‘Crucial step’ to improve the ‘colour and density’ of your lawn – ‘prevents damage’

Garden tips: How to maintain your lawn

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Lawns often grow a lot slower during the winter months, which means they don’t receive regular care and attention. However, now spring has arrived and warmer weather is on the horizon, it’s important for gardeners to resume lawn tasks. Gardening experts at Natural Green Systems, specialists in lawns and pest control, have shared important ways to care for lawns so that they are thriving for the rest of the year.

The experts shared the importance of testing the soil to understand if your lawn is lacking in nutrients.

They said: “A soil test is a crucial step in finding out what nutrients your lawn is lacking and what fertilisation and any other treatments can do to improve its density and colour.

“For instance, if your soil’s pH is off, then the fertiliser you’re feeding it might not be working at all on your quest for greener grass.

“Poor pH could limit nutrient uptake.”

This can result in lawns developing brown patches and diseases.

Mark Haley, lawn specialist behind EasyLawnMowing, also advised gardeners to carry out a soil test to ensure grass “thrives”.

He said: “In order for your lawn to thrive throughout the year, you need to understand what’s going on underneath the grass. And in order to do this accurately, you need to carry out a soil test.

“Simple soil tests will show you how acidic your soil is, which nutrients are most prominent, which nutrients are least prominent and if you should be adding any soil amendments.

“All this information will not only help you to ensure proper grass growth and health, but it will also prevent you from accidentally damaging your lawn, such as applying the wrong fertiliser/material.”

Once the soil has been tested, the experts at Natural Green Systems suggested that gardeners fertilise their lawns.

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Some may think that lawns naturally have all the nutrients they need to grow well.

But, over time, lawns actually leech nutrients, leaving them deficient.

For thicker, greener grass, a lawn needs the right nutrition, which is where fertiliser comes into play.

The gardening experts said: “Fertilisation can seem overwhelming with all of the options out there, as well as the complex terminology.

“Fertiliser contains various mixes of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium: the three nutrients lawns need.

“Then there are liquid and granular fertilisers.

“On top of that, achieving thicker and greener grass requires proper timing and application of the right mix of nutrients.”

Gardeners will know which nutrients their lawns are lacking after conducting a soil test, as mentioned earlier.

Just as plants need watering, the lawn is no different.

Grass needs the right amount of water at the right times.

The experts said: “Watering at night can lead to excess humidity, which is a recipe for turf disease development.

“Watering when the sun is blaring during mid-day means that water may evaporate too quickly before reaching the roots.

“That leaves early morning just before sunrise or at sunrise as the best time.

“This gives the grass roots a chance to absorb the water, and as the sun comes out it’ll burn off the excess water resting on grass blades so disease doesn’t get a chance to develop overnight.”

The goal is to water less frequently and long enough that your grass gets a good soaking versus shallow waterings more frequently.

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