Dream Lawn or Nightmare?
Like many aspects of a garden, a little bit of maintenance goes a long way. In Autumn, some important jobs you can to do for your lawn is scarifying and aerating. If done correctly, your lawn will be ready to produce healthy new growth by the time spring arrives the following year.
Scarifying is the process in which dead grass or thatch is removed from the lawn as well as lateral stems that restrict the penetration of light and air. Scarifying is important because the buildup of thatch and lack of light and air will cause moss and weeds to encroach on your beloved turf. Once these are removed, it also encourages new grass shoots to form.
To scarify your lawn, you can use a rake and the Bulldog Premier Springbok Rake is one of the best in the business. It has high-tensile steel tines which make it very durable all the while being slightly flexible. The tines are made from a single piece of wire with no joints or crimps and these are set at the most efficient angle for lawn use. In using the tool to scarify your lawn, it is recommended to rake the whole of the lawn in one direction and repeated in another direction as necessary. You’ll be surprised at how much of the unwanted elements (thatch, moss, weeds) this process is able to extract from your lawn.
Another important task in the maintenance of your lawn is aeration. This process enables more air and water to penetrate the roots while also removing the trapped carbon dioxide in the soil. This will ultimately make your lawn more resistant to changes in weather like times of high rainfall and even drought. The additional oxygen and water to the root zone will make the roots produce more growth and make your lawn cope better with changing conditions. Tools used for aeration are a lawn spiking fork or garden fork.
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After doing the jobs mentioned above, you may add an additional ‘topdressing’ to the lawn if so desired. The recommended mix is 10% compost, 30% loam and 60% sharp sand. This will further take care of your lawn and after just a couple years of repeating the tasks above, your lawn will finally come close to resembling your dream lawn.
For more great lawn care tips, check out this article by Love Your Lawn.
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