How To Care For Your Lawn In Autumn
How to care for your lawn in autumn: Tom Cole, head of horticulture and landscaping at Capel Manor College, shows you all you need to know about caring for your lawn in Autumn.
-
Thumbnail for web
-
How to care for your lawn in Autumn.
-
Step 1:
-
You will need
-
Step 2:
-
Sweep the leaves
-
Sweep up any leaves that have fallen with a broom. You may want to put them in a flowerbed to fertilise the soil as they rot. At this stage you can apply weed killer and fertiliser to the lawn, but it's not essential.
-
Step 3:
-
Scarify
-
This process removes dead material while stimulating the grass to produce runners and side shoots which will thicken up the lawn. Pull the rake across the lawn towards you, raking vigorously to remove any thatch and dead moss. The tines of the rake should reach well into the soil surface. Repeat the raking at a different angle to ensure all dead material has been removed.
-
Step 4:
-
Collect rakings
-
Collect all the rakings and put them onto a compost heap if you have one.
-
Step 5:
-
Aerate
-
Aerate the soil by spiking the lawn with a garden fork. Insert the fork and then lean back to open up the holes to let in more air. Do this in a grid pattern across the lawn with approximately 15 centimetre gaps. You can also use a hollow tiner which will pull out a plug of soil.
-
Step 6:
-
Top Dressing
-
This mixture is used to fill the holes in the soil, to improve the condition and drainage of your lawn. On a dry day, use a shovel to sprinkle the mixture over your lawn at a rate of about 1 kilogram per square metre. Brush the mixture into the spiked holes with a besom or stiff broom. Top dressing can be bought in ready mixed bags from garden centres. To mix your own, combine 6 parts sharp sand with 3 parts top soil and 1 part peat substitute. If you have heavy clay soil, you may need more sand.
