Take your lawn from bare to beautiful ready for next Summer!
The Summer of 2022 will definitely be one to remember! With temperatures setting new records we have consumed many ice lollies, glasses of Pimms and put our electric fans to the test. We are sure that many of you can relate to us when we say that our lawns have certainly been through the ringer!
Fear not! Reseeding your lawn in Autumn is the best time to fix the patchy grass. We can help our lawns regain their luscious green by taking a few simple steps, including:
- Overseeding
- Scarifying
- Top dressing
Let’s get started.
Overlooked overseeding?
Here’s what you need to know
In overseeding, grass seed is planted directly into an existing lawn without having to tear it up in order to turn the soil.
Some of the benefits of overseeding your lawn this Autumn include:
- Enhancing your lawn’s colour
- Bare spots can be filled
- Turf density can be improved
- Grass varieties can be established
In order to get the best results, you need to take a couple of steps; scarifying and top dressing, which we shall discuss now.
Why should I scarify my lawn?
Before we dive into this, we should probably establish what it means to scarify a lawn.
By scarifying your lawn, you are removing organic matter around grass plants’ bases, such as thatch and moss. You would traditionally use a scarifier to do this, but a springbok lawn rake is a good alternative.
It is important to scarify your lawn to avoid debris building up which can cause further issues down the line. It also breathes new life into your lawn and encourages new growth.
A small amount of thatch is a good thing as it can protect the grass plants from disease & damage. However, if there is too much it can prevent key elements from reaching the soil:
- Nutrients
- Water
- Air
Without your lawn receiving these important factors it can have a detrimental effect on its overall appearance.
What on earth is top dressing?
(We couldn’t resist the pun!)
Top dressing a lawn refers to the process in which materials such as soil, compost, sand and others are spread over an existing turf. You want to try and keep the materials used as close of a mix as you can to the ones found in your specific soils.
By applying a topdressing to your lawn this Autumn, this will then create a new and healthy surface for grass seeds to root and thrive, resulting in a much healthier looking lawn.
How much top dressing do I need we hear you ask? As a general guide, you shouldn’t cover more than 50% of the grass’ height with top dressing this Autumn. I.e. if the blades are 4cm, you shouldn’t add more than 2cm of materials.
And there you have it! We hope this brief guide has given you some ideas on how you can overseed your lawn this Autumn.
Here is to another fabulous Summer next year with an even better garden to enjoy it!