can’t go wrong. 

Mulching Lawnmowers - The Easy Way to Mulch Your Lawn

In agriculture and gardening, mulch is a protective cover placed over the soil, to retain moisture, reduce erosion, suppress weed growth and seed germination, and provide nutrients as they decay. The purpose of mulching in gardens and landscapes is to mimic leaf cover on forest floors.

There are many different types of materials that can be used as mulches and it can vary considerably. What mulches to use can depend on cost, appearance, availblity and the effect it has on the soil. A few common types of mulch includes

• Organic residue (Including grass clippings, leaves, straw, bark, sawdust and wood chippings)
• Compost (Needs to have any weed seed removed so as not to encourage the growth of weeds)
• Rubber Mulch (Made from recycled tyre rubber)
• Plastic Mulch (Predominant in large scale vegetable growing, crops crowing through slits or holes in plastic sheeting)
• Rock and gravel (more common in cooler climates where the rocks retain heat to help growth)

In a typical garden you are more likely to use compost and even more so grass cuttings to mulch your lawn and the easiest way to do this is with a mulching lawnmower.

Mulching lawnmowers recycle grass clippings by finely cutting and re-cutting the grass concealing cuttings within the standing grass to wilt and decompose thereby feeding the soil.

Recycling or mulching the grass in this way also saves time as there’s no more stopping to empty the grass collector - no more bagging up clippings and taking them to the tip, or having unsightly piles of rotting grass around your garden either.

For a great range of mulching lawnmowers for top brands including Honda, Lawnflite, Massey Ferguson, Hayter and Mountfield visit World of Mowers.

Using A Grass Scarifier

Scarifying your lawn is important for most gardens. A build of dead material accumulates around the base of grass shoots which needs removing. The material that builds up is termed thatch, which stops air, water and fertiliser from reaching your grass roots. A scarifier is a great way to keep down this debris and will improve the condition of your lawn, by letting air and water through, this will also help to prevent disease which will damage your lawn.

Most gardeners are aware that decomposing material can be good for your garden, however, the thatch build up can not decompose quick enough, which causes a problem and this is where scarification is necessary. A good time to start scarifying your lawn is going into Spring. It is possible to use a spring-tined rake if the garden is small, however, if you have a larger garden a motor driven scarifier would be best. Many garden scarifiers have a collection box to collect the thatch, which makes the job easier. An important tip to remember is, if your grass contains moss to treat the moss before using a scarifier (the scarifier will simply spread the moss about) and then return at a later date to scarify.

If you are considering purchasing a garden scarifier then check out our range of garden tools at World Of Mowers.

Homemade Compost

Making homemade compost is a great idea. It is environmentally friendly, saves you money and improves the quality of your soil. All you need is a container which is suitable to be used to hold the compost and you can begin. Suitable containers can be purchased from garden suppliers or alternatively, you can make your own. To make your own compost container, you can drill holes in a rubbish bin, which will allow oxygen to help with the decomposition process.

To start the compost, you can layer dry leaves, shredded paper, straw, twigs or dead plants, with a layer of weeds, grass and kitchen scraps on top. The first layer will produce a carbon layer, the secondary layer will add nitrogen. However, it is advisable to leave out any meats, fats or anything that has been cooked, due to the risk of attracting vermin.

It is best to combine this layering affect, to try to combine the right ratio of nitrogen to carbon. Too much nitrogen will result in a foul smelling compost heap and too much carbon will slow down the composting process.

The compost should also be watered, however, it is unnecessary to saturate the mixture. The compost can then be turned using a fork or shovel. You can move the outer layers in to the centre and vice versa to keep the mixture aerated.

When the mixture has turned brown and crumbly, the compost should be ready to use.
For your garden equipment visit World Of Mowers