Grass Clippings

Enjoying the beauty of Snowdrops

Our Managing Editor was out visiting a client's lawn this week and spotted his first Snowdrops of the year.  How great they looked in a frost bound garden! 

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are perennial flowering plants native to large parts of Europe.  Found in many woodlands, churchyards, parks and gardens, snowdrops are some of the first bulbs of the year to bloom. 

This early flowering, which carpets the ground between January and April, is aided by hardened leaf tips that can push through frozen soil.  The downside to flowering in winter is that pollinating insects are scarce, so these little drops of snow spread mainly through bulb division.

Nobody loves me......

Nursery Rhymes never age.  Some are as old as Old Wive's Tales that survive the generations.  Lawn care is a science that follows the principles of The Science and Practice of Turf Culture and one great learning text book was Turf Culture by Frank Hope, sadly out of publication.

This was the main publication that up and coming turf managers referred to.  Sadly, some lawn experts appear to have been reading the book back to front and trying to change the principles of turf culture throughout the seasons so do not believe all that you hear or are told about when to perform aspects of turf culture.

Not too late to re turf your lawn

You can install turf all year round so long as the turf nursery can get it's turf harvesters out onto the fields.  What becomes hard is the preparation, especially if the ground is a bit soggy.  You need to pick the best day to turn the soil over to create the turf bed and wait for the next dry day to turf the lawn to cause the least damage to the new lawn surface.

Turfing a lawn is a real benefit at this time of year when the traditional growing season slows down for the winter.  Grass seed will grow but a lot slower than in the warmer months so if your budget can stretch to it, plan to returf your lawn instead for that instant effect.

Even though you can turf all reay round, there are great benefits of using turf over new grass seed and seeding a lawn but also some disadvantages too:

Top Ten Lawn Mistakes than can be prevented....

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

Well, that's a three in one to start!  It is important to mow at least weekly in the main growing season and continue to mow throughout the early spring and winter months too if ground conditions permit and the grass is growing albeit slowly.  Why do lawn owners mow their lawns so short too?   Do not remove any more than 25% of the grass growth each time you mow and nothing less than 12mm in height unless you have a super dooper fine lawn like a bowling green.  Most grasses are tufted in growth so change the mowing direction each time you mow to keep the grasses growing upright.

Cooler Autumn Nights

Sounds like a song from The Bee Gees!  One great misconception is the time when lawn owners decide to put the mower away in the shed or garage and do not get out again until the spring time.

You should still be mowing your lawn.  It's growth may have slowed quite considerably over the past few weeks with the drop in night-time temperatures but it is still quite warm and the turf grasses are still growing well. 

Mowing the lawn really 'lifts' an autumn garden and handy for picking up a few leaves too instead of raking them off the lawns surface. 

Take advantage of the fine weather during the daytime and get out there and rake or blow the leaves up so that they do not smother the lawn grasses, resulting in bare areas over the autumn.

Lawn Edging Options

One of the most important aspects of a lawn is the grass content and density but also as important the lawn edge where it meets a pathway, driveway or flower border.  

In the scenario where the lawn meets a flower border, over time because of the foot traffic of the gardener tending to the border, the edges of the lawn will naturally dip down towards the border.  Alongside the edges of driveways, lawns will soon get driven over or driveway material through up onto the lawn making mowing hazardous.

Lawn Care Calendar

The majority of lawn owners require a helping hand with their lawns but most importantly sound lawn care advice to guide them with their lawn care throughout the year.

A lot can happen to a lawn in 12 months, especially with varying weather patterns from year to year.  There are lawn treatments and lawn mantenance tasks to perform plus renovation tasks should the lawn require a major overhaul.  Where do you initially look for guidance in these specialist lawn tasks and how can you be sure that you may rely on the advice given?

Easter Lawn Care

Just as we thought that the weather was getting better, looks like we are in for a traditional British Easter holiday with a return of the cold weather and sleet and snow.

Just in case you manage to get out into the garden this weekend, spare a thought for your poor old lawn.

The harshest winter for 31 years has turned the green green grass of home a little brown and tired looking and your lawn would have taken a battering like so many lawns in the United Kingdom.

Lawn Treatment Estimates available 24/7

We all live busy lives and often the garden and lawn come at the bottom of the pile when it comes to time allocation. Any money spent on a lawn is a good investment so long as it follows the flow chart of lawn care science and the timing is correct relative to the lawn's natural growth cycle.

Lawn advice gets technical

The Team at Grass Clippings are pleased to boast that lawn owners have at their disposal on this Lawn Blog over 200 lawn related technical pages covering the wide technical subject of lawns and their care. This Lawn Blog is living up to it's name -'Grass Clippings - Home of the British Lawn.'

Whether you are after a little bit of advice on autumn lawn care, or lawn pests, or some advice on controlling moss, scarifying your lawn or the source of a reputable turf supplier, you will find all the answers here on this lawn advice site.

Lawn Treatment estimate available online 24 hours a day or night

We all live busy lives and often the garden and lawn come at the bottom of the pile when it comes to time allocation. Any money spent on a lawn is a good investment so long as it follows the flow chart of lawn care science and the timing is correct relative to the lawn's natural growth cycle.

Croquet Association recommends The Lawn Company

The Croquet Association (CA) is the national governing body for the sport of Croquet in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. There are numerous Croquet Clubs located around the United Kingdom that are always keen to attract new players of all ages. Croquet is an ideal way to spend a summer’s afternoon. It provides some gentle exercise without being too strenuous, it is suitable for all ages, it involves a combination of mental and physical skills, and it is possible to socialise at the same time as you are playing.

Apply Pesticides Safely - use approved Lawn Treatment Operatives

We all know that Pesticides get a bad name in the media and press. Lawn Treatment companies should have qualified and skilled lawn technicians capable of following the product labels, making applications of lawn care products correctly but most of all, a grasp of what they are employed to do when visiting a clients' lawn.

Work in the fresh air with your own Lawn Care Franchise

The increase in new Lawn Care Franchise Companies has been as strong as the lawn's traditional spring growth cycle. The majority of what are in fact Lawn Treatment Companies, on the face of it seem to copy each other with their product concepts of seasonal lawn treatments and mechanical operations. Some of the franchised concepts are well respected amongst the Turf Industry and some are not.

Easter Holiday Lawn Care

The Garden Centres love an early Easter, especially a dry sunny one, as this period is traditionally the start of the gardening year. This year, the weather looks like it may not be ideal gardening weather with cold winds and snow forecast in some areas of the United Kingdom. Your thoughts may be steering towards getting to grips with the garden and planning ahead for the coming year and hopefully great summer.....

Find a UK Lawn Treatment Company

Here at Grass Clippings, we feel that when having your car serviced, you should go to a garage. Similarly, if you were having an extension built, then ask a builder.

So, it goes without saying, when it comes to lawns, you should seek the help and advice from a specialist lawn treatment company.

How to cure your dog from burning the lawn with Urine

Some people prefer Tomato Ketchup and others, if they are quick, will rush out with a bowl of water but one thing is for sure, if left without attention, dogs urine, and especially bitches, will scorch your lush green grass very quickly.

But, do not despair, help really is at hand and we can tell you from experience. Dog Rocks, which are stocked at the Lawn Shop and featured here a while back, really do save your grass from damage.