Welcome to this years first lawn diary

We've lots of help for your forthcoming gardening pleasure and some restoration procedures for those people who have found that the winter has caused die back, thinning or moss infestations in their lawns. The place to go for help if your lawn has struggled this winter is our Lawn Trends section.

We have no reports of disease at present but if you notice a few curious patches or blotches in the lawn see Pest & Diseases below for more advice.

Artificial Intelligence Helps Grow Grass!

Perhaps not so exciting as the headline but we are now using an AI Search System on our website in the 'Search Box' at the top of your screen. Previously searches returned only products but the search will now return products AND relevant articles from our advice sections as well. Technology eh!

Please give it a go: Try typing 'moss killer' or 'mosskiller' and as you type the drop down will give you results not only of products but also help pages. DON'T hit enter as this will remove the drop down and just return products.

It is a learning system so will get better as it learns more about your requirements and how you use our content. 

You can help: We are always amazed and extremely grateful for the great reviews and feedback we get from you our readers. So once gain, if you find a search result isn't helpful drop us a line, we'll help you out and adjust the AI Search so that next time you get what you want. It is a seedling at the moment so please help it grow by dropping us an email.

We're Now on Instagram - PLEASE PLEASE FOLLOW

Our first dabble in the world of Social Media with Facebook soon to follow. It would be a great help at this very early stage if you would follow us and over the coming months we will be loading lots of easy to digest bite size posts to help you and your lawn. Please go to Instagram/LawnsmithUK

Get a Discount - Get More Discount - It's your Money!!!

At this time of year the chances are you're stocking up on lots of goodies to bring your lawn back to life. Many of you will need spring fertiliser, moss killer and seaweed. If you buy just 2 of these in the same order you get a 5% discount. Not to be sneezed at but if you bought 3 of them plus a fertiliser for summer you now get 9% off! And if you want some wetting agent, an autumn or winter fertiliser you're now in to a fantastic 12% discount. And the great thing is most of these products keep for years.

This Month in a Nutshell

March heralds the start of the lawn care year but early spring temperatures can be all over the place so don't let a mild spell lull you into a false sense of security. Therefore please take note, it is too early for many jobs but you can make a start with aeration and moss killing (not moss raking yet), ensure equipment is serviced and ready for use and get your goods in ready for this years lawn care:

Summary 'to do' list for now through March:

• Reduce worm casting prior to mowing - see Pest & Diseases below
• Treat moss with a Ferrous Sulphate based product
• Aeration - use spikes and if no frost likely then also hollow tine heavily trafficked areas only
• Light topping with the mower - use very high setting
• Turfing jobs

Shopping list:

• Ferrous Sulphate or moss killer
• Grass Seed
• Fertiliser
• Weed Killer

The Weather

Spring may now be in the air for some so we begin with our standard post winter warning: March can give us a 'false spring' with a few weeks mild weather followed by another cold spell with some more frost. This means a little caution with some jobs in March. In addition the ground is very soft in many parts of the country so try and keep use to a minimum. Stick to the game plan that you'll find in this Lawn Diary.

Otherwise, with the current mild weather it is perfect conditions for applying Winter Green to get maximum benefit.

The Met Office long range forecast for the weeks up to late March are below:

19th to 28th February

On Tuesday, a mostly settled day across the country. Brisk winds expected in southern areas, with the risk of a few wintry showers. Northern areas will see more mild conditions. Through the rest of the week, high pressure will dominate across the UK, leading to dry conditions for most but rather cloudy at times. Showers are possible in southern and eastern areas, with a small chance of a few wintry showers in southern areas. For the rest of the period, high pressure is likely to migrate northwards, increasing the likelihood of colder, northerly winds across the UK, increasing the chance of snow showers for many eastern and northern areas. Temperatures to start below average in southern areas but increasing to around average through the period.

29th February to 14th March

In this period, spells of rain or snow, are more likely than earlier in the month, with a low chance that some wintry episodes could be disruptive, though northwestern areas most likely to see the driest conditions. Winds could often be from a northerly or easterly direction, and temperatures are more likely to be below-average than above-average overall, but later in the month, colder air will be fighting against a strengthening sun.

What's New?

In our 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 questions and problems 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

• What is a Lawn Weed
• How to Kill MY lawn Weeds
• Best Time to Kill Broadleaf Weeds in the Lawn
• Best way to Kill Weeds in the Lawn
• No Mow May. Is it a Hoax?

Lawn Trends - A MUST Visit

Lots of help for soggy and thinned lawns so please visit the most import and current seasonal articles here

Mowing the Lawn

Those in the south may already have given the lawn a light New Year cut and with the potential for some slightly warmer weather next month, another cut, or your first cut, preferably on firm dry ground may be required. It's doubtful if this is the start of the mowing season just yet but it does offer the opportunity to tidy the lawn and check the mower is working as it should. Keep the cut high taking off just the very top.

Mowers

If you haven't already sharpened the lawn mower this is your last chance. Next month there will be queues in the mower shop service department and it'll be weeks before you see your mower again if you leave it too late.

If you have a petrol lawnmower and are feeling adventurous get the mower manual out and change the spark plug and oil, then clean the air filter and if it's a rotary replace or sharpen the blade. It's dead simple but if you are a technophobe replace the blade (rotary only) and get a professional service at least every other year. Cylinder mower blade sharpening should be done in a machine shop. See the section on mower Cleaning & Maintenance

Fertilising the Lawn

This is not necessarily the start of your fertilising schedule as weather can still bite with a cold spell. For most parts of the UK April is the time to start feeding though if March does warm up those in the southern half of the country may benefit from an early fertiliser application.

If you want to give the lawn a colour and health boost WITHOUT stimulating too much growth, copy the green keeper and apply a turf hardener. This will help the grass resist disease and green it up nicely with the added benefit of blackening moss if used at the highest rate.

There are two products to consider: WINTER GREEN 5-0-8+Iron if you feel the wet winter has leached out a lot of nutrients, particularly if you're on sandy soil. Remember that this is no substitute for a spring feed so if you do apply Winter Green delay your spring fertiliser application to give 6 weeks between it and your spring treatment. If fertiliser levels are good or you're on a loam or clay soil I'd stick with a medium strength (2g per square metre) liquid application of soluble iron in the form of our Green-up soluble ferrous sulphate which will give a good green up. As ferrous sulphate is more like a grass 'vitamin' rather than a feed it won't impact on when you apply your spring fertiliser.

Spreading Fertiliser Videos Spraying Videos View Fertiliser Range

Weed Control

Moss Control

If the weather remains cold through March hold off from a moss removal programme because the lawn will not recover until things warm up. If we get a mild spell and the long range forecast looks good then you may be able to start but only if you're in the midlands or south.

If you are just applying a ferrous sulphate based moss killer to control moss growth, then you can get on with it sooner rather than later after you've done a medium to high cut on the lawn. This means you won't need to mow for a while after application and you'll have uncovered some moss giving better exposure to your treatment.

If on the other hand you're going the whole hog and raking the moss out after killing it then I'd be thinking of treating the moss from the middle of the March or early April with raking being done a week to two weeks after. Raking in early May is perfectly acceptable as long as there is ground moisture available for grass recovery.

Your post moss removal plans should include over seeding bare patches or even the whole lawn with appropriate grass seed and finally assisting recovery with fertiliser. See Lawn Raking & Scarifying for procedures.

Don't forget you don't HAVE to kill the moss before raking it out as applying a ferrous sulphate based moss killer after raking to kill what remains may well be more effective. Treating before AND after is even more effective particularly if moss loves your lawn. See Moss Removal.

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.

TIP: Good moisture levels around the grass and moss such as on a dewey morning helps the ferrous sulphate penetrate deeper.

Watch the Video Moss Killer Products

Watering the Lawn

No need

Aeration & De-compaction

Aeration with a garden fork or hollow tine fork on heavily trafficked areas is in order if the ground is firmish and no frosts are imminent.

Your main aeration effort should be spiking (with solid spikes) the whole lawn from the middle of the month onwards. You'll find spiking anything more than a few square metres much easier with the aerator shoes or a rolling aerator - it's quick and relatively pain free whilst raising the heart rate ever so slightly!

Watch the Video See Aerators

Raking & Scarifying

The moss is once again quite rampant in places and some people have already started applying an iron sulphate product to the lawn to kill the moss. That's a good idea but what is not good is to wait the traditional two weeks and are then rake it out! This is a common practice but I don't advise the raking part at this time:

• If the surface of the lawn is wet your work will smear and seal the soil preventing air getting to the grass roots in the spring when growth starts
• A raker or scarifier may turn a soft surface into a mud bath
• If your raker or scarifier cuts into the soil and you get a following frost the lawn will heave
• You will cause excess damage to the grass if conditions are wet, exacerbating the damage caused by what is already an invasive treatment
• Your lawn will be disfigured for quite a few weeks until it starts growing again. Do you want to look at it in that condition for so long?
• Because it is too early for the grass to start growing and recovering any moss left behind will take advantage of the thinned and weakened grass and start growing again. The opposite of what you are trying to achieve!

All you need to do to resolve all of this is get the timing right. Wait until you have done the first two cuts in spring. This means the grass is starting to grow so it's then safe to start the raking process. You can apply iron sulphate (soluble iron) reasonably often, so applying now or before raking and again afterwards will be highly beneficial. Do read Moss Control as there are many other tips on how to do a great job and have the lawn better than ever in a few weeks, NOT months.

Watch the Video See the Scarifier

Repairs & Renovations

Once again make sure conditions are not too wet or soft before working on the lawn. If the surface is firm then re-cutting edges is in order plus any repairs using turf. In fact, up to the end of March is a great time for any turf jobs. See The New Lawn

In addition, if the winter has left you with a lawn thinned and in poor condition you may need to be ready to re-instate it as the weather warms. See Spring Lawn Repairs.

Pests & Diseases

Disease: The only disease you may experience at this time of year is Fusarium occurring either after snow has thawed (this is how it gets its other name of 'Snow Mould') or if the weather is damp and mild for an extended period.

Fusarium can also be a sign of poor turf health, high thatch levels, poor air circulation, compaction or just persistent wet conditions. If you do experience an attack it is usually of little consequence in a domestic lawn but do look for possible causes as you can resolve many problems ready for next year. Read the Fusarium section for remedies and repair advice.

If your lawn is your pride and joy and you want to go that extra mile to keep it in tip top shape then apply Soluble Iron at the 'turf hardening' rate. This will colour the lawn beautifully but also give the grass an extra level of protection against disease. This should be done pre-winter as a preventative or at first signs of attack. Alternatively, if you're trying to help your lawn recover then use our Winter Green fertiliser now and then a Spring & Summer Fertiliser in April.

Powdery Mildew is still obvious in a few shady spots. Next time you take a walk around the garden check to see if you have what looks like 'white wash' on the grass leaves.

Pests: They can come in a variety of guises from squirrels burying their nuts, birds excavating moss, toadstools and moles. Have a read of Pests & Diseases if any of these are a problem. However, a quick word about worms and worm casts.......

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.

For Ferrous Sulphate View Fertiliser Range

Rolling the lawn

If you have a fine, ornamental or croquet lawn and the surface is firm to walk on, a light roll to reduce frost heave is in order otherwise consider rolling in April.

Top Dressing

As a routine treatment this is not necessary for any lawn other than fine, ornamental and croquet lawns. Wait until April/May and work this into any renovations (aeration and scarifying) you have planned for your lawn.

The New Lawn

If a new lawn is in your plans this is a great time to make a start. The time is not right for seeding but it is perfect for turfing. You can consider seeding from April onwards.

View Grass Seed Blends

Thanks for visiting the Lawn Diary

Have a great month