Everyone loves a lush green lawn right? Well, if you want to be the envy of your neighbours and have the local golf club offering you a job as their greenskeeper, then here are 5 steps to success.
It’s best to carry out this process in the Spring or Autumn months when the temperatures are warm enough for grass to grow rapidly, and when there is some wet weather.
Mow
You want to mow your lawn on the lowest setting your lawnmower has, typically 30mm or less. The reason for this is so that the existing grass doesn’t get in the way of the new seed that you are going to plant later, and also so that the surface of the lawn can be more accessible for top dressing.
I use a Bosch cordless mower. The ease of movement that cordless provides means that you can just get it out quickly and move it around easily without any messing around with cables, and of course it’s much lighter and easier to use than a petrol mower. The downside of course is battery life, so having two batteries available (depending on the size of your lawn) will definitely help. You can’t beat the big German brand for the quality/price point.
Scarify
Scarifing is the process of raking away the thatch, moss and other debris which forms on the lawn surface, and prevents dense grass growth.
I bought the Bosch Electric Verticutter as a mechanical rake/scarifier (as I was impressed with the Bosch brand based on my lawnmower). It is mains powered, but as it’s only used a couple of times per year the inconvenience of extension cables isn’t a major issue. The performance of this Bosch is excellent, and definitely beats the alternative option of manually raking! If you have a large lawn then you could of course rent a more substantial tool from a machine hire shop.
Aerate
Aeration is the process of making holes in your lawn to allow grass roots easier access to air, water and nutrients. It also stops the soil from becoming compacted, and can help with better drainage. In addition, each of these holes will become a plant pot for the grass seed that you will plant in the next step of the process!
The best tool for lawn aeration is a hollow tiner. This makes holes in the lawn surface and then extracts the plugs of soil which can then be broken up and scattered over the surface of the lawn. Manual aeration is a labour intensive process, so be prepared to work your leg muscles.
Overseeding
Overseeding is the process of adding new grass seed over the exisisting lawn. This allows the grass coverage to become more dense which gives the lawn a lush and healthy appearance. In addition the increased grass denisity will crowd out weeds in the lawn, and naturally remove them.
I can recommend this as a good quality grass seed. The germination is fast (<2 weeks) and the results are excellent.
Top Dressing and Fertilizer
Lawn top dressing is a mix of materials including soil, compost, sand, peat and loam, which is spread over the top of the lawn. It provides several benefits:
1. To cover the newly planted seed from the overseeding process. This stops the birds from eating the seed, and provides good seed/soil contact to promote germination.
2. To improve drainage
3. To improve the nutrient composition of the soil
4. To level out the lawn
A tool called a lawn lute is the best way to spread the top dressing over the lawn and to level out the surface. Its quite an expensive tool for something you may only use once or twice per year, so you may want to look into hiring one, or borrowing one from your friendly neighbour! You could of course use the back of a rake to spread the top dressing, but it’s not as easy or conventient at the lute.
Finally, add a good fertilizer to the lawn to help nourish the newly planted seed and also improve the existing growth. I found this fertilizer from Amazon to be really good.
Hope these tips help you on your way to a lush green lawn! It’s definitely worth the hard work and effort.