This Month in a Nutshell

We always say September, NOT October, is the prime month for autumn lawn renovation because there is warmth (usually), good rainfall (hopefully) and fewer seeding weeds (definitely). It's good for toad stools and crane fly as well!

This year has been a rather wet one so most of you should be in a good place for autumn renovations with some dry spells forecast to enable scarifying. There are though, some places such as Devon and Cornwall that are still under a hosepipe ban. If this is the case hold off treatments such as feeding, weed killing and moss killing until the rains start. There will certainly be time to accomplish these before winter sets in. In fact, feeding and spiking will become even more critical to help the lawn get back on its feet. You can now also add some Seaweed into your recovery program.

So, do check for thatch, there will be more due to extra growth from the wetter conditions, and also check for moss as this will also be doing well due to cooler, cloudier and wetter conditions.

Summary 'to do' list for September:

• Autumn Fertilising
• Final Weed Control
• Raking, scarifying and over-sowing
• Aeration
• Seeding

The Weather

From here on in things will eventually get cooler and wetter; exactly what is needed for renovation and seeding. It looks like many prayers will be answered if the forecast comes good. Here is the next months outlook courtesy of the Met Office:

3rd to 12th September

It is probable that early September will see some fine settled conditions for much of the UK, although some spells of cloud, rain and strong winds could pass through north-western areas. There is a possibility that southern areas may see a few showers developing, which at times could turn heavy and thundery as more humid air from the continent reaches these regions. Temperatures are expected to be close to average for many but could feel rather warm in any sunshine. The specifics for the rest of the period remain slightly uncertain, with the most likely scenario being a continuation of the generally settled conditions. The chance of some thundery showers towards the south is likely to remain, while any unsettled spells will probably be confined to the northwest.

13th to 26th September

The general themes from the first third of September are likely to remain in place through the early part of this period, with dry and settled weather for much of the UK, although southern areas are likely to remain at risk of occasional showers and thunderstorms. Towards the latter half of the month, high pressure may shift further to the north or east, increasing the likelihood that eastern areas could see above-average rainfall, while western regions remain somewhat dry for the time of year. It may feel fairly warm for late September, with temperatures overall likely to be slightly higher than usual.

We have a Vyne WINNER!

Last month we ran a competition worth £100 to introduce a new secure payment system called Vyne

What is Vyne?

Vyne is an account-to-account payment provider that uses your banks' own technology to enable you to pay faster, easier and safer. 

Why use Vyne? 

Fast, Secure & Simple - You don’t need to open a Vyne account to make a payment. Simply choose Vyne Pay with Bank at checkout, select your bank and either use the online banking method or log into your mobile banking app, just like normal. Confirm the payment and you’re done and no pin codes sent to your phone either!

And our WINNER is Michael with Order 213066. We'll be in touch shortly to arrange your £100 of free fertiliser and/or grass seed.

Congratulations Michael

As many of you were away in August we've decided to run a second competition so...

Another £100 of Goodies to be Won this Month!!!

Any order placed using Vyne during September 2023 will automatically be entered into our prize draw with a chance to win £100 of fertiliser or grass seed of your choice.

If you're using your phone to order and pay just click the Vyne payment option during checkout and it's super straight forward. If you're using your Mac or PC click 'Pay with Bank' to get to the page below, ignore the QR code and click Pay with online banking.

Try your luck by giving it a go.

New in our Shop

Seaweed by popular demand. We have tweaked the formula by adding potassium to make it a very lawn specific concoction with improved drought and heat tolerance. It is perfectly safe and beneficial to use on other plants as well. Available in 1, 5 and 10 litre containers you should find this a superb addition to your lawn care plan.

Guidance for use: Seaweed for a Blooming Great Lawn

Seaweed Concentrate: Seaweed Bio-Bloom for Lawns

What's New?

In our new section Lawn Care Problems we have added dozens of new articles to help you care for your lawn. They answer many of the most common and not so common problems and questions you ask us on a day to day basis. Here are the latest articles added during the last few months:

New for this Lawn Diary

• How do I know what Fertiliser to use on my Lawn
• Using Seaweed for a Blooming Great Lawn
• Fertiliser Storage and Shelf Life

From the previous Lawn Diary

• Slow Growing Grass for Lawns
• Best Lawn Fertiliser for Clay Soils
• Best Lawn Fertiliser for Sandy Soils
• How to Mix Lawn Weed Killer with Fertiliser

Lawn Trends - A MUST Visit

Please visit the most import and current seasonal articles here

Mowing the Lawn

If you have good levels of moisture around grass growth should be at or near its best so keep mowing weekly, though in Scotland lowering temperatures will soon start to slow growth. Once growth does start to slow, remember to raise your mowing height by one to two settings until spring next year. If cooler wet weather causes a resurgence of moss raise the mowing height even more so that at least 1/2" (preferably 1") of grass shows above the moss after grass cutting.

Mowers

Now that the dew is returning try to mow in the afternoon. Damp grass can easily build up inside the mower so always give the mower a good brush, scrape or hose down after every use.

Fertilising the Lawn

September and October are great months for the Autumn lawn feed. Not only does this give you a fantastic lawn now, helping it recover from summer use but also 'winterizes' the lawn giving it some protection from the ravages of winter temperatures and disease. In addition, if your lawn has an abundance of moss or weeds it will be partly down to poor grass health with low nutrient levels being part of the problem.

If you've never tried an autumn feed on your lawn then do give it a go. The additional benefit it gives the lawn will keep it looking green and healthy through most of the colder months. This doesn't mean extra mowing over winter as temperatures generally stay below 8⁰C meaning little growth but still good colour.

Our Autumn Fertiliser can be applied anytime from middle August through to November, though I'd consider no later than end October for Scotland. If your schedule puts you into a late October or November feeding then also consider using our Winter Green High Iron Fertiliser. This generates next to no growth, greens magnificently and the high iron content is great for moss control.

Spreading Fertiliser Videos Spraying Videos

Weed Control

Most weed seeds will have germinated in your lawn by now so September should be considered as your last opportunity to clobber the weeds that remain. The most noticeable weeds at this time of year are cinquefoil, yarrow, thistles, hawks beard and hawk-bit.

This is my preferred month for a full lawn treatment as you will get most weeds AND prevent them over wintering and thus being harder to kill in the spring. If needed apply weed killer to the whole lawn either by knapsack sprayer or watering can. If you're using a watering can try the sprinkle bar for faster more accurate application.

If you've been diligent with your weed control and only have a few weeds then keep at it with a combination of spot treating individual weeds with a Ready to Use Weed Killer or manually removing them.

See Weed Identification for more detail and control methods.

WARNING: Do not apply weed killer to dry or parched lawns other than as a spot treatment. Always read the label for advice on repeat treatments and safe use.

Watch the Video

With the approach of wetter weather, moss will be making a comeback so consider cultural control methods, moss treatments with applications of a ferrous sulphate based moss killer or Moss-Off followed by raking the moss out or a combination of all three.

Moss treatments with ferrous sulphate are very useful as a standalone procedure to control the progress of moss and can be used every 4 to 8 weeks throughout the cooler months to keep the moss in check. This way you may enter spring with no noticeable moss problem and avoid the job of raking it all out once again!

For those of you with concerns for safety of children and pets that are likely to be on the lawn soon after treating you can now use a chemical free product in your treatment program. See MossOff in the moss killer products link below.

Watch the Video

Watering the Lawn

This is unlikely unless you have little soil moisture and are planning lawn renovations such as scarifying, aeration or seeding. If you do water this month do it in the mornings to reduce the likelihood of disease.

Aeration & De-compaction

Autumn and in particular September and October is the time for hollow tining the lawn. If you're scarifying the lawn as well do it before tining. Other forms of aeration are perfectly acceptable but hollow tining is by far the best way to aerate at this time of year particularly if you aerate infrequently or have a moss problem. Hire a machine or visit our shop for a handy Hollow Tine Aerator.

If you are pottering about the lawn stick on a pair of aerator sandals and do two jobs at once. Getting as much air into the lawn, whether or not you have hollow tined, helps the grass after the summer and the extra drainage won't go amiss particularly if you have a moss problem.

Remember to fertilise the lawn AFTER aerating to produce deeper rooting.

Watch the Video

Raking & Scarifying

As long as grass growth is good then the conditions should be excellent for raking or scarifying IF IT NEEDS DOING. Some lawns don't need much in the way of scarifying so check for thatch first.

If on the other hand conditions are dry then recovery after scarification may be compromised though scarifying whilst it's dry makes life easier. As nature usually provided adequate rain at this time of year all should be well but be prepared to get the sprinkler out if not.

If you're new to scarifying consider hiring or buying a petrol scarifier for large lawns or for smaller lawns an electric raker/scarifier or even the handy rolling lawn scarifier is ideal for lawns upto 200m².

If you need to apply chemical weed control do it at least a month, preferably two months before scarifying. Don't apply any weed killer afterwards; wait until the following spring.

Finally, don't forget to fertilise and over seed your lawn after raking or scarifying. This is an often neglected part of the renovation process leading to slow recovery, patchy lawns and lots of weeds and weed grasses. So, use the Autumn Fertiliser and finally over sow with new grass seed to make your lawns sparkle.

Watch the Video

Repairs & Renovations

Renovation requires water to help grass seed germinate and to assist existing grass to repair and recover. Only undertake renovation if you can water if conditions are or become dry. Any turfing laid will require regular watering to establish.

Traditionally October heralds the start of the turfing season as there is plenty of moisture and little dry weather enabling the turf to root without the need for watering.

Pests & Diseases

If you've had red thread in the lawn this year it should now be coming to an end as the cooler weather creeps in. In addition, your autumn lawn feed will help grow it out so by the end of September all signs should be gone.

If your lawn suffers from 'dry patch' or 'fairy rings' then these areas may become more evident this month as the grass in none problem areas starts to benefit from the rain. If they are obvious then watering, spiking, fertiliser and a wetting agent will go a long way to relieving the problem.

Yellow meadow ants - If you find any ant activity in the lawn (normal as the young queens have recently left the parent nest) you are best off dosing the nest with Ant Killer in granular or liquid form before they go dormant for the winter. This prevents the massive ant mounds in the following spring and summer which can cause considerable grass damage and mowing problems.

Worms: Though it's best to treat for worms at the first sign, they will continue to surface throughout the winter and produce muddy casts that cause mowing problems in the spring. Worms are beneficial in that they digest organic matter providing nutrients and enriching the soil. They also do some valuable aeration. A lawn with worms is generally far healthier than one without. Though only moderately reliable we still feel Ferrous Sulphate is the most cost effective way to reduce worm casting.

Finally, toadstools may start appearing which generally should not be of concern but more importantly you may have started seeing Crane Fly (Daddy Longlegs) in the garden and the house. If you see a lot flying about the lawn have a read of Crane Fly & Leather Jackets though unfortunately there is no reliable treatment should you have an infestation of leather jackets.

Rolling the lawn

Unlikely to be required until next spring unless you've over sowed with grass seed.

Top Dressing

Top dressing is an advanced lawn care procedure to reduce thatch and smooth the lawn surface. If you are not a lawn nut then I suggest you don't need to bother!

If you are and growth is good, then you should be considering applications from August into October. Combine topdressing with any other lawn renovation procedure you may wish to undertake. See top dressing advice.

The New Lawn

With the potential for wetter weeks you should be seeding prepared ground for your new lawn. Be prepared to water if the weather turns dry. The seed needs to be in by mid month for Scotland and end of September for everyone else otherwise it may not have the warmth to germinate.

View Grass Seed Blends

Thanks for visiting the Lawn Diary

Have a great month