We have put together a month to month lawn care program of maintenance tasks. Pease note that these tasks are carried out subject to ground and weather conditions and the timing of these maintenance tasks may vary.
January
January is normally a very quiet month in terms of lawn maintenance. However with the winters becoming more inconsistent January can be both very cold and even quite mild at times.
Remove any fallen leaves or debris from the lawn to keep it clean. Brush any worm casts from the lawn during suitable conditions i.e when the casts are dry so they don’t smear the surface of the lawn.
If worm casts, moss or disease are problem an application of sulphate of iron or similar may be helpful in discouraging these lawn problems. Sulphate of iron can also be used at 6 week intervals during the autumn and winter to help prevent these common winter lawn care problems. For more info on this product and application rates please visit our sulphate of iron page.
January is also a good month for doing any turfing, avoid frosty and frozen conditions for this task.
Remove any heavy dews to prevent disease problems.
If the grass is frosty or frozen it is important to keep off the lawn as this can cause damage to the grass leaving it open to disease attack and other problems.
February
Once again February can be another quiet month and the maintenance program will be much the same as January. Once again remove any debris from the lawn, remove worm casts with a besom, switch or similar. Any turfing jobs should ideally be finished in February.
Again sulphate may be applied to discourage any worm, disease or moss problems.
If you have not already done so, get your mower checked over and serviced ready for the coming mowing season.
March
March is the month when your lawn care maintenance program finally starts, if the weather is suitable. Again remove any debris from the surface of your lawn.
If there is sufficient growth during this month you may give your lawn it’s first cut. Aim to just top the grass to begin with, if you use a cylinder mower it will also give you the added benefit of giving your lawn a light roll. Avoid mowing the grass to short this time of the year.
If moss is a problem in March it will need treating. Wait for the weather to warm up and the grass to show signs of growth before treating moss as this will aid recovery. For more information on the treatment and removal of moss please visit our Moss page.
April
Hopeful during April we will start to experience more consistent growth and we can increase the frequency of mowing. Again be careful on your height of cut as there is still time to experience and unexpected cold snap.
Treat and remove any moss if it has not all ready been taken care of. If you have has a severe moss problem you may need to overseed and top dress your lawn to help aid recovery.
Once removed we can go ahead and apply a spring and summer fertiliser. This fertilser should contain a high proportion of nitrogen, this will encourage growth and recovery from moss control. If you have used lawn sand to control moss this will also give your lawn a boost as this product contains nitrogen for the purpose of aiding recovery.
May
We should be now experiencing strong consistent growth and this means we can gradually lower or cutting height to our desired summer cutting height.
If any weeds are present in the lawn now is the ideal time to carry out any weed control as the grass should be growing vigorously. For more information on weeds and weed identification please visit out lawn weeds page.
If there is any lateral growth or coarse grasses present it would be beneficial to brush or lightly rake before mowing.
A nitrogen based fertiliser can be applied during May if necessary to maintain good consistent growth. It is important not to apply too much fertiliser, about 2 applications during the summer should be enough for the average lawn.
Irrigation should not be needed in May but if a prolonged hot and dry spell occurs some irrigation may be needed.
June
We are now well into summer and the lawn will need mowing frequently. Once again if growth is strong, light raking or brushing before mowing will help reduce any lateral growth, coarse grasses and broad leaf weeds.
Again June is a good month to carry out any weed control as long as the grass growth is vigorous and there is no sign of drought.
Apply another nitrogen based fertiliser if necessary to maintain consistent growth.
If drought becomes a problem irrigate your lawn. This is best carried out early morning or in the evening. Aim to water thoroughly and let the lawn dry out somewhat between applications. A light spiking of the lawn before irrigation will help with water penetration and reduce surface run off. For more information please visit our irrigation page.
July
This month the program will be similar to June as you mow on a regular basis, continue the light raking or brushing as long as the growth is strong.
Irrigate during drought conditions to prevent dry patch and to keep the lawn in a healthy condition.
Again a weed killer can be applied to control any weeds that appear or any hard to kill weeds that have survived a previous application.
If necessary apply a nitrogen based fertiliser to keep the lawn healthy.
August
Once again a similar program to June/July. Mow regularly again with light brushing or raking before hand.
If you need to apply a high nitrogen fertiliser this will be your last chance, as high nitrogen feeds should not be applied after August.
This is also you last chance to apply a weed killer.
Once again irrigate if drought conditions are a problem.
September
A very busy month in the lawn care calendar. Early September is the ideal time to carry out your autumn lawn renovation program while there is still plenty of growth left for a complete recovery. For more information please visit our Autumn Program section. This program will consist of scarifying, aeration, over seeding and top dressing.
An autumn/winter fertiliser can be applied after the renovation program has been completed. This fertiliser should be a Phosphate / Potash based fertiliser with very little or no Nitrogen.
October
Growth should start slowing down during this month, as it does gradually raise the height of cut on your mower to your desired winter height.
If you didn’t apply an autumn/winter fertiliser last month, do it during this month.
Worms, moss and disease may become a problem as the conditions become wetter and cooler. Starting this month regular applications of sulphate of iron or a similar product every 6 weeks will help discourage these lawn problems.
Also removing heavy morning dews will help discourage disease problems such as fusarium patch disease.
November
Mowing should soon be coming to an end for the season as the conditions are now cooler and the days are shorter.
As with the previous month remove heavy dews to help prevent any disease problems.
Apply sulphate of iron if necessary to help discourage any disease, moss and worm problems.
If you have any turfing projects planned for you lawn now is the ideal time to start them so long as the conditions are favourable.
December
Things really start to slow down this month as the weather deteriorates leaving little to do to the lawn.
Once again clean up any debris from the lawn.
Apply sulphate of iron if necessary.
Remove any heavy dews and keep off the lawn during frosty conditions.
