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

Happy New Year to all our Readers

The Grass Clippings Team would like to wish all our Readers a happy and healthy 2019.

With over 1,325 technical articles here on our Lawn Blog, you are never more than a simple search away from a useful and technically correct article about caring for your lawn in the coming year.

The weather in the South of the UK is still rather mild and the grass is still growing albeit it slowly which is not bad for the start of January!  Don't be shy to run the mower over the lawns if ground conditions permit over the next week or two as trimming the lawn will really lift the garden.

The Grass Clippings Team would like to wish all our Readers a happy and healthy 2019.

With over 1,325 technical articles here on our Lawn Blog, you are never more than a simple search away from a useful and technically correct article about caring for your lawn in the coming year.

The weather in the South of the UK is still rather mild and the grass is still growing albeit it slowly which is not bad for the start of January!  Don't be shy to run the mower over the lawns if ground conditions permit over the next week or two as trimming the lawn will really lift the garden.

Time to Celebrate

The Team at Grass Clippings Lawn Advice Blog are only 70,045 views away from notching up a whopping 3,000,000 technical posts visits from lawn owners seeking lawn advice. 

 

There are now 1,340 articles on this web site and each year, it goes from strength to strength.  We thank you all for visiting and hope that the content provides you with some great advice about lawns and their care.

The Grass Clippings Blog is here to provide news and information about grass care.  We will write about the things that we like and are happy to put forward to our readers and sometimes the things that we are not so keen on and may wish to make a comment or two so as to be thought provoking to our readers.

A Great Resource for Horticultural Studies

If you are planning to undertake a horticultural or gardening qualification, then the syllabus will most probably include a section on lawns and their care; after all a lawn is more often than not the largest part of a garden.

At Grass Clippings, we can always tell when students get to this section of their course as the traffic through this lawn advice blog goes crazy.  We also get lots of emails from individuals with specific questions about estimating and budgeting, and as we were all students once, we always reply to them all with helpful advice and tips.

If you are planning to undertake a horticultural or gardening qualification, then the syllabus will most probably include a section on lawns and their care; after all a lawn is more often than not the largest part of a garden.

At Grass Clippings, we can always tell when students get to this section of their course as the traffic through this lawn advice blog goes crazy.  We also get lots of emails from individuals with specific questions about estimating and budgeting, and as we were all students once, we always reply to them all with helpful advice and tips.

If you are planning to undertake a horticultural or gardening qualification, then the syllabus will most probably include a section on lawns and their care; after all a lawn is more often than not the largest part of a garden.

At Grass Clippings, we can always tell when students get to this section of their course as the traffic through this lawn advice blog goes crazy.  We also get lots of emails from individuals with specific questions about estimating and budgeting, and as we were all students once, we always reply to them all with helpful advice and tips.

Tackle Garden Weeds

A couple of friends recently came up with the same comment following their attempts at weed control in their gardens.  They had both applied a branded total weed killer on their gravel and pathways and remarked after a few days following application that "The weeds have not gone yet."

When I asked of them "When did you apply the control product?" they said only a few days ago to which I replied "You are expecting too much, please be patient."  Their observations on the speed of the mode of action of single active ingredient or a blend of active ingredients is rather common so a little bit of advice may be required in choice of product for the time of year follows.

A couple of friends recently came up with the same comment following their attempts at weed control in their gardens.  They had both applied a branded total weed killer on their gravel and pathways and remarked after a few days following application that "The weeds have not gone yet."

When I asked of them "When did you apply the control product?" they said only a few days ago to which I replied "You are expecting too much, please be patient."  Their observations on the speed of the mode of action of single active ingredient or a blend of active ingredients is rather common so a little bit of advice may be required in choice of product for the time of year follows.

Top Ten Lawn Mistakes

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

Lawn care is a science and like all sciences there is a requirement to follow a sequence like a flow chart and also to keep everything in balance too. 

Tip the scales or be too reactive and your lawn will suffer, get diseased, go thin and less dense and sometimes die.

In no particular order, here are some of the errors we see when out and about visiting lawns:

1. Mowing too low and infrequently and always in the same direction

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.

Boxing Day on the Turf or High Street

Boxing Day in the United Kingdom is the day after Christmas Day and falls on December 26. Traditionally, it was a day when employers distributed money, food, cloth (material) or other valuable goods to their employees. 

Churches also played a part in the creation of Boxing Day. Through the year they would take money from churchgoers in the form of a collection and hand it out at Christmas.  Many of them stored the collection money in a box, which they opened on Christmas Day. The money was then handed out to the poor the next day - on Boxing Day.

Merry Christmas from The Grass Clippings Team

With Christmas Day finally with us, your lawn and garden will be the last thing on your to do list!

Maybe you have received a new lawn mower or gardening tool as a present.  How exciting!

Whatever you have planned for the Holiday Season, enjoy yourself and we will be back in the New Year with a few more hundred technical articles and lawn news. 

 

In the meantime, tell your family and friends about this great lawn resource used by domestic and professional lawn owners alike.  There are over 1,325 lawn related articles to browse should you get a quiet moment and need something to read in front of the fire.

Merry Christmas to our UK and International readers.

With Christmas Day finally with us, your lawn and garden will be the last thing on your to do list!

Maybe you have received a new lawn mower or gardening tool as a present.  How exciting!

Whatever you have planned for the Holiday Season, enjoy yourself and we will be back in the New Year with a few more hundred technical articles and lawn news. 

 

In the meantime, tell your family and friends about this great lawn resource used by domestic and professional lawn owners alike.  There are over 1,325 lawn related articles to browse should you get a quiet moment and need something to read in front of the fire.

Merry Christmas to our UK and International readers.

Look our for the new CastClear retail boxes in your local Garden Centre

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® has rolled out a smart new retail carton this year into the garden retail sector this autumn season.  The first batches of all three attractive retail boxes have been received at stockist garden centres.

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® has rolled out a smart new retail carton this year into the garden retail sector this autumn season.  The first batches of all three attractive retail boxes have been received at stockist garden centres.

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® has rolled out a smart new retail carton this year into the garden retail sector this autumn season.  The first batches of all three attractive retail boxes have been received at stockist garden centres.

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® has rolled out a smart new retail carton this year into the garden retail sector this autumn season.  The first batches of all three attractive retail boxes have been received at stockist garden centres.

Look out for them in the lawn care section and you too could be enjoying a worm cast free lawn with CastClear®

Fifty shades of .... Green

At an annual Garden Press Event held in London each February, one female garden writer asked The Lawn Company Team ‘How do you make a lawn sexy?’

The roots of our love affair with lawns go deep in to our nation's history. We British are obsessed with our lawns. It's estimated there are between 15 and 18 million of them and every year we spend hundreds of millions of pounds and dedicate countless hours on them in pursuit of the perfect striped manicure.

At an annual Garden Press Event held in London each February, one female garden writer asked The Lawn Company Team ‘How do you make a lawn sexy?’

The roots of our love affair with lawns go deep in to our nation's history. We British are obsessed with our lawns. It's estimated there are between 15 and 18 million of them and every year we spend hundreds of millions of pounds and dedicate countless hours on them in pursuit of the perfect striped manicure.

At an annual Garden Press Event held in London each February, one female garden writer asked The Lawn Company Team ‘How do you make a lawn sexy?’

The roots of our love affair with lawns go deep in to our nation's history. We British are obsessed with our lawns. It's estimated there are between 15 and 18 million of them and every year we spend hundreds of millions of pounds and dedicate countless hours on them in pursuit of the perfect striped manicure.

Fusarium Disease kills lawns in the Winter

Every professional Turf Manager is fully aware of the perils of their sports turf becoming diseased. The finer the playing surface, the greater the disease risk and blemish to the sward.

A disease outbreak can appear over night which is why it is important to take a good look at your lawns every single day, especially in warm and moist conditions commonly found in the autumn / winter / spring months.

We have touched on Fusarium Disease in the past and how this devastating disease can literally spread like wild fire across a lawn and any outbreak must be controlled with fungicides as soon as the symptoms are spotted. This disease will kill the turf grasses and even once a contact or preventative fungicide has been applied, a re application may be required after six weeks and ongoing when the environment is just right for another outbreak.

Every professional Turf Manager is fully aware of the perils of their sports turf becoming diseased. The finer the playing surface, the greater the disease risk and blemish to the sward.

A disease outbreak can appear over night which is why it is important to take a good look at your lawns every single day, especially in warm and moist conditions commonly found in the autumn / winter / spring months.

Every professional Turf Manager is fully aware of the perils of their sports turf becoming diseased. The finer the playing surface, the greater the disease risk and blemish to the sward.

A disease outbreak can appear over night which is why it is important to take a good look at your lawns every single day, especially in warm and moist conditions commonly found in the autumn / winter / spring months.

Every professional Turf Manager is fully aware of the perils of their sports turf becoming diseased. The finer the playing surface, the greater the disease risk and blemish to the sward.

A disease outbreak can appear over night which is why it is important to take a good look at your lawns every single day, especially in warm and moist conditions commonly found in the autumn / winter / spring months.

We have touched on Fusarium Disease in the past and how this devastating disease can literally spread like wild fire across a lawn and any outbreak must be controlled with fungicides as soon as the symptoms are spotted. This disease will kill the turf grasses and even once a contact or preventative fungicide has been applied, a re application may be required after six weeks and ongoing when the environment is just right for another outbreak.

Winter Solstice, Winter Moon & a Meteor Shower

The Winter solstice 2018 in the Northern Hemisphere will be at 22:23 (UK Time) on Friday 21 December. 

 

This year, it coincides with both a full moon and a meteor shower.  The upcoming full moon named the Cold Moon or the Long Night Moon will be visible during the longest night of the year.

 

The winter solstice, also known as midwinter, is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. It occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun.

Earthworms in Lawns - Friend or Foe?

There are a lot of internet searches that match our blog title of killing earthworms, and we are sure that the searcher does not really mean to actually kill them.  We hope not!

Gardeners and lawn owners alike will appreciate the work of the humble earthworm in breaking down the organic matter in the soil, a bit like mini cultivators if you have ever seen worms working in a compost wormery.  They really can shift some incredible amounts of soil and quickly turn a bucket of kitchen green waste into some pretty useful friable compost in a very short time.

There are a lot of internet searches that match our blog title of killing earthworms, and we are sure that the searcher does not really mean to actually kill them.  We hope not!

Gardeners and lawn owners alike will appreciate the work of the humble earthworm in breaking down the organic matter in the soil, a bit like mini cultivators if you have ever seen worms working in a compost wormery.  They really can shift some incredible amounts of soil and quickly turn a bucket of kitchen green waste into some pretty useful friable compost in a very short time.

There are a lot of internet searches that match our blog title of killing earthworms, and we are sure that the searcher does not really mean to actually kill them.  We hope not!

Gardeners and lawn owners alike will appreciate the work of the humble earthworm in breaking down the organic matter in the soil, a bit like mini cultivators if you have ever seen worms working in a compost wormery.  They really can shift some incredible amounts of soil and quickly turn a bucket of kitchen green waste into some pretty useful friable compost in a very short time.

Winter tonic for Lawns

December is a hard month for lawns and turf especially after a prolonged period of snow and frost.  It is always nice to see a green lawn over the winter but trying to achieve that result without the use of lawn fertiliser is a little hard to do.  

Help is at hand in the shape of Sulphate of Iron, Iron Sulphate as it is also called, an active ingredient of Lawn Sand.  Iron Sulphate will provide some much needed colour to your turf in the almost dormant grass growing months and the effect of application will provide a much need boost to 'lift' the lawn and it's colour when help is needed most.

Keep off frosty lawns!

Remember not to walk over a frosted lawn otherwise you will leave brown footprints caused by you snapping off the tips of the grass plants from your footprint impression when it was frozen.

 

The brown footprints will show through a few days once the frost has gone.  It's a very cold and frosty start to the day across many parts of Britain with some patches of mist and freezing fog towards the southeast.

Remember not to walk over a frosted lawn otherwise you will leave brown footprints caused by you snapping off the tips of the grass plants from your footprint impression when it was frozen.

 

The brown footprints will show through a few days once the frost has gone.  It's a very cold and frosty start to the day across many parts of Britain with some patches of mist and freezing fog towards the southeast.

Remember not to walk over a frosted lawn otherwise you will leave brown footprints caused by you snapping off the tips of the grass plants from your footprint impression when it was frozen.

 

The brown footprints will show through a few days once the frost has gone.  It's a very cold and frosty start to the day across many parts of Britain with some patches of mist and freezing fog towards the southeast.

Remember not to walk over a frosted lawn otherwise you will leave brown footprints caused by you snapping off the tips of the grass plants from your footprint impression when it was frozen.

 

The brown footprints will show through a few days once the frost has gone.  It's a very cold and frosty start to the day across many parts of Britain with some patches of mist and freezing fog towards the southeast.

The brown footprints will show through a few days once the frost has gone.  It's a very cold and frosty start to the day across many parts of Britain with some patches of mist and freezing fog towards the southeast.