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

Halloween Lawn Care Tips

Autumn is the traditional time when the majority of lawn owners get to grip with clearing the leaves that have fallen over their lawn.  Also at the end of this month, there is Halloween.  Autumn is also a key lawn renovation time.

­O­ne obvious question about Halloween is, "What does the word itself mean?"  The name is actually a shortened version of "All Hallows' Even," the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is simply another name for All Saints' Day, the day Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All Hallows' Even as "Hallowe'en" and then simply "Halloween."

Autumn is the traditional time when the majority of lawn owners get to grip with clearing the leaves that have fallen over their lawn.  Also at the end of this month, there is Halloween.  Autumn is also a key lawn renovation time.

­O­ne obvious question about Halloween is, "What does the word itself mean?"  The name is actually a shortened version of "All Hallows' Even," the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is simply another name for All Saints' Day, the day Catholics commemorate all the saints. At some point, people began referring to All Hallows' Even as "Hallowe'en" and then simply "Halloween."

Lawn Care Products Online 24/7

Your lawn will not stop growing over the winter months and growth will slow down.  Every warm day we get will increase the natural metabolic rate of the lawn and make it grow some more. It will soon be time to start preparing for the arrival of spring so get your lawn treatment products ready to apply together now! 

The lawn will really need a boost with some Sulphate of Iron and some Lawn Fertiliser to get it out of the winter doldrums. Once you do your first mow, plan to start with your spring time treatment programme.  With the wettest year for over 100 years, your lawn will need some coaxing to lift it out of the winter doldrums.

Your lawn will not stop growing over the winter months and growth will slow down.  Every warm day we get will increase the natural metabolic rate of the lawn and make it grow some more. It will soon be time to start preparing for the arrival of spring so get your lawn treatment products ready to apply together now! 

The lawn will really need a boost with some Sulphate of Iron and some Lawn Fertiliser to get it out of the winter doldrums. Once you do your first mow, plan to start with your spring time treatment programme.  With the wettest year for over 100 years, your lawn will need some coaxing to lift it out of the winter doldrums.

Your lawn will not stop growing over the winter months and growth will slow down.  Every warm day we get will increase the natural metabolic rate of the lawn and make it grow some more. It will soon be time to start preparing for the arrival of spring so get your lawn treatment products ready to apply together now! 

The lawn will really need a boost with some Sulphate of Iron and some Lawn Fertiliser to get it out of the winter doldrums. Once you do your first mow, plan to start with your spring time treatment programme.  With the wettest year for over 100 years, your lawn will need some coaxing to lift it out of the winter doldrums.

Your lawn will not stop growing over the winter months and growth will slow down.  Every warm day we get will increase the natural metabolic rate of the lawn and make it grow some more. It will soon be time to start preparing for the arrival of spring so get your lawn treatment products ready to apply together now! 

The lawn will really need a boost with some Sulphate of Iron and some Lawn Fertiliser to get it out of the winter doldrums. Once you do your first mow, plan to start with your spring time treatment programme.  With the wettest year for over 100 years, your lawn will need some coaxing to lift it out of the winter doldrums.

Stocking CastClear in your Garden Centre

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

CastClear will really compliment and enhance an autumn lawn care display and increase your sales so why not stock CastClear NOW?  350 existing stockists are already enjoying the benefits of having CastClear on their shelves.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

CastClear will really compliment and enhance an autumn lawn care display and increase your sales so why not stock CastClear NOW?  350 existing stockists are already enjoying the benefits of having CastClear on their shelves.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

Garden Weed Control Advice

A couple of friends recently came up with the same comment following their attempts at weed control in their gardens.  They had both applied a branded total weed killer on their gravel and pathways and remarked after a few days following application that "The weeds have not gone yet."

When I asked of them "When did you apply the control product?" they said only a few days ago to which I replied "You are expecting too much, please be patient."  Their observations on the speed of the mode of action of single active ingredient or a blend of active ingredients is rather common so a little bit of advice may be required in choice of product for the time of year follows.

A couple of friends recently came up with the same comment following their attempts at weed control in their gardens.  They had both applied a branded total weed killer on their gravel and pathways and remarked after a few days following application that "The weeds have not gone yet."

When I asked of them "When did you apply the control product?" they said only a few days ago to which I replied "You are expecting too much, please be patient."  Their observations on the speed of the mode of action of single active ingredient or a blend of active ingredients is rather common so a little bit of advice may be required in choice of product for the time of year follows.

Tips on lawn moss control this autumn

Moss control and then Moss removal in lawns is a practice normally performed in the spring and autumn lawn care months.

If the grass plants activity has thinned or weakened over the past 12 months, especially after a harsh lawn year or winter, now is the time to start Moss control and eradication and some mechanical operations just ahead of over seeding the lawn to turn the tide on the moss and re populate with existing or new grasses.  It is not too late to seed a lawn but as soon as we get some heavy frosts, germination will slow rapidly.

Moss control and then Moss removal in lawns is a practice normally performed in the spring and autumn lawn care months.

If the grass plants activity has thinned or weakened over the past 12 months, especially after a harsh lawn year or winter, now is the time to start Moss control and eradication and some mechanical operations just ahead of over seeding the lawn to turn the tide on the moss and re populate with existing or new grasses.  It is not too late to seed a lawn but as soon as we get some heavy frosts, germination will slow rapidly.

Fascinating facts about Earthworms

In a recent, totally unscientific survey of friends, neighbors and acquaintances I discovered that nine out of 10 people who had completed at least a 6th grade education had, at some point, dissected an earthworm as part of their curriculum. The 10th person had actually fainted at the beginning of the process and was excused from the exercise.

In a recent, totally unscientific survey of friends, neighbors and acquaintances I discovered that nine out of 10 people who had completed at least a 6th grade education had, at some point, dissected an earthworm as part of their curriculum. The 10th person had actually fainted at the beginning of the process and was excused from the exercise.

View where you have sprayed with a garden sprayer

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

Sound Lawn Care Advice from a Team of Lawn Specialists

There are a lot of Landscapers and Gardeners who 'claim' to know a lot about lawn and grass. There are numerous trade suppliers to the industry who specialise in their range of products and advice associated with them.

There has been a steady rise in the establishment of Lawn Treatment Companies over the last few years also adding their bit to the advice bank. So why is it that the advice given to lawn owners varies so much and is often so inaccurate and poor?

There are a lot of Landscapers and Gardeners who 'claim' to know a lot about lawn and grass. There are numerous trade suppliers to the industry who specialise in their range of products and advice associated with them.

There has been a steady rise in the establishment of Lawn Treatment Companies over the last few years also adding their bit to the advice bank. So why is it that the advice given to lawn owners varies so much and is often so inaccurate and poor?

NPTC Pesticide Training accreditation

The National Proficiency Tests Council - NPTC is the largest nationally recognised awarding body within the landbased sector with a history going back to the Young Farmer's Club Movement in the 1930s when the achievement of skill was encouraged through competitions at club, region and county level.

The aim of The NPTC is to promote competence and professionalism in the workforce of the land-based and related industries by the encouragement of continuous learning and the recognition of skill.

The National Proficiency Tests Council - NPTC is the largest nationally recognised awarding body within the landbased sector with a history going back to the Young Farmer's Club Movement in the 1930s when the achievement of skill was encouraged through competitions at club, region and county level.

The aim of The NPTC is to promote competence and professionalism in the workforce of the land-based and related industries by the encouragement of continuous learning and the recognition of skill.

When to stop mowing your lawn this autumn

Grass does not actually stop growing even when it is really damn cold, it simply slows down. 

The question of when you should stop mowing the grass is more a question of the prevailing weather and ground conditions which quite often prevent you getting onto the lawn when you have the ideal opportunity to perform the mowing function. Prey for a dry wiindy autumn day!

There is an Old Wives' Tale about when to stop mowing your lawn in the autumn months.  I think it is actually an Old Granddad's Tale as an excuse to put the mower away in the shed and get the slippers and pipe out in front of the fire with the feeling that the mowing function had been completed for that year!  

The factors restricting lawn mowing in the autumn and winter months could be - 

Grass does not actually stop growing even when it is really damn cold, it simply slows down. 

The question of when you should stop mowing the grass is more a question of the prevailing weather and ground conditions which quite often prevent you getting onto the lawn when you have the ideal opportunity to perform the mowing function. Prey for a dry wiindy autumn day!

There is an Old Wives' Tale about when to stop mowing your lawn in the autumn months.  I think it is actually an Old Granddad's Tale as an excuse to put the mower away in the shed and get the slippers and pipe out in front of the fire with the feeling that the mowing function had been completed for that year!  

The factors restricting lawn mowing in the autumn and winter months could be - 

How to look after a newly turved lawn

We are often asked by lawn owners who have recently received a new lawn - "How do I look after it?" Most lawn owners typically think that because they have a nice new lawn that they do not have to look after it - wrong!! The work starts here.

So how do you care for a new lawn? If the lawn was turved, you really do hit the deck running. Ensure that you do not let the turves dry out at all otherwise they will shrink and it will look awful. Do not make the mistake of being too kind with the water too otherwise you run the risk of killing the lawn. Your landscaper or turf care organisation would have fertilised the lawn with a pre seeder fertiliser before the lawn was laid or fertilised it with a granular fertiliser appropriate to the time of year after laying, so an autumn and winter fertiliser to aid root development and toughen the turf up ahead of the perils of winter. You can turf a lawn all rear round so long as the soil on site can be worked and the turf farm can lift the turf.

We are often asked by lawn owners who have recently received a new lawn - "How do I look after it?" Most lawn owners typically think that because they have a nice new lawn that they do not have to look after it - wrong!! The work starts here.

So how do you care for a new lawn? If the lawn was turved, you really do hit the deck running. Ensure that you do not let the turves dry out at all otherwise they will shrink and it will look awful. Do not make the mistake of being too kind with the water too otherwise you run the risk of killing the lawn. Your landscaper or turf care organisation would have fertilised the lawn with a pre seeder fertiliser before the lawn was laid or fertilised it with a granular fertiliser appropriate to the time of year after laying, so an autumn and winter fertiliser to aid root development and toughen the turf up ahead of the perils of winter. You can turf a lawn all rear round so long as the soil on site can be worked and the turf farm can lift the turf.

Trapping a Mole with a Beagle

Beagle is a British company that provides an easy, effective solution to unwanted moles in your lawns.

Moles to be honest are great mammals but a bit of a pain in the rear when they mess up your lawn with their mounds of soil on the surface.

Their pest control products are designed and manufactured exclusively in the UK to the highest quality standards. They should last you a life-time, and should be a pleasure to use.

Further innovative, high quality garden products are in development, each of which will make a real difference to the way you maintain your garden.

For now, the principal product is the EasySet Mole Trap the culmination of three years' research and development and the result of a general disenchantment with the other mole control products on the market.

The easiest mole trap ever.

Beagle is a British company that provides an easy, effective solution to unwanted moles in your lawns.

Moles to be honest are great mammals but a bit of a pain in the rear when they mess up your lawn with their mounds of soil on the surface.

Their pest control products are designed and manufactured exclusively in the UK to the highest quality standards. They should last you a life-time, and should be a pleasure to use.

Further innovative, high quality garden products are in development, each of which will make a real difference to the way you maintain your garden.

For now, the principal product is the EasySet Mole Trap the culmination of three years' research and development and the result of a general disenchantment with the other mole control products on the market.

The easiest mole trap ever.

How to Top Dress a Lawn

Top dressing a lawn is the term used to describe the careful application of a loam, sand or clay material to the surface of a lawn to restore the micro levels. The term is often confused with a fertiliser application as a 'dressing'. Top dressing is typically applied in the autumn after scarification and aeration and over seeding when around 8mm or 1/4 of an inch of material is applied and worked into the lawns' surface.

The choice of material depends upon your desired effect adn the soil type to start. A tennis court of cricket square would receive a clay based top dressing such as Mendip Loam or Surrey Loam, traditional clay loams that suit the needs of the sport and playing surface.

Top dressing a lawn is the term used to describe the careful application of a loam, sand or clay material to the surface of a lawn to restore the micro levels. The term is often confused with a fertiliser application as a 'dressing'. Top dressing is typically applied in the autumn after scarification and aeration and over seeding when around 8mm or 1/4 of an inch of material is applied and worked into the lawns' surface.

The choice of material depends upon your desired effect adn the soil type to start. A tennis court of cricket square would receive a clay based top dressing such as Mendip Loam or Surrey Loam, traditional clay loams that suit the needs of the sport and playing surface.

What is Thatch, how does it form and why is Thatch bad for my Lawn

Thatch is a layer of natural decaying and dead leaf litter and other plant materials that builds up on the top of the soil surface at the base of the grass plants. Over time, especially if it is allowed to dry out, it can become fibrous and matted like a dry old bathroom sponge.

The picture details shallow lawn thatch. How does Thatch form? Turf grasses predominately grow in a tufted habit with a few exceptions between turf grass species. Imagine a pile of letter 'V's slotted inside each other with one central upright.

Thatch is a layer of natural decaying and dead leaf litter and other plant materials that builds up on the top of the soil surface at the base of the grass plants. Over time, especially if it is allowed to dry out, it can become fibrous and matted like a dry old bathroom sponge.

The picture details shallow lawn thatch. How does Thatch form? Turf grasses predominately grow in a tufted habit with a few exceptions between turf grass species. Imagine a pile of letter 'V's slotted inside each other with one central upright.

Britain's Best Lawn - Winner announced!

Each year, Briggs & Stratton, the world largest producer of petrol engines for lawn mowers and other outdoor power equipment, search the length and breadth of the UK to find gardeners passionate about their lawns in its Britain’s Best Lawn competition.

Past winners have been dedicated to maintaining their lawn to the highest standard, with one winner spending up to 10 hours a day looking after his lawn!