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

Winter Lawn Care Tips

With the New Year just over a weeks old, our thought process at this time of year is not always on our lawns.  The grass does not stop growing, but it slows almost to a stop and with a slight increase in temperature will easily grow over the winter months.  Currently it's wet and mild with temperatures today set at 11 degrees centigrade.

If we enter a period of warmer winter sunshine and the ground is not frozen, sieze the opportunity to get the mower out and 'top' the grass taking off anything from 10% to 25% off the top to tidy it up and stimulate whatever growth there may be at this time of the year.

No lawn should be scarified in the winter months when there is little chance of natural grass plant recovery following the scarification process no matter what your chosen lawn care expert or company claims!

With the New Year just over a weeks old, our thought process at this time of year is not always on our lawns.  The grass does not stop growing, but it slows almost to a stop and with a slight increase in temperature will easily grow over the winter months.  Currently it's wet and mild with temperatures today set at 11 degrees centigrade.

If we enter a period of warmer winter sunshine and the ground is not frozen, sieze the opportunity to get the mower out and 'top' the grass taking off anything from 10% to 25% off the top to tidy it up and stimulate whatever growth there may be at this time of the year.

No lawn should be scarified in the winter months when there is little chance of natural grass plant recovery following the scarification process no matter what your chosen lawn care expert or company claims!

Happy New Year from The Grass Clippings Team

The Grass Clippings Team would like to wish all our Readers a happy and healthy 2020.  Bring on 'The Roaring Twenties'

With over 1,450 technical articles here on our Lawn Blog, you are never more than a simple search away from a useful and technically correct article about caring for your lawn.

The weather in the UK is still rather mild and the grass is still growing which is not bad for the 8th of January!  Don't be shy to run the mower over the lawns if ground conditions permit over the next week or two and trimming the lawn will really lift the garden.

Are Worm Casts destroying your Lawn?

The worms do a splendid job in the soil just beneath the grass crown, but it is a pity that their soil cast deposits pose such a problem for lawn owners.

CastClear is an organic non-pesticide control solution available to domestic lawn owners to deter the worms from casting.   There are only five types of casting worms found in UK lawns. 

Other European countries also suffer worm worm casts on turf.  The problem can be solved  CastClear is the solution to lawn soil casts.

Happy Thanksgiving Holidays to our USA Readers

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

With over 1,450 lawn related articles (a wonderful milestone we passed this week) and lifetime views of over 3 million technical posts, 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.

Teach yourself in the safe use of Pesticides

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

You can purchase self-learn NPTC / City & Guilds training modules and other publications here.

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

You can purchase self-learn NPTC / City & Guilds training modules and other publications here.

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

You can purchase self-learn NPTC / City & Guilds training modules and other publications here.

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

You can purchase self-learn NPTC / City & Guilds training modules and other publications here.

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

You can purchase self-learn NPTC / City & Guilds training modules and other publications here.

Lawn Treatment Company Vs Do it Yourself

What the majority of lawn owners require is clear, concise and consistent advice.  We live in a service industry world and having your lawn treated is a bit like getting your laundry done. 

Increasingly, we note on our travels that lawn owners are trying one or more of the many lawn treatment companies for a couple of years and then seeking a change, more often than not reverting back towards looking after their lawns themselves now that the weeds and moss have gone and the grass quality and density is so much better than it was before the lawn treatment company were employed.

What the majority of lawn owners require is clear, concise and consistent advice.  We live in a service industry world and having your lawn treated is a bit like getting your laundry done. 

Increasingly, we note on our travels that lawn owners are trying one or more of the many lawn treatment companies for a couple of years and then seeking a change, more often than not reverting back towards looking after their lawns themselves now that the weeds and moss have gone and the grass quality and density is so much better than it was before the lawn treatment company were employed.

Curing Lawn Dry Patches

Dry Patch is a little known problem of turf in amateur lawn circles but one that has an incredible impact in ensuring consistent colour, growth, nutrient status, run of the ball and most of all visual impact and continuity of grass cover.

We have had two really dry summers with a lot of rain since mid September to date but these dry patches will return so be prepared!

You may notice a darkening halo on parts of the lawn, visible from the upstairs window. This is a good indicator that the soil underneath is starting to or has dried out.

Pesticides blamed for Bee and Insect Loss

Approximately half of all insects have been lost since 1970 due to the heavy use of pesticides, which could spell disaster for all life on Earth, a new report suggests. 

Yep, once again, Pesticides getting a slating in the Media once more.

Conservationists have called for action to be taken to halt the 'unnoticed insect apocalypse' in order to prevent a 'catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems'.

Leading ecologists at the University of Sussex, who carried out the report for the Wildlife Trusts, revealed that 40 per cent of the one million known insect species are now nearing extinction.

Garden Innovation from The Lawn Company Team

The Team at The Lawn Company who created, manufacture and distribute Indigo Garden Spray Dye are an innovative lot whom are capable of taking products that are widely used in the professional sports turf industry and scaling them down to benefit lawn owners and gardeners alike.

The scary thing about some of the much larger UK garden chemical companies is that thay may have an amenity (golf course) and consumer (homeowner) side to their business structure yet they suprisingly fail to bridge the gap.

Get Qualified to use Professional Pesticides

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?

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.

We were asked multi-times to provide training one to one to small business owners and as a result came up with the the self study pesticide course concept to support our on site training for larger companies and organisations.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy

It's not often that we write about a book here but the fact that artist Charlie Mackesy was featuring a Mole in his New York Times Bestseller was a good enough excuse to tell you about it:

The Sunday Times Bestseller and New York Times Bestseller. Shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year.

The tenuous link here is that Moles love Earthworms and CastClear controls their sticky and muddy casts on your lawn.  Are we forgiven now?

Grass Poppy Pyramids alongside the M8 Motorway

These stunning pictures show three giant poppies which have been painted on pyramids along Scotland's busiest motorway.

The eye-catching flower tributes were created on the famous grass pyramids close to the M8 near Bathgate in West Lothian.

Poppyscotland, the charity supporting ex-servicemen and women, painted the beautiful tribute to raise awareness of the Royal British Legion's annual Poppy Appeal.

Don't stop mowing your lawn yet...

It is quite mild in the South East and the grass is still growing, albeit at a slightly slower rate than a month ago with cooler nights setting in.

Do not plan to stop mowing your lawn quite yet, maybe twice a month for November and once a month for December and January.

The turf grasses will not stop growing but it will be a little difficult for new grass seed to germinate out of the formal growing season.

Lawn Seed sown some eight weeks ago should be at around three to four leaves stages (number of leaves) now and these will continue to develop over the winter.

Tackle you Garden Weeds

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.

How to count Earthworm Populations in your Lawn

No-tillers Farmers who are trying to get a better handle on counting Earthworm  populations might try a method used in France to find more individual species.  But the trusty spade is quicker and cheaper for most.

The undisputed indicator of healthy soil is the presence of Earthworms in the soil profile. There are various methods of sampling or extraction to estimate the level of worm communities and analyze the different species present.

But what method is best? Two extraction methods — one chemical and one mechanical — are commonly used in the field. The chemical approach involves pouring a mustard solution onto the soil while the mechanical method involves simply using a good spade.