With Autumn in full swing, the days are getting colder and shorter - and with that, the leaves start to fall off the trees and moss starts to grow more.
As winter gets closer, more can be done to look after a lawn than you might think. In fact, as the leaves begin to fall and it gets wetter and muddier, it can be easy to neglect your lawn. However, it’s more important than ever during the autumn months to maintain your garden and doing this will help to ensure your grass is looking beautiful for the warmer months ahead.
Although your lawn care routine may change a bit in the autumn, you can still maintain a lush and green lawn with a little extra effort.
In this article we will discuss the importance of cutting the grass, clearing leaves, aerating your lawn and lawn scarifying. We will also give you some great advice on how to keep your lawn looking its best during autumn.
Cutting the grass
Above around 5 degrees centigrade, grass continues to grow and it’s worth cutting it while you can to keep your lawn looking great. This may be harder as the colder months tend to bring more rain, so it’s worth taking any opportunity to keep the lawn trimmed. This also helps to remove autumn and winter debris including leaves that have fallen.
Why remove leaves?
Leaves on the ground can provide a beautiful autumnal look to a garden, but they do provide issues for lawns by blocking out sunlight and air which are critical to a healthy-looking lawn.
As well as cutting the grass, a leaf blower can also help to collect leaves quicker and easier.
Aerating your lawn
For a lawn to stay healthy, it needs air to go beyond the top surface. Aerating the soil helps provide vital nutrition to the ground and encourages root development.
There are many other benefits to aerating your lawn. It thins out below-the-surface thatch and helps to remove disease and moss by making it harder for moss and other diseases to grow.
Once aeration is complete it’s recommended to scarify the lawn.
What are scarifiers?
Lawn scarifiers are machines that are used to remove thatch and other unwanted materials to prepare the ground for future growth.
Natural thatch forms on a lawn, but it can eventually get too long. This can make it hard for good elements such as water, fertiliser and oxygen to get all the way down to the roots of the grass. The net result of not removing thatch is that it makes it more difficult for a lawn to grow properly and can lead to mossy patches across the entire lawn.
Lawn scarifying is a great way to maintain a lawn in autumn and throughout the year - and at John Miller Garden Machinery, we have a range of lawn scarifiers to help you with looking after your lawn.
Knowing if you need to perform lawn scarifying
It’s generally good practice to scarify in the autumn but if you aren’t sure if you need to do it then a good way to check is to see if your lawn is covered in moss or if it is really spongy.
Lawn scarifiers are easy to use and can make a huge difference to the overall health of your lawn. Visit our online store to find out more about our great range of lawn scarifiers.