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

Turf Prices to Rise

Rolawn the UK's leading turf grower and Britain's leading high quality topsoil supplier forecast that turf prices in the UK are set to increase over the coming months. The impact of challenging growing conditions starting with the cold wet winter, followed by the ‘Beast from the East' in spring, moving on to a record breaking hot dry summer has increased production costs in an unprecedented manner.

As widely reported many crops have been under tremendous pressure with yields sharply reduced combined with significantly higher costs, which can only result in significant upward pressure on price. Added to this, increases in fuel prices compared to last year means that the cost of turf production, harvesting and delivery have increased significantly.

Creative Lawn Stripes Winner Announced

A gardener has spent 273 hours mowing an amazing geometric pattern into his front lawn - using an antique lawnmower from the 1940s.

Keith Smith, 41, cut his grass three times a day for three months throughout the summer, spending 21 hours a week on his unique creation.

His hard work led to him being crowned champion at this year's Creative Lawn Stripes Competition.

Lawn care products made easy by The Lawn Shop

The hard working Team at The Lawn Shop have a variety of lawn care products to help your lawn cope with drought recovery and keep it tip top for the rest of the summer months.

You should have fertiised your lawn twice by now so if you have not, think about making a fertiliser application straight away now this hot and dry weather spell has subsides.  Your lawn will love you for it! The South East of the United Kingdom still has not had sufficient rainfall but every little helps.

The hard working Team at The Lawn Shop have a variety of lawn care products to help your lawn cope with drought recovery and keep it tip top for the rest of the summer months.

You should have fertiised your lawn twice by now so if you have not, think about making a fertiliser application straight away now this hot and dry weather spell has subsides.  Your lawn will love you for it! The South East of the United Kingdom still has not had sufficient rainfall but every little helps.

The hard working Team at The Lawn Shop have a variety of lawn care products to help your lawn cope with drought recovery and keep it tip top for the rest of the summer months.

The hard working Team at The Lawn Shop have a variety of lawn care products to help your lawn cope with drought recovery and keep it tip top for the rest of the summer months.

Eye Catching Retail Carton for CastClear®

CastClear® is a proven combination of both organic and unique nutrient materials large and small. It's the solution to lawn worm cast problems and has been selling in Garden Centres since the autumn of 2011 via 450 retail stockists. To enhance further retail sales CastClear® is rolling out a smart new retail carton into the garden retail sector this autumn.

Attractively packaged The sizes of 250ml, 500ml and 1,000ml are displayed as an attractive mix and have boosted sales to consumers. As POS (Point of Sale) becomes even more critical, this attractively packaged product really stands out on the shelves! The peak selling period for CastClear® is August to April but it does sell all year round on the product shelves. CastClear® compliments and enhances any lawn care display and will increase your sales so why not stock CastClear® now?

CastClear® is a proven combination of both organic and unique nutrient materials large and small. It's the solution to lawn worm cast problems and has been selling in Garden Centres since the autumn of 2011 via 450 retail stockists. To enhance further retail sales CastClear® is rolling out a smart new retail carton into the garden retail sector this autumn.

Attractively packaged The sizes of 250ml, 500ml and 1,000ml are displayed as an attractive mix and have boosted sales to consumers. As POS (Point of Sale) becomes even more critical, this attractively packaged product really stands out on the shelves! The peak selling period for CastClear® is August to April but it does sell all year round on the product shelves. CastClear® compliments and enhances any lawn care display and will increase your sales so why not stock CastClear® now?

CastClear® is a proven combination of both organic and unique nutrient materials large and small. It's the solution to lawn worm cast problems and has been selling in Garden Centres since the autumn of 2011 via 450 retail stockists. To enhance further retail sales CastClear® is rolling out a smart new retail carton into the garden retail sector this autumn.

Attractively packaged The sizes of 250ml, 500ml and 1,000ml are displayed as an attractive mix and have boosted sales to consumers. As POS (Point of Sale) becomes even more critical, this attractively packaged product really stands out on the shelves! The peak selling period for CastClear® is August to April but it does sell all year round on the product shelves. CastClear® compliments and enhances any lawn care display and will increase your sales so why not stock CastClear® now?

Bank Holiday Lawn Care Tips

You can tell by the weather of the last few days  that we are embarking on a Bank Holiday weekend.

Looks like sunshine and showers but naturally, the weather does not deter the British having a fun weekend off.

Below are a few Bank Holiday tips and jobs to be getting on with, should you be planning a weekend at home catching up in the garden after the drought. 

You can tell by the weather of the last few days  that we are embarking on a Bank Holiday weekend.

Looks like sunshine and showers but naturally, the weather does not deter the British having a fun weekend off.

Below are a few Bank Holiday tips and jobs to be getting on with, should you be planning a weekend at home catching up in the garden after the drought. 

Lawn Care Products by Subscription

What is Lawn in a Box? 

It's a kind of Lawn Club where a group of like-minded people whose main focus is to spend time doing what they love = looking after their lawns.

Clubs are very sociable and this fact hasn't changed very much at all over time. As Lawn in a Box gains momentum, there is scope for Member Only benefits and events where you will be invited to attend.  We are open to suggestions from our Members naturally as to what YOU want help with.

What is Lawn in a Box? 

It's a kind of Lawn Club where a group of like-minded people whose main focus is to spend time doing what they love = looking after their lawns.

Clubs are very sociable and this fact hasn't changed very much at all over time. As Lawn in a Box gains momentum, there is scope for Member Only benefits and events where you will be invited to attend.  We are open to suggestions from our Members naturally as to what YOU want help with.

Lawn Care Products Online from The Lawn Shop

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 internet is after all the shop window of companies selling their goods and services and most people are quite comfortable shopping online.   This include lawn care products.

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 internet is after all the shop window of companies selling their goods and services and most people are quite comfortable shopping online.   This include lawn care products.

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 internet is after all the shop window of companies selling their goods and services and most people are quite comfortable shopping online.   This include lawn care products.

Control lawn weeds now!

If you have a lot of weeds that have survived the drought in your lawn, now is almost the time to think about controlling the weeds in your lawn.

Lawn weeds compete for water, space, light with the turf grasses but mostly they look unsightly, should not be in a lawn and also they grow at a faster rate than the grass plants.

You normally get two periods of weed activity in a normal year. The broadleaf weeds such as Cat's Ear, Plantains, Daisies, Dandelions to name a view of them will easily over winter in the turf. These need to be killed early on before the second turf weed season starts when you get the Red, White Clovers, Yellow Suckling Clovers and Trefoils appearing in around May and June time.

If you have a lot of weeds that have survived the drought in your lawn, now is almost the time to think about controlling the weeds in your lawn.

Lawn weeds compete for water, space, light with the turf grasses but mostly they look unsightly, should not be in a lawn and also they grow at a faster rate than the grass plants.

You normally get two periods of weed activity in a normal year. The broadleaf weeds such as Cat's Ear, Plantains, Daisies, Dandelions to name a view of them will easily over winter in the turf. These need to be killed early on before the second turf weed season starts when you get the Red, White Clovers, Yellow Suckling Clovers and Trefoils appearing in around May and June time.

Carbendazim for Earthworm Control - The Alternatives

The Amenity Sports Turf Industry has had the registration for this useful fungicide pesticide active ingredient, which had a dual use for earthworm cast suppression revoked by the 'they should know better' EU Ministers last year, meaning that you are going to see an abundance of earthworm casts on your lawns, sports pitch & golf course this autumn. 

Last year, there was soome evident stock piling on Carbendazim pesticide active so this autumn will be the first period with the biggest worm cast impact seen on turf.

The garden retail product to deter lawn worm casts is CastClear, marketed by The Lawn Company who have sold over 13,000 litres of the product since they entered it into garden retail back in 2012.  At that time, there had not been a domestic approved, non-pesticide product in the garden retail industry for some 20 years or so prior to the arrival of CastClear.

The problem with preventing worm casts on larger areas with CastClear at 20 Litres per Hectare is the need to repeat the application every 17-20 days or so at one third of the initial dose rate. 

The Amenity Sports Turf Industry has had the registration for this useful fungicide pesticide active ingredient, which had a dual use for earthworm cast suppression revoked by the 'they should know better' EU Ministers last year, meaning that you are going to see an abundance of earthworm casts on your lawns, sports pitch & golf course this autumn. 

Last year, there was soome evident stock piling on Carbendazim pesticide active so this autumn will be the first period with the biggest worm cast impact seen on turf.

The garden retail product to deter lawn worm casts is CastClear, marketed by The Lawn Company who have sold over 13,000 litres of the product since they entered it into garden retail back in 2012.  At that time, there had not been a domestic approved, non-pesticide product in the garden retail industry for some 20 years or so prior to the arrival of CastClear.

The problem with preventing worm casts on larger areas with CastClear at 20 Litres per Hectare is the need to repeat the application every 17-20 days or so at one third of the initial dose rate. 

Establishing a lawn with grass seed

The are many lawn care companies undertaking lawn renovations such as The Lawn Company, that may include over seeding with new grass seed to improve the turf grass content of an old or maybe a new lawn installation from bare soil.

In the case of a new lawn installation, the choice of whether to turf or seed is down to the preference of the lawn owner and budget.  Turf is 8 - 12 months old when it is harvested whereas it can take almost 6 months for newly sown grass seeds to get to the same point of maturity that turf is when it is laid.

The are many lawn care companies undertaking lawn renovations such as The Lawn Company, that may include over seeding with new grass seed to improve the turf grass content of an old or maybe a new lawn installation from bare soil.

In the case of a new lawn installation, the choice of whether to turf or seed is down to the preference of the lawn owner and budget.  Turf is 8 - 12 months old when it is harvested whereas it can take almost 6 months for newly sown grass seeds to get to the same point of maturity that turf is when it is laid.

The are many lawn care companies undertaking lawn renovations such as The Lawn Company, that may include over seeding with new grass seed to improve the turf grass content of an old or maybe a new lawn installation from bare soil.

In the case of a new lawn installation, the choice of whether to turf or seed is down to the preference of the lawn owner and budget.  Turf is 8 - 12 months old when it is harvested whereas it can take almost 6 months for newly sown grass seeds to get to the same point of maturity that turf is when it is laid.

The are many lawn care companies undertaking lawn renovations such as The Lawn Company, that may include over seeding with new grass seed to improve the turf grass content of an old or maybe a new lawn installation from bare soil.

In the case of a new lawn installation, the choice of whether to turf or seed is down to the preference of the lawn owner and budget.  Turf is 8 - 12 months old when it is harvested whereas it can take almost 6 months for newly sown grass seeds to get to the same point of maturity that turf is when it is laid.

The are many lawn care companies undertaking lawn renovations such as The Lawn Company, that may include over seeding with new grass seed to improve the turf grass content of an old or maybe a new lawn installation from bare soil.

In the case of a new lawn installation, the choice of whether to turf or seed is down to the preference of the lawn owner and budget.  Turf is 8 - 12 months old when it is harvested whereas it can take almost 6 months for newly sown grass seeds to get to the same point of maturity that turf is when it is laid.

Controlling Lawn Worm Casts with Sulphur

Worms are great for the lawn but in the autumn through to the spring months their casts cause a really big problem on the lawns surface making it muddy, bumpy, wet and uneven. 

The wetter parts of the United Kingdom following our summer drought are noticing multi worm casts on the surface of lawns.  In the dryer South East where we have received minimal rainfall, some casts are appearing in more shady parts of a lawn.  Time to control them.

CastClear is the sulphur active solution to control lawn worm casts.  The worms simply do not like the taste of the sulphur, although CastClear has many other ingredients in it to make the sulphur more effective.  CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials including sulphur that have been clearly shown to reduce worm-cast levels on lawns large and small.

Worms are great for the lawn but in the autumn through to the spring months their casts cause a really big problem on the lawns surface making it muddy, bumpy, wet and uneven. 

The wetter parts of the United Kingdom following our summer drought are noticing multi worm casts on the surface of lawns.  In the dryer South East where we have received minimal rainfall, some casts are appearing in more shady parts of a lawn.  Time to control them.

CastClear is the sulphur active solution to control lawn worm casts.  The worms simply do not like the taste of the sulphur, although CastClear has many other ingredients in it to make the sulphur more effective.  CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials including sulphur that have been clearly shown to reduce worm-cast levels on lawns large and small.

Worms are great for the lawn but in the autumn through to the spring months their casts cause a really big problem on the lawns surface making it muddy, bumpy, wet and uneven. 

The wetter parts of the United Kingdom following our summer drought are noticing multi worm casts on the surface of lawns.  In the dryer South East where we have received minimal rainfall, some casts are appearing in more shady parts of a lawn.  Time to control them.

CastClear is the sulphur active solution to control lawn worm casts.  The worms simply do not like the taste of the sulphur, although CastClear has many other ingredients in it to make the sulphur more effective.  CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials including sulphur that have been clearly shown to reduce worm-cast levels on lawns large and small.

Worms are great for the lawn but in the autumn through to the spring months their casts cause a really big problem on the lawns surface making it muddy, bumpy, wet and uneven. 

The wetter parts of the United Kingdom following our summer drought are noticing multi worm casts on the surface of lawns.  In the dryer South East where we have received minimal rainfall, some casts are appearing in more shady parts of a lawn.  Time to control them.

CastClear is the sulphur active solution to control lawn worm casts.  The worms simply do not like the taste of the sulphur, although CastClear has many other ingredients in it to make the sulphur more effective.  CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials including sulphur that have been clearly shown to reduce worm-cast levels on lawns large and small.

Not out of the woods yet

There are still signs of the drought having a deep effect on lawns and sports fields in the South East of the UK. The image shows one local park still suffering from a lack of suitable rainfall.

With only 35.8 mm of rain in the months of June - August to date compared to 193.90 mm last year in the same period in the home counties there is a way to go to get our 'green and pleasant land' back.

The lawns which were fertilised and had the weeds controlled on them pre drought are recovering the best with the slightly cooler temperatures and some rainfall.  Even irrigated lawns are struggling to get their colour back so the problems experienced are not always water related.

Savannah Britain in Pictures

It's been Britain's driest start to summer in modern records reports The Daily Mail, leaving farmers with parched crops and water companies enforcing hosepipe bans.

And these alarming photographs show how Britain's green land is turning yellow as the country endures its longest heatwave since 1976, which has seen several places have 55 consecutive dry days since the start of June.

Using of a Knapsack or Garden Sprayer

Picking up a knapsack sprayer for the first time and wondering how to calibrate it can be a scary moment for any lawn owner. 

Lawn owners and gardeners will soon be reaching for theirs to apply a soluble iron for moss control, a lawn worm cast suppressant or maybe some total weed control to tidy the garden up a bit.

Applications of lawn treatment products to your lawns are a finely calibrated process - making sure you get the correct amount of treatment product across the chosen square metres of lawn in the correct amount of water will ensure that you do not have a sleepless night.  A watering can is not the best tool to use to apply liquid lawn care products.  Trust our knowledge on this.

Picking up a knapsack sprayer for the first time and wondering how to calibrate it can be a scary moment for any lawn owner. 

Lawn owners and gardeners will soon be reaching for theirs to apply a soluble iron for moss control, a lawn worm cast suppressant or maybe some total weed control to tidy the garden up a bit.

Applications of lawn treatment products to your lawns are a finely calibrated process - making sure you get the correct amount of treatment product across the chosen square metres of lawn in the correct amount of water will ensure that you do not have a sleepless night.  A watering can is not the best tool to use to apply liquid lawn care products.  Trust our knowledge on this.

Picking up a knapsack sprayer for the first time and wondering how to calibrate it can be a scary moment for any lawn owner. 

Lawn owners and gardeners will soon be reaching for theirs to apply a soluble iron for moss control, a lawn worm cast suppressant or maybe some total weed control to tidy the garden up a bit.

Applications of lawn treatment products to your lawns are a finely calibrated process - making sure you get the correct amount of treatment product across the chosen square metres of lawn in the correct amount of water will ensure that you do not have a sleepless night.  A watering can is not the best tool to use to apply liquid lawn care products.  Trust our knowledge on this.

Watering your lawns in the drought

When and how much water should you give your lawn in the summer months?   Should you water your lawns or not in the dry summer?

The natural water loss from the garden is 7mm per hour when the temperature is 29 degrees and 4mm per hour when it is 24 degrees.  We have just had the dryest June in 90 years so is there any point?  We say no, don't bother and water your plants instead before we get a hosepipe ban.

Turf grasses are tough old things and so long as you have healthy and desirable turf grasses in your lawns then they should be capable of coping with the extremes of drought. If you have a newly renovated lawn then the investment needs protecting and the lawn watering daily or every other day to aid establishment of the new lawn. In simplistic terms - droughts happen when it does not rain for a long time.

When and how much water should you give your lawn in the summer months?   Should you water your lawns or not in the dry summer?

The natural water loss from the garden is 7mm per hour when the temperature is 29 degrees and 4mm per hour when it is 24 degrees.  We have just had the dryest June in 90 years so is there any point?  We say no, don't bother and water your plants instead before we get a hosepipe ban.

Turf grasses are tough old things and so long as you have healthy and desirable turf grasses in your lawns then they should be capable of coping with the extremes of drought. If you have a newly renovated lawn then the investment needs protecting and the lawn watering daily or every other day to aid establishment of the new lawn. In simplistic terms - droughts happen when it does not rain for a long time.