Become the envy of your neighbours by following this step-by-step guide to getting your lawn ready for spring.
In winter, a lawn is dormant and only begins to come back to life in spring. It’s at this time of the year that the biggest attention to a lawn can get the best results and last all summer long. There are various steps to take to get this done:
Remove the thatch
Thatch is the bits of grass clippings that fall between the plants when a lawn is mowed. Over time, this builds up and can prevent nutrients, water and air from reaching the soil and the roots of the plants where they can be used. The act of removing the thatch is called scarifying. Give the lawn a good cut with a lawnmower set on low if you have a stolon-type grass like Kikuyu and or Bermuda grass. Cool-season tuft-type and blends, Buffalo or Berea grass, should be cut to a normal length.
Rake the lawn firmly across and down to remove the old, dead mat. A steel rake is ideal for this process.
Aerate the lawn
To get the fertiliser to the roots where it is needed, you need to aerate the soil. This is simply a matter of using the prongs of a garden fork to drive into the soil every 20-30 cm apart and gently wiggling it. You can use a spike roller for this job.
Feed the lawn
With this process, there are many options to choose from, which can be either chemical or organic. Products like Protek General Fertilizer 2.3.2, Atlantic Fertiliser Bio Ganic Lawns, or Talborne Organics Vita Grow 2.3.2 will all do the job. What is important is to read the instructions and follow them exactly. Adding more fertiliser will not make it work faster and may do more damage to the lawn.
A fertiliser spreader is a great time-saving product for this task.
Fix any holes and top dress
Top dressing your lawn will help even out uneven lawns and fix any holes made by moles or dogs. Use a commercial lawn dressing for this, and not topsoil, which may contain unwanted weed seeds. Pour the dressing over the lawn and use the back of a rake to spread it evenly around. This should be a thin layer and the blades of grass should still poke through to the sunlight.
Water the fertiliser in
Water thoroughly immediately after feeding. If you are working with a hosepipe and a sprinkler in sunny weather on a big lawn, fertilise an area, mark it with string (you will forget where you’ve stopped), and water well before moving on to another area.
Quick aftercare checklist
- Mow with lawnmower blades set to the highest position. When the lawn starts growing more actively, the blades can be gradually lowered until the correct height is reached. When mowing, ensure that you never remove more than a third of the grass blades at a time.
- Keep a sharp eye on lawn weeds. Treat the problem immediately with a selective herbicide or remove them manually with a daisy grubber or screwdriver.
- Keep the lawn well-watered. Irrigate early in the morning, to curb disease risk.
- Healthy lawns require regular applications of fertiliser at 4-6 week intervals throughout the growing season. Use products like Protek Lawn & Foliage Fertilizer 7.1.3, Wonder Lawn and Leaf, Kynoch TurboGrass, and Talborne Organics Vita Green 5.1.5 to add nutrients and green up the lawn.
All the products mentioned are available in-store and online at builders.co.za.
Browse 1000’s of products available to you. Select your country to Shop Online.
