Autumn Lawn Feed

Grass is one of most high maintenance plans on the planet but so rewarding when you get it right!

Your grass will probably have entertained plenty of action over the summer. Therefore Autumn gives us a great chance to give it a little attention and a helping hand before Winter sets in.

As temperatures begin to drop, you will find yourself cutting the lawn less often, perhaps every second week. Raise the cutting blade a little, your lawn will want to absorb as much sunlight as possible to give it enough energy to survive the winter.

 

The next thing you will need to do is feed the lawn and treat any moss. An autumn lawn feed will have different components to a Spring lawn feed so it’s not a great idea to use any left over’s from Spring. You will want to use a feed that is high on phosphates and potash, this works on the health of the root system of the grass. Westlands All in One Autumn Lawn feed has all the correct components to feed your lawn and eliminate moss. 

Rake leaves off the lawn. Dead leaves will reduce the amount of light your lawn gets thereby limiting its energy to convert molecules into food for growth. Try not to rake your lawn on a frosty morning as you may damage the grass as you walk across it. 

Ideally, you should scarify your lawn while the soil is warm and moist. This will remove any dead matter that has accumulated on the lawn over the summer and will allow air back into the roots of the grass.

To scarify, you can use a springbok rake, more ideal for smaller gardens. If you have a big lawn you might prefer to hire a scarifying machine. With the mechanical option, just be careful not to set the height too low thereby damaging the roots of the grass.

Now is a great time also to tackle bare patches. You can use a product such as Aftercut Patch Fix which contains a really good mix of seeding soil & coated seeds for quicker germination and feed, helping healthy grass establish quickly.

It’s a really good idea to aerate your lawn every 2-3 years. It will help improve drainage and the overall health of your lawn. You can do this with a garden fork or a hand-held aerating fork. You will need to push the fork into the soil to its full depth with 6 inch gaps. Alternatively you can hire an aerator particularly if you have a large lawn.

For all your gardening needs and queries, visit our garden centre in Cork or visit our blog regularly to keep up with the seasons!