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

Grandfather, 68, discovers WWII bomb shelter under the lawn

A grandfather discovered a World War Two air raid shelter at the home he has lived in for the past 40 years after he inspected a manhole cover in the garden. 

Khandu Patel, 68, lifted the manhole cover in the garden of his home in Wolverhampton while gardening.

The Solution to Worm Casts on Lawns

There are a lot of lawns being ruined by worm casts with recent rainfall, with multi sticky mounds of soil coming through the lawn.

Earthworm infestations can be massive, with many thousands per every 100 square metres.

It is not the worms that are directly the problem, but their castings on your lawn. 

There are a lot of lawns being ruined by worm casts with recent rainfall, with multi sticky mounds of soil coming through the lawn.

Earthworm infestations can be massive, with many thousands per every 100 square metres.

It is not the worms that are directly the problem, but their castings on your lawn. 

Weather to mow the lawn or not....

Finding the ideal time to mow the lawn this autumn can always be a challenge. You should never consider that you do not have to mow the lawn in the autumn or winter months as the lawn will never actually stop growing - it will just slow down. You do not get out of it that easy!

Having a reliable weather source is vital in planning on which days you could mow your lawn that fits in with your busy work, home and social life and a time that coincides with the weather not throwing it down with rain at the time!

December Lawn Care Advice

As we enter the month of December and the looming prospect of the first Christmas Holiday Season under COVID Lockdown, your mind may be on other things rather than your lawn.

The month has started mild with daytime temperatures and 6.8 degrees and 1.4 degrees overnight but a cold snap is forecast as we enter the second week of December.

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.

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.

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.