Grass Clippings - Lawn Advice From a Team of Lawn and Turf Experts

Happy Thanksgiving to our Readers in the USA

When you start a blog like Grass Clippings, you never quite estimate how far and wide your audience will be. 

With over 1,512 lawn related articles (a wonderful milestone we passed this week) and lifetime views of 3,109,494 this humble lawn advice resource is well used by many a lawn owner and turf professional, including many across the pond.

We thank you all wherever you may be, and if you are starting your thanksgiving holiday weekend today, we hope you all have a great time with your family and friends and enjoy the College Football games on today.

Earthworm Casts on Artificial Lawns

If you have an artificial lawn in your garden, do not be surprised if you get some Earthworm casts on the surface of the grass or around the brick edges.

We have received a lot of calls from worried lawn owners on the same subject and some are blaming their artificial lawn installer for the problem stating that Earthworms should not be able to break their way through the grass underlay or fibre. How incorrect they are.

Pulling weeds at park helps Vancouver woman lose 100 pounds during pandemic

Even the COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t stop Karen Bean from reaching her goal.

The 65-year-old Vancouver resident was on a mission to lose 100 pounds when the pandemic arrived in Clark County in March.

She was relying on a gym membership at Firstenburg Community Center to help her lose the weight. When coronavirus struck, gyms across the state closed as part of Washington’s COVID-19 recovery plan.

Deterring Earthworms from setting their casts on your lawn

As the soil air to water ratio changes in the more traditional autumn months, you will notice an increase in lawn earthworm soil cast activity.  In the USA, they call earthworms them Night Crawlers.

The wetter the autumn or winter, the greater the earthworm activity will be. The root zone of the lawn will become spongy as the worms undermine the upper surface and mowing will become difficult, especially with a cylinder mower. The use of the lawn will diminish as a result of the difficult surface conditions.

Pesticide Training at Home

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Who better to train you in the safe use of pesticides than an organisation that is doing what you will be trained to do, each day of the year?

Pesticide training courses are a bit rare under Covid restrictions so why not learn the subject matter in the safety of your home?

Weed Free are able to provide formal training and assessments for Food and Environment Protection Act Certificates of Competence in the Safe use of Pesticides. Each year, we train many Greenkeepers and Sports Turf Managers and Local Authority Staff.

Lawn Care at the click of a Mouse

These days, there is not much you cannot purchase over the internet.  The great thing about the internet is that you can connect with suppliers of some of the oddest items for sale. 

Years ago you could only buy a cooker from the High Street and now it's probably the last place you may look to select a particular item or model prior to purchase,

These days, there is not much you cannot purchase over the internet.  The great thing about the internet is that you can connect with suppliers of some of the oddest items for sale. 

Years ago you could only buy a cooker from the High Street and now it's probably the last place you may look to select a particular item or model prior to purchase,

These days, there is not much you cannot purchase over the internet.  The great thing about the internet is that you can connect with suppliers of some of the oddest items for sale. 

Years ago you could only buy a cooker from the High Street and now it's probably the last place you may look to select a particular item or model prior to purchase,

These days, there is not much you cannot purchase over the internet.  The great thing about the internet is that you can connect with suppliers of some of the oddest items for sale. 

Years ago you could only buy a cooker from the High Street and now it's probably the last place you may look to select a particular item or model prior to purchase,

The Solution to Lawn Worm Casts

CastClear is the solution to lawn worm casts.  It's a lawn soil cast suppressant and a deterrent.  It's proven control on both lawns and sports turf.

Which? Gardening Trials Team trialled it and gave it the thumbs up.

It is unique in using a surfactant system that moves the nutrient into the upper soil structure and fixes it there providing good persistence of deterrent effect until breaking down to natural nutrients absorbed by plant roots.

Take the hassle out of using a Garden Sprayer

Indigo Garden Spray Dye is an innovative product that you simply add to your garden sprayer to help you make liquid applications / treatments to your lawn and garden.

Benefits:

Spray Pattern Indicator Dye

Saves Time, Money, Product,

Lets You See Where You Have Or Have Not Sprayed

Indicates When Your Sprayer Is Clean

Takes The Guess Work Out Of Making Liquid Treatments In The Garden

All this for £13.00 inc P&P.

Available from Amazon and The Lawn Shop

Controlling an Attack of Rust Disease on your Lawn

We are now in the late summer into the autumn months and that time of year when you go outside and shrug your shoulders at the dropping night time temperatures.

Not suggesting that the summer is over as the weather might be unseasonably warmer this weekend after a lot of rain.  The last time I thought about treating Rust was on my old Mini Metro that was rather prone to it on the front panels - well it was almost a 100 rust bucket to be honest!  Glad to see that car construction has moved on a bit since the early 80's.

Not suggesting that the summer is over as the weather might be unseasonably warmer this weekend after a lot of rain.  The last time I thought about treating Rust was on my old Mini Metro that was rather prone to it on the front panels - well it was almost a 100 rust bucket to be honest!  Glad to see that car construction has moved on a bit since the early 80's.

Damaging New Fungal Disease for Rye Grasses

The first known UK case of 'Gray Leaf Spot' disease on perennial ryegrass turf signals the arrival in Britain of potentially the most damaging fungal disease for this grass variety – and it’s a problem that can be extremely difficult to control writes Dr Kate Entwistle of The Turf Disease Centre for The Grounds Management Association Magazine.

October Lawn Care Advice

With an Indian summer and warm temperatures in September, October has started with a crash with colder weather and rain.  

Storm Alex and another low-pressure system will buffet parts of the UK with strong winds and heavy showers over the next three days, bringing the possibility of localised flooding and travel disruptions reports Rory Sullivan in the Independent Newspaper today.

Forecasters have said that parts of the English south coast could see winds of up to 65mph and could experience flooding by the end of Sunday.

Controlling Leatherjacket Larvae

We are all aware of "Daddy Long Legs" flying around in the late summer months, being chased by the cat and dog with children finding fun pulling the legs off the fly like insects!

What you may not be aware of is the devastating effect the larvae of the insects can have - literally stripping a lawn bare! Do not under estimate them!

What are they?

Leatherjackets are the Larvae of the Crane Fly or Daddy Long Legs, as they are more commonly known. The fully grown Larvae are typically up to 4 cm in length.

What you may not be aware of is the devastating effect the larvae of the insects can have - literally stripping a lawn bare! Do not under estimate them!

What are they?

Leatherjackets are the Larvae of the Crane Fly or Daddy Long Legs, as they are more commonly known. The fully grown Larvae are typically up to 4 cm in length.

Invasion of more than 200 billion Daddy Long Legs on Lawns

With record temperatures, it's been a summer to savour – for daddy long legs, that is.

Now homeowners have been warned to brace for an invasion of more than 200billion of the amorous insects.

Experts say the warm but wet weather has provided perfect growing conditions for crane fly larvae, or 'leatherjackets', in their underground tunnels.

And the 'sex-crazed' creatures are now hatching – with hordes expected to swarm into homes searching for a mate.

To Autumn by John Keats as we celebrate the Autumn Equinox

When leaves begin to fall, temperatures drop and days become shorter, it can only mean autumn is on its way. No matter how hot the summer has been, the next season of the year is fast approaching, with home comforts, bronzed woodland hues and a pumpkin or two. 

For many, autumn is enjoyable because of its festivals and the sense that "life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall", if you're of the same opinion as F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

According to the astronomical calendar, the seasonal transition occurs on September 22 (today), the date of the Autumn equinox. However under the meteorological definition, which is based on the Gregorian calendar, autumn began on September 1.

Here is everything you need to know about the changing seasons, from how the equinox works to what you can look forward to over the next few months.

Read more about the Autumn Equinox

Ig Nobel Awards Celebrates 30 Years of the Lighter Side of Science involving Earthworms

Since 1991, the Ig Nobel Awards have been celebrated to award ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research that "first make people laugh, and then make them think." The award is a parody of the Nobel Prize and the word ignoble.

This year is the 30th year that showcases the lighter side of science but in quarantine style due to the restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the global crisis, it seems there is no shortage of amusing people, from the alligators made to bellow in helium chambers to drunken earthworms that vibrate on speakers. These all seemingly odd experiments have caught the eye of the Judges.