Lawns - problem solving

When the lawn is green and healthy the whole garden looks great. That's why it's important to deal with any problems before they become widespread.
Keep a careful check on the grass by examining it regularly. Does it look healthy? Is it free from weeds, disease and other lawn pests? Once it is healthy, use a regular care regime to strengthen the lawn and reduce potential problems.

What if there are problems?
Most lawn dilemmas are straightforward to deal with and once resolved are unlikely to recur providing you continue to maintain and care for your lawn. If there is a problem try to tackle the cause first.

Pale grass
Pale and yellowing grass is usually a sign of nutrient deficiencies. If the lawn is otherwise in good health then treat it in spring and summer with Lawn Feed. This will boost the overall health of the grass and help to restore its colour and vigour.

Patchy lawns
Areas of yellowing grass could be due to a fungal problem. Dollar Spot creates small round yellow patches and Snow Mould creates larger patches of yellowing grass, both may merge together to form bigger areas. Aerate the lawn as these problems are worse where drainage is poor.

Fairy rings
Don't be fooled by the attractive name, fairy rings, or more accurately circles of toadstools in the lawn can create unsightly damage. Some fungi that grow on rings in the lawn simply have the effect of creating a darker green band of grass growth. The best way to deal with this is to feed the grass with Lawn Feed to boost the rest of the lawn so that it develops a deeper green colour and blends the different areas together. Fairy rings that consist of a bare, mossy brown circle surrounded on both sides by green grass can be controlled by digging out a metre band width of the affected area to a depth of at least 30cm. This must be done very carefully removing any fungal strands (mycelium) in the soil and if necessary excavating further to ensure that they have all been removed. Take care not to drop infected soil on the rest of the lawn. Refill the hole with Premium Garden Soil and reseed using a suitable lawn seed.
Occasional clumps of fungi and solitary toadstools can also grow on the lawn. These are usually feeding on buried, uncomposted organic matter below the grass. Brush them off and remove them to prevent spores being spread further.

Worm casts
Many worm casts on the lawn may encourage weed growth and look unsightly. Tackle in a garden friendly manner. Wait for a dry day when the worm casts are dry and crumbly and scatter them with a besom broom. You can limit worm activity on the lawn by removing organic matter from the lawn surface. Collect clippings when mowing and sweep up fallen autumn leaves.

Leather Jackets
These crane-fly grubs can cause great damage to the lawn as they eat the roots. You can control these pests using an appropriate nematode based biological control, applied in the autumn. Alternatively if you water the area thoroughly and then cover with polythene overnight, the grubs should come to the surface. Collect them up and feed them to the birds.