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

Britain's Bumblebees were hit by weather extremes in 2018

Weather extremes in 2018 caused most of the UK's 24 bumblebee species to suffer a decline in population, according to a new report claims The Daily Mail.

Bumblebees saw a later than usual start to their season as the icy 'Beast from the East' hit in late February and early March.  This was followed by heatwave and drought in the summer that took away much of their food source.

A few rare warm-weather bumblebee species like the Shrill Carder bee thrived as they usually emerge later and dealt better with the hotter conditions. 

This is not good news for the Bees but perhaps Pesticides are not to blame.  They are just an easy target to attract blame and criticism.

When will it rain to help your lawns?

The lawns in the South East of the United Kingdom are in drought conditions now.  

March was a very dry month with only 39mm of rain falling in Woking, Surrey compared to 94mm last March.  April has so far been exceptionally for an April Showers months with only 15.4mm compared to 61mm last year.

With multi lawns still suffering with bare areas as a result of last years drought and high temperature, the current dry weather is not really helping anyone trying to renovate lawns.

Lawn Advice from The Lawn Shop

The weather has been a bit dry with only 13 days of rain in March and some ultra high temperatures last Easter Weekend peaking at 26.4 degrees centigrade and only 5 days of rain in the month to date giving us 14.6mm and today is the 25th of April.  Madness, and not really helpful to lawn owners and Gardeners.

You should be well into the swing of mowing your lawns now but we are not really confident that we have seen the spring rush of growth.  A lot of lawn owners are holding back applying lawn treatments like fertiliser and weed killer as the lawns are quite stressed.  You should avoid applying lawn products in times of drought and a drought is defined as 13 days of no rain and we are will into this time frame now.

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.

The solution to lawn worm casts - endorsed by lawn owners

CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials that have been clearly shown to reduce lawn soil-cast levels on lawns large and small.

It's the Solution to lawn soil cast problems and has been selling in Garden Centres since the autumn of 2011 with over 15,000 Litres sold to date.  It's a lawn soil cast suppressant and a deterrent. It's proven in control on both lawns and sports turf. 

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. 

Here are a few testimonials from users of CastClear.  Please don't accept our words on how CastClear can resolve your Earthworm Casts problems. 

CastClear is a NEW organic and unique combination of nutrient materials that have been clearly shown to reduce lawn soil-cast levels on lawns large and small.

It's the Solution to lawn soil cast problems and has been selling in Garden Centres since the autumn of 2011 with over 15,000 Litres sold to date.  It's a lawn soil cast suppressant and a deterrent. It's proven in control on both lawns and sports turf. 

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. 

Here are a few testimonials from users of CastClear.  Please don't accept our words on how CastClear can resolve your Earthworm Casts problems. 

Spring your Lawn into Life

With the Country currently in the grips of Storm Gareth, the weather is hardly encouranging people to get outside to make a start on their gardens through fear of being hit by a stray branch debris or a roof tile. Hard hats at the ready!

Still, thinking back to last year and the 'Beast from the East', with a zero spring-time, this March has been a whole lot better so let's not complain about the weather quite yet.  The weather was so nice and sunny a few weeks back.

With the Country currently in the grips of Storm Gareth, the weather is hardly encouranging people to get outside to make a start on their gardens through fear of being hit by a stray branch debris or a roof tile. Hard hats at the ready!

Still, thinking back to last year and the 'Beast from the East', with a zero spring-time, this March has been a whole lot better so let's not complain about the weather quite yet.  The weather was so nice and sunny a few weeks back.

CastClear Amenity tackling earthworm casts in Sports Turf

CastClear Amenity is the specialist larger unit of sale of the ever popular Garden Retail product CastClear for the specialist Amenity Horticulture and Sports Turf sectors now that the pesticide Carbendazim has had it's registration revoked by the EU and UK Parliaments with available stocks to have be used up by 31 August 2017 under the ruling.

Professional Sportsturf Managers really struggled last autumn and again this spring to find a long established, proven and reliable solution to control earthworm casts on sports turf and CastClear is well placed to help their needs in controlling earthworm casts on their playing surfaces.

CastClear Amenity is the specialist larger unit of sale of the ever popular Garden Retail product CastClear for the specialist Amenity Horticulture and Sports Turf sectors now that the pesticide Carbendazim has had it's registration revoked by the EU and UK Parliaments with available stocks to have be used up by 31 August 2017 under the ruling.

Professional Sportsturf Managers really struggled last autumn and again this spring to find a long established, proven and reliable solution to control earthworm casts on sports turf and CastClear is well placed to help their needs in controlling earthworm casts on their playing surfaces.

CastClear Amenity is the specialist larger unit of sale of the ever popular Garden Retail product CastClear for the specialist Amenity Horticulture and Sports Turf sectors now that the pesticide Carbendazim has had it's registration revoked by the EU and UK Parliaments with available stocks to have be used up by 31 August 2017 under the ruling.

Professional Sportsturf Managers really struggled last autumn and again this spring to find a long established, proven and reliable solution to control earthworm casts on sports turf and CastClear is well placed to help their needs in controlling earthworm casts on their playing surfaces.

New 2019 Retail Carton for CastClear® arrives in Garden Centres!

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 this year into the garden retail sector this spring.  The first batches have been received at stockist garden centres.

The new 1,000ml CastClear® retail cartons are off the press this week and heading to a Garden Centre near you!  Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with 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 this year into the garden retail sector this spring.  The first batches have been received at stockist garden centres.

The new 1,000ml CastClear® retail cartons are off the press this week and heading to a Garden Centre near you!  Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with 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 this year into the garden retail sector this spring.  The first batches have been received at stockist garden centres.

The new 1,000ml CastClear® retail cartons are off the press this week and heading to a Garden Centre near you!  Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with 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 this year into the garden retail sector this spring.  The first batches have been received at stockist garden centres.

The new 1,000ml CastClear® retail cartons are off the press this week and heading to a Garden Centre near you!  Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with 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 this year into the garden retail sector this spring.  The first batches have been received at stockist garden centres.

The new 1,000ml CastClear® retail cartons are off the press this week and heading to a Garden Centre near you!  Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with CastClear®

Nematodes are 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.

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.

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.

Service your Lawn Mower now!

Spare a thought for your lawn mower.  It's been in the garage or shed getting cold and damp for the past couple of months yet yearing to get back out there soon and get to work.  But what happens if it fails to turn over and spark into life?  

The world famous lawn mower engine manufacturers Briggs & Stratton have some handy tips to help the lawn owner should problems arise. 

Always read the manufacturers manual / handbook before attempting anything and remove the spark plug lead from the spark plug.

Spare a thought for your lawn mower.  It's been in the garage or shed getting cold and damp for the past couple of months yet yearing to get back out there soon and get to work.  But what happens if it fails to turn over and spark into life?  

The world famous lawn mower engine manufacturers Briggs & Stratton have some handy tips to help the lawn owner should problems arise. 

Always read the manufacturers manual / handbook before attempting anything and remove the spark plug lead from the spark plug.

Spare a thought for your lawn mower.  It's been in the garage or shed getting cold and damp for the past couple of months yet yearing to get back out there soon and get to work.  But what happens if it fails to turn over and spark into life?  

The world famous lawn mower engine manufacturers Briggs & Stratton have some handy tips to help the lawn owner should problems arise. 

Always read the manufacturers manual / handbook before attempting anything and remove the spark plug lead from the spark plug.

Time to become a CastClear Stockist

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring to our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring to our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring to our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring to our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

We get a lot of the Garden Retail Trade referring to our lawn advice blog to their customers and a lot of garden professionals reading it too.  We thank you all!

If you are a garden retail outlet servicing gardeners with lawns then you should be stocking CastClear - the lawn worm cast suppressant and deterrent as they will all have a lawn worm cast problem.  It's a problem that all lawn owners face in the autumn months.

Lawn Shop open this weekend

The weather is a bit up and down and not over favourable to head off out into the garden to see how it has survived the winter doldrums.

We have seen a few mowers being warmed up on our travels but these are in the minority.  The majority of lawns are still looking a bit tatty with winter debris over them but our Managing Editor has given his lawns a bit of a sprng time trim to tidy them up so there is hope for the rest of us now!

The weather is a bit up and down and not over favourable to head off out into the garden to see how it has survived the winter doldrums.

We have seen a few mowers being warmed up on our travels but these are in the minority.  The majority of lawns are still looking a bit tatty with winter debris over them but our Managing Editor has given his lawns a bit of a sprng time trim to tidy them up so there is hope for the rest of us now!

The Lawn Shop has had the decorators in

The Team at The Lawn Shop have been busy over the winter months undertaking a major re design of their busy, well used and respected online lawn care products shop.

We have made it more advice based with some great seasonal categories with tips for that time of year and a well resourced advice section to aid lawn owners in their quest for a better lawn.

There are also some great lawn care products in the online lawn shop, as used by professionals such as the slow release fertilisers and lawn moss control products and grass seed. 

The Lawn Company Team with over 34 years of turf and lawn care knowledge under their belts, continue to develop new and innovative lawn care products to solve the dilemas of domestic lawn owners in the UK and futher afield.  These include CastClear and Indigo Garden Spray Dye

Dyeing to see where you have treated your lawn

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

When lawn owners make liquid or chemical applications to their lawn, they are faced with a big dilemma - how can they mark where they have sprayed already?

Professional Turf Managers have been using Spray Pattern Indicator Dyes for decades but these have never been widely available before to the amateur lawn owner. 

Turf Managers also use what is called a foam bout marker on their large sprayers which leaves a trace blob of foam down the travelled run of the fairway so that the operator can match up with the last pass on the return run.  The foam soon disappears after an hour via sunlight.

March Lawn Care

Spring officially starts on March 20^th this year and media pundits are suggesting that it may be a week early.  It has been a long winter for most of us in the UK but now you can see Daffodils out in flower adding some great colour to a winter ravaged garden and lawn.

March and April can be very unpredictable months with regards to the weather and as a result we are not out of the thick of winter yet so don’t be too hasty – just be prepared like any good Boy Scout knows.

There is much work to do in the garden in the spring and often than not the lawn is the last on the priority list and it should be first as some work can be done to the lawn that can be left for a couple of weeks whilst other gardening tasks are performed like fertiliser treatments to give the grass a boost.

Spring officially starts on March 20^th this year and media pundits are suggesting that it may be a week early.  It has been a long winter for most of us in the UK but now you can see Daffodils out in flower adding some great colour to a winter ravaged garden and lawn.

March and April can be very unpredictable months with regards to the weather and as a result we are not out of the thick of winter yet so don’t be too hasty – just be prepared like any good Boy Scout knows.

There is much work to do in the garden in the spring and often than not the lawn is the last on the priority list and it should be first as some work can be done to the lawn that can be left for a couple of weeks whilst other gardening tasks are performed like fertiliser treatments to give the grass a boost.