Your month-by-month guide to keep your lawn looking lush
Here’s how to follow a lawn calendar
If you want your lawn to look great this year, now is the time to plan ahead and take action, whether you want a family play area, a bowling green finish or a haven for wildlife.
Whichever type of lawn you choose, there are things you can do that are eco-conscious, says David Hedges-Gower, lawn consultant and chairman of the Lawn Association.
“Contrary to common belief, sustainable lawn care doesn’t entail constant over-seeding or the regular use of environmentally damaging fertilisers and herbicides,” he stresses.
“It’s not about reacting to problems but preventing them, with strategic, nature-aligned interventions. Nature holds the blueprint for resilient lawns and healthy soils. It’s about understanding and mimicking these natural processes while minimising human intervention.”
Choose the right lawn seed
The key lies in selecting the right plants – native grasses that spread over quick-growing, non-adaptive varieties like ryegrass, he maintains.
“Native plants are better equipped to withstand droughts and require less artificial intervention.”
Create natural resilience
Enhancing water storage capability in our soils is crucial, he advises. “Simply aerating with a garden fork won’t cut it; it requires hollow tine aeration (and no sand) to alter soil structure.”
Control weeds naturally
Native grasses naturally outcompete weeds, he says, reducing the need for herbicides that harm both soil and plants.
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