After the cold, damp winter months your lawn will most likely be ready for some kind of spring lawn maintenance program. However before acting, wait until the soil temperatures rise enough to encourage some growth. The correct spring maintenance program will help to encourage a vigorous, healthy lawn during the summer when you want your lawn to look it’s best.
Moss treatment & removal
Many lawns will suffer from an invasion of moss in the spring time. If the infestation is not to severe using a spring tine rake may be enough to remove it. However if it has become a severe problem it will need treating with a product called lawn sand or similar. Follow the manufacturers guidelines for the application of this product.
An all to common sight in spring time. A lawn that has become weak and moss has been allowed to invade
Lawn sand usually kills the moss in about 10 – 14 days, once killed, it can be removed by hand with a spring tine rake. For larger areas a powered lawn rake or scarifier can be used. It is important that there is sufficient growth before any raking or scarifying, this ensures the lawn makes a speedy recovery. For more information on moss problems you can visit our Moss page
Once the moss has been killed and removed any bare or thin areas may need seeding to establish a tight sward to prevent any weeds encroaching.
Lawn aeration
If you are going to overseed after the moss killing program, aerate before overseeding, aerate the lawn with a garden fork or powered aerator depending on the size of the lawn. This will help root development, dry up any wet patches, relieve compaction and if followed by top dressing improve the soil structure. Try to aerate to a depth of 100mm or 4″ in a uniform pattern.
Overseeding the lawn
If you have had a severe moss problem and there are large bare areas you may need to overseed. It should be pointed out that spring time is not the ideal time for overseeding. Late summer – early autumn is preferable because the soil temperatures are higher resulting in better success. Follow the manufactures sowing rates. For best results rake the surface to create a seed bed to help with germination, however if overseeding is done soon after raking out the moss this may suffice.
Top dressing
If you have had to do a lot of work on you lawn during the spring it would be beneficial to give it a top dressing after moss removal, aeration & overseeding. This will help to level the lawn, improve the soil structure & protect the seed during germination. For more information on this operation please visit our Top Dressing page.
Mowing the lawn
If the lawn has become a little long and overgrown over winter it is important not to cut it down to short immediately. You should not take too much grass off initially, the rule of thumb is don’t remove more than a 1/3rd of the grass with each cut. Again wait until you have consistent growth and the lawn has fully recovered before lowering the height of cut on the mower.
Feeding the lawn
Your lawn will need feeding in the spring time to help with recovery and produce a healthy sward. If you used lawn sand as a moss killer you will get some growth with this product. However the effects of lawn sand will be short lived and a conventional spring and summer fertiliser will need to be applied. This product can be applied as soon as there are signs of warmer weather that bring more consistent growing conditions.
