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

Dakota Gardener: Earthworms and gardens

Gardening lessons are always a highlight of my summer programs writes Carrie Knutson, NDSU Extension Agent, Grand Forks County, USA.

This year when I asked the gardeners what they wanted to learn about for their last lesson, worms were the undisputed winner. Earthworms are a beneficial garden creature that many of us take for granted.

We have thousands of different types of earthworms. The scientific classification could be and probably is a college course. Earthworms belong to the animal kingdom and phylum Annelid. To prevent information overload, I will stop there with earthworm scientific classification.

Casting Worm Aside on Lawns this September

For several decades, lawns both small and large have been plagued by worm casts. The worms do a splendid job in the soil just beneath the grass plant crown, but it's their soil cast deposits that pose a real problem for lawn owners.

With the recent wet August, the earthworms are having a field day!

The domestic lawn is set to become a sanctuary for casting worms this spring. The record volume of rainfall this winter coupled with mild temperatures is the ideal scenario for this to become a reality. Although the ideal time for worm cast control is early September, the use of CastClear® can help alleviate worm deposits now!

For several decades, lawns both small and large have been plagued by worm casts. The worms do a splendid job in the soil just beneath the grass plant crown, but it's their soil cast deposits that pose a real problem for lawn owners.

With the recent wet August, the earthworms are having a field day!

The domestic lawn is set to become a sanctuary for casting worms this spring. The record volume of rainfall this winter coupled with mild temperatures is the ideal scenario for this to become a reality. Although the ideal time for worm cast control is early September, the use of CastClear® can help alleviate worm deposits now!

For several decades, lawns both small and large have been plagued by worm casts. The worms do a splendid job in the soil just beneath the grass plant crown, but it's their soil cast deposits that pose a real problem for lawn owners.

With the recent wet August, the earthworms are having a field day!

The domestic lawn is set to become a sanctuary for casting worms this spring. The record volume of rainfall this winter coupled with mild temperatures is the ideal scenario for this to become a reality. Although the ideal time for worm cast control is early September, the use of CastClear® can help alleviate worm deposits now!

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,

Bank Holiday Lawn Care

It's been a wet and windy week and certainly not conducive to gardening with a wet Friday start to the Bank Holiday Weekend and hopefully some improving weather but not really hot.

If you have taken advantage of the 'Eat out to Help Out', you may need to do some gardening to get rid of some additional pounds and what better way than to mow the lawn in a couple of directions and trim those lawn edges.

Helping your Lawn Recover from Drought Stress

Now we are receiving some great late summer rain, the lawns will quickly be recovering and returning to their more normal green colour after the drought months.

In The Lawn Shop, there are plenty of lawn care treatment products to help your lawn recover from the drought.

Now is the time to apply a lawn fertiliser and you have a choice of a granular or water soluble products.

Tackling the Lawn Care Puzzle

The great thing about being into lawns is that you are always in demand and undertaking Lawn Consultancy contracts forms a big part of our business concept.

Having said this, to acquire a degree in turf culture takes years of study and examinations and also years of 'on the job training' too which supplements the theory, the final degree examinations being some 21 hours long. And you thought it was just 'grass'...

Lawn Quencher™ Tablets - The Solution to Lawn Hydration

Lawn Quencher™ Tablets - The Solution to Lawn Hydration.  Lawn Quencher - Wetting Agent Tablet

Your lawn may look a little soggy currently with the recent heavy rainfall but spare a thought of the localised dry patches on the surface once the gravitational water pulls through. Dry crusty patches where the grass is simply not growing despite the rain. Puzzling. Put a gardening knife into the dry patchy area and cut out a 2 cm cube to inspect. You will note that the soil is still really dry and smells musty.

Making Weed Control Liquid Treatments Visible

If you are heading out into the garden to get to grips with some weeds that have appeared in the hard standing or on the lawn, then use Indigo Garden Spray Dye to help you see where you have sprayed in your garden sprayer.

It is a short term highly visible spray indicator dye that you mix with your spray solution in the sprayer and then allows you to quickly see where you have or have not sprayed. Search for it on Amazon or buy direct from The Lawn Shop for £9.99 for a 80 ml pack sufficient to 'dye' up to 80 litres of spray solution.  (plus P&P)

Available from The Lawn Shop and Amazon - Search for Indigo Garden Spray Dye

Rain heralds arrival of Worm Casts

After any rain received, the Earthworms will be sending their annoying little soil casts up onto the surface of your lawns as the root zone gets a little soggy for them to move about in.

The more rain we get = the more worm casts as the soil water to air ratio reduces to favour the rain. Earthworms need to breathe and thus clean their burrows.

CastClear is the solution to lawn worm casts as the worms do not like the taste of this barrier product when applied to the lawn and are encouraged to stay deeper in the soil profile and not cast on the surface. Repeat after 20 days at 1/3rd the initial dose rate. The worms are unharmed by this nutrient based product.

You can get some online from The Lawn Shop & Amazon

August Lawn Care Advice

As August arrives with us, a warm week ahead is predicted for the South East at least.  In July, there were 13 days with some rain and 22.8mm of rainfall locally to our office and we always state that any rainfall in July is always welcome.

August can be a hard month for the garden and lawn as you spend a lot of time spent on watering the garden and trying to keep it all going and looking great with maybe a family break thrown in for good measure.

Mr Weed becomes President of The RHS

Keith Weed has been appointed president of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Mr Weed's appointment is a triumph for those who believe in what officially is called ‘nominative determinism’, which technically means ‘name-driven outcome’ — the theory that people gravitate towards areas of work or behaviour that reflect their name.

Of course he has. Especially when you hear that his father’s name was Weed and his mother’s name was Hedges.

Managing Editor is a RHS Lawn and Turf Speaker & Judge

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

Our Managing Editor, Mike Seaton, is a Fellow Member of The Institute of Groundsmanship and has had an extensive career in the turf and lawn industry.

'Being a lawn specialist is a bit like being a Doctor at a party. The lawn is after all the carpet of the room outside and the lawn is often the largest part of the garden and the most neglected by many.'  

Mike has been included in the Royal Horticultural Society Speaker and Judge online listings to give talks about lawns or judge lawns and turf at gardening shows.

How to become a Lawn Expert

An individual with extensive skill and or knowledge in a particular field is said to be an expert.

An expert might be of interest or value to journalist needing information, comment or an interview for a news story or feature as this gets the journalist right to the spot they need to be for their story, saving them a lot of leg work, time and money. The internet has made a researcher’s job so much easier over the last two decades.

There are a lot of people in all professions who claim to be an 'expert' and the lawn care and lawn treatment industry is no exception to this rule.

An individual with extensive skill and or knowledge in a particular field is said to be an expert.

An expert might be of interest or value to journalist needing information, comment or an interview for a news story or feature as this gets the journalist right to the spot they need to be for their story, saving them a lot of leg work, time and money. The internet has made a researcher’s job so much easier over the last two decades.

There are a lot of people in all professions who claim to be an 'expert' and the lawn care and lawn treatment industry is no exception to this rule.

Nematodes - a simple and effective way to control multi garden pests

Forget about the once complicated and daunting world of pest control; the modern domestic gardener uses the sophisticated, yet simple, biological method of simply watering on nematodes.

Nematodes are micro-organisms which occur naturally in the soil where they hunt down and attack pests, with each nematode species having its own specific prey, meaning that they will harm their prey, and only their prey.  BASF has the largest specialist nematode production facility in the EU – and the only one in Britain - growing trillions of beneficial nematodes for use in their Nemasys range of pest controls.

Nematodes are micro-organisms which occur naturally in the soil where they hunt down and attack pests, with each nematode species having its own specific prey, meaning that they will harm their prey, and only their prey.  BASF has the largest specialist nematode production facility in the EU – and the only one in Britain - growing trillions of beneficial nematodes for use in their Nemasys range of pest controls.

Nematodes are micro-organisms which occur naturally in the soil where they hunt down and attack pests, with each nematode species having its own specific prey, meaning that they will harm their prey, and only their prey.  BASF has the largest specialist nematode production facility in the EU – and the only one in Britain - growing trillions of beneficial nematodes for use in their Nemasys range of pest controls.

Nematodes are micro-organisms which occur naturally in the soil where they hunt down and attack pests, with each nematode species having its own specific prey, meaning that they will harm their prey, and only their prey.  BASF has the largest specialist nematode production facility in the EU – and the only one in Britain - growing trillions of beneficial nematodes for use in their Nemasys range of pest controls.

Lawn care products made easy by The Lawn Shop Team

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 fertilised 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.

You should have fertilised 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.

You should have fertilised 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.