Autumn Lawn Care

We expect a lot from a lawn these days and the autumn is a great time to get it ready for the winter but also, it aids a lawn to recover from the winter period.

Before any treatment wait until your lawn has recovered from the summer drought and is green and in active growth.

The first thing to do is remove the thatch (a thin layer of dead grass, debris and old moss) which builds up during the summer and can prevent water and fertiliser penetrating the roots of the grass.  Autumn is a good time to rake this out (scarify) either by hand or by using a scarifier which can be rented.

Secondly, aerate any areas of the lawn that become waterlogged either using shoe aerators or a hollow tine aerator which removes a plug of soil or a mechanical aerator.

During the summer the lawn will suffer from compaction due to hard use, this impedes drainage and may stop air getting to the grass roots. Making holes with a garden fork every 20cm or so will help.

Work some sand into your aerates lawn with the back of a rake, filling any holes you have created.

Once your lawn is treated and in good condition it is important to get some lawn feed down to ensure that the roots are still growing strong throughout the winter. You should use a different lawn fertiliser in autumn that you would use when you are preparing your garden in spring. We recommend using either EverGreen Autumn Lawn Care or EverGreen Premium Plus Autumn and Spring Lawn Food.

Autumn lawn fertiliser is high in potash and phosphates which will better protect the grass from frost and icy conditions. High Nitrogen spring/summer feeds will encourage top growth, which is soft and easily damaged by frosts, which is not ideal for autumn lawn feeding.

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