Read our handy guide to find out all the lawn jobs for spring!
This is the time of year that your lawn will literally ‘spring’ into action following the dark winter months so here is our guide on all the jobs to do during spring. As the grass grows, it’s a great time to feed and condition, kill moss, get rid of lawn weeds, and also begin mowing. It’s also the perfect time to sow new lawns from seed. Read our sowing a new lawn guide to find out more. Follow the steps below to get a great-looking lawn this spring!
Start mowing with caution
As the weather warms up during the spring months, the grass will start to grow more rapidly. However, don’t cut the grass if the soil is very wet or there’s frost or snow on the ground. Be gentle with the first few cuts of the season. Simply trim off the top third of growth with the mower blades on their highest setting.
Allow the lawn to recover for a few days and then cut again with the blades on a lower setting. At this time of year, the lawn may only need cutting about once or twice a fortnight.
Remove weeds and moss
After the wet winter months, your lawn may be overrun with moss and weeds that compete with the grass for vital nutrients and soil moisture.
A scarifying rake is a great tool for removing thatch and moss from your lawn. This versatile tool removes thatch and moss from your lawn, also known as dethatching. By eliminating layers of dead grass, roots, and organic matter, you enhance water and nutrient penetration to your lawn’s roots.
Another way is to kill off moss and weeds using an all in one lawn feed, weed, and moss killer. This will increase the nutrient levels of the grass which therefore kills off the moss. Aftercut All In One is a good product to use to do this. Apply Aftercut All In One a few days after mowing and lightly rake out the moss once it begins to die (10-14 days). You will be left with bare patches in your lawn once the moss is gone. It is essential to grow new healthy grass over these patches to avoid them being overgrown by moss again (6 weeks after application of Aftercut All In One). The patches can easily be repaired using Patch Fix which is a grass seed with special aqua gel technology that locks in essential nutrients and therefore guarantees results. The best time to do this is in the spring or autumn months.
See our guide on how to repair patches in your lawn for more details.
Small patches of weeds can be dealt with effectively by using Resolva Lawn Weedkiller, or by removing them by hand. If you choose to use a weedkiller on your lawn, make sure it says ‘lawn weedkiller’ on it. If you use a normal weedkiller you will kill all your grass.
Feed your lawn
Spring is the perfect time to give your lawn a boost after the wear and tear of winter. Westland SafeLawn is perfect for anyone who loves their lawn, especially those with children or pets as it is safe to use with little feet and paws around. SafeLawn feeds your lawn and helps to prevent weeds and moss too. The formulation contains natural ingredients and slow-release nutrients. This enables a quick and prolonged green up of the lawn, with benefits that can be seen all season long. Find out more about feeding your lawn.
Deal with compacted soil
Make sure you aerate compacted lawns as this helps to promote healthy growth. Aerating improves the drainage around the grass roots. You’ll know if you have a compact lawn because it will be rock hard and also slow to drain after rainfall. Paths across the lawns are often quick to compact as they have had heavy foot traffic.
A good time to aerate the lawns is in the spring. Ideally, you should remove plugs of soil using a hollow tine aerator.
Alternatively, you could use a normal garden fork and push the spikes into the soil to a depth of about 7-10cm (3-4 inches) if possible. After the lawn has been aerated, fill the holes with Westland Lawn and Turf Dressing. This contains a mixture of sand, peat, soil as well as fertiliser, which together, add exactly the right ingredients to the soil for premium grass growth.
Overseeding
Spring is a good time to overseed any sparse areas of lawn. Sparse areas may appear where weeds or moss have been removed or where the grass has not grown very well.
Apply a good quality lawn seed, such as Gr0-Sure Smart Seed or Gro-Sure Smart Seed Fast Start which will germinate in colder temperatures. Grass should sprout within a week or two depending on conditions.
Watch our handy video on how to oversee your lawn.
Take a look at our seasonal calendar to find out what lawn jobs you should be doing each month.
