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

Train 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 Care is a Science

The Team at Grass Clippings are pleased to boast that lawn owners have at their disposal on this Lawn Blog over 1,590 lawn related technical pages covering the wide technical subject of lawns and their care. This Lawn Blog is living up to it's name -'Grass Clippings - Home of the British Lawn.'

Our lawn advice blog site site is almost at the grand total of over 3,000,000 technical posts having been read by Visitors seeking sound advice on their green swards.

Whether you are after a little bit of advice on summer lawn care, or lawn pests, or some advice on controlling moss, scarifying your lawn or the source of a reputable turf supplier, you will find all the answers here on this lawn advice site.

 

 

Controlling Ants in your Lawn

Ants are a right pain in the grass when they get into your lawn.

Their season is really short but the mess thay can make building their nests can only resemble a battle field of soil mounts that create a bumpy and uneven service.

There are many ant control products that range from a foam / powder / gel.

We have heard some great results from this brand - Combat Ant Killer

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.

The knowledge base found on this web site is supported by over 39 years; hands on practical, technical and commercial experience in the sports turf and leisure industry.

Lawn Quality - What do you want?

Don't get scared about your lawn and what to do to it each month.

At the end of the day, it depends on what type of lawn you are after:

• Basic – Moss | Feed | Weed
• Better – Basic | Scarification | Aeration
• Best – Better | Over Seed | Top Dress

Lawn Care for the Bank Holiday Weekend

We think that this May will be the wettest May on record if this spell of wet weather continues.  Having said this, the month of April was a bit short in the rainfall figures so nature always has a good way of balancing out.  With 24 days on the calendar for May, only 4 have not featured rainfall but there is sunlight at the end of the tunnel because after the Bank Holiday weekend, the weather is forecast to be getting much better, warmer and dryer.

In a normal year without pandemic restrictions, the summer social season would have commenced with the Boat Race, then The Derby, The Grand National and then it's Royal Ascot, Boodles Tennis at the Queens Club, Henley Royal Regatta and the Tennis at Wimbledon to name a few.  It's a bit different this year for us all.  Whilst the high society are usually quaffing Champagne at summer events, let's take a look at some of the lawn care tasks their at home gardening teams will be performing in their absence:

Should we BAN mowing lawns to save bees?

TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin has urged Britons to stop mowing their lawns in order to help the environment after being inspired by Greta Thunberg. 

The Chelsea Flower Show host, 57, appeared on Good Morning Britain today to debate whether people should let their gardens run wild to create habitats for bees to pollinate. 

Irish-born garden designer Diarmuid says weeds and dandelions should be 'encouraged' because lawns are 'deserts' in terms of biodiversity and gardens are often the 'last refuge of wildlife'.

Buying Grass Seed for your Lawn

A trip to your local garden centre or DIY outlet may be a bit daunting when viewing the shelves of grass seed and selecting one to suit the needs of your lawn.

Make sure you go armed with the dimensions of your lawn and known square metres of lawn area so you buy sufficient for the task plus 25% to allow for a margin of error on the day.

First think of the immediate needs of you lawn, does it need to be hard wearing, cope with general family life, the children and dogs or is it mostly shaded, wet, dry, or are you after a luxury lawn that you can trim every other day with your cylinder mower?

First think of the immediate needs of you lawn, does it need to be hard wearing, cope with general family life, the children and dogs or is it mostly shaded, wet, dry, or are you after a luxury lawn that you can trim every other day with your cylinder mower?

How to become a Lawn Expert

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.

Old Farmers paid to retire

Old farmers are set to be paid up to £100,000 to retire in a bid to freshen the industry with newer workers who are keen on green methods reports The Daily Mail.

Environment Secretary Geroge Eustice believes that some older farmers are hesitant to employ new green methods. 

And because of Brexit, farmers can receive a higher payout compared to when Britain was in the EU.

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?

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.

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.

April Showers, a Month Late!

Britain is set for a warm and sunny week; the Daily Mail reports with temperatures hitting nearly 20C in some areas – but the milder weather is likely to be interspersed with rain, hail and thunder.

Forecasters joked that April showers were 'a month late' as the Met Office predicted the South of England could see highs of 18C today, while northern regions areas are expected to reach 16C.

Temperatures were already at 12C in East Anglia by 7am today on what was the first frost free morning for at least a fortnight, while the rest of the UK was also mild with the mercury between 8C and 11C.

Is it really May? Feels like Winter out there

It still feels like winter out there and we have not yet seen the spring burst of grass growth.  April was the third coldest April in almost 140 years, the Met Office has said, and had the lowest average minimum temperature since 1922.

April was also the frostiest and driest on record. The Met Office said just 4.7mm of rainfall had fallen in England since the start of the month. The driest on record is 1938, when there was just 6.7mm of rain.  We have now had some decent rain to help lift the lawns out of the winbter doldrums.

Soluble Iron to Retard Moss and Colour Up Lawns

We all prefer a weekend when the weather is a little kinder and this coming weekend is not scheduled to be much of a get out in the garden weekend for most with some wind and rain forecast.  It is still so cold!

If you do get chance to get outside and inspect your garden and lawn, try and spare a thought of how you plan to get the lawn out of the winter doldrums.

To help you - some Soluble Iron to retard any Winter moss and give the lawn a bit of colour would help greatly.

Lawn Quencher solves Lawn Dry Patches

We have only seen 22.5mm of rain in the South East in the months of April and May to date and as a result are almost in drought conditions with lawn dry patches appearing in carefully tended green swards.

Dry patches that are hard to re-wet are the primary causes of lawn failure.  If a lawn is renovated, it is always these long lasting dry areas that are the root cause of any seed failing to germinate and establish in these well marked and visual areas.

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.

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.

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.