Grass Clippings

Anyone for Croquet?

They often say that a turf managers day can be varied.

Usually it is the battling with the weather, trying to get the playing surface ready in time for the players. Whether it is preparing a football pitch or in this case a croquet lawn, working around a helicopter poses a bit of a challenge - with the added benefit that there was no need to drag brush the dew off that particular day as the helicopter did what usually takes an hour in a few minutes!

Spring your lawn into healthy growth

If you are a good lawn owner, you would appreciate that your lawn needs fertiliser every three months minimum. You will switch from a spring and summer fertiliser to an autumn and winter lawn fertiliser at the appropriate time of the year in a bid to keep the millions of turf grass plants that make up the lawn healthy and disease free, developing the roots and vigour, colour and density.

One misconception is not to apply an autumn and winter fertiliser during the months of October through to late February. Autumn and Winter fertiliser have minimal Nitrogen, some Phosphorus and lots of Potassium in them. The most important nutrient over the winter and early spring months is Potassium for the reasons stated a little later. Phosphorus is mostly in ample supply in the soil as it is a very insoluble nutrient and rarely leached out of the soil. This is why a typical autumn and winter lawn fertiliser may show a zero Phosphorus status like 15-0-22.

'Just going to mow the lawn' - on the roof

Roof gardens, once a common sight in London, are enjoying a renaissance, together with the growing popularity of living green roofs. Mayor Ken Livingstone's Living Roofs campaign aims to encourage Londoners to make green roofs, roof gardens and terraces as popular as in other major European cities.

The biggest problem with planting a garden with or without a lawn is the overall weight of the project.

Lawn Treatment Franchise for £6,000

A New Year, a new challenge and an opportunity to get a slice of the growing lawn treatment industry for only £6,000.

Buying a lawn treatment franchise can traditionally be anything between £16,000 and £25,000.

The Team at The Lawn Company have managed to come up with a simple but effective concept for only £6,000 which includes the customer management and treatment software, initial equipment to make successful lawn treatments, personal protective equipment to help you comply with pesticide legislation, some stock of fertiliser and chemicals to get you going, and 5,000 marketing leaflets for you to distribute locally to spark consumer interest in your new service.

Is it too early to scarify your lawn?

We are noticing a lot of traffic generated on the site about scarifying your lawn. The quick answer is do not attempt to scarify the lawn until you have given the lawn its first mow of the season. At such time, your lawn must be able to put on some natural recovery growth so performing this important mechanical lawn task too early in the year is complete madness and not very good for your lawn either. Anyway, it is still winter and more snow and frost is forecast so although you might be keen to get to grips early with the lawn - hold off until the temperature sparks off a growth spurt.

Attempt on the World Landspeed Record for a Lawnmower

Once in a lifetime, the opportunity comes along to make your mark on the world we all share. It may be by inventing some fantastic new cure for some hideous disease, or solving world conflicts. In the case of Project Runningblade, the chance to advance science has come in the form of breaking a world record. On July 4th, 2006, Bob Cleveland from the USA threw down the gauntlet to the world by becoming the first human being to travel at more than 80 mph on a lawn mower: no mean achievement. Since then, no-one has dared to try and beat his record - until now. Team Runningblade, headed by Stephen Vokins, aims to bring this world record to Great Britain, and by a margin of more than 25%!

During my many lawn visits, I have viewed many a lawn owner trying to break the land speed record on a ride on mower to be honest!

Lawn Care during the winter months

With the majority of lawns in Britain and parts of Europe recently covered under anything from a few inches of snow to double figures, the lawn maybe the last thing on your mind. Personal survival came first during the recent cold snap. It was a major challenge in itself trying to get along the pavement which was recently covered in ice or fear of black ice whilst driving. A few days after the recent thaw you will still see snowmen and igloos melting and piles of snow still stacked alongside the roadway. The sad thing is there is more to come this week.

Under the snow, the grass will not stop growing, though the growth might be very slow.