Gardening Tips For Milton Keynes |
|
Index of Gardening Tips in milton keynes
Lawn care
Lawn feedingApply Lawn feed, weed and moss killer should be in between April and September on a warm still day, when soil is moist but grass dry. Don’t apply during prolonged dry periods or droughts. Water the lawn thoroughly if there is no rain within two days to wash the fertilizer in. If you can, try to stay off the area you have treated until the rain has watered the lawn in. Don’t cut the grass for about two or three days before and after applying. The moss should turn black after a few days then, can be raked out after a couple of weeks this will encourage new grass to grow. Grass clippings can be added to the compost heap. Don't apply to lawns less than 6 months old. Lawn care and maintenance
If you want a weed-free green lawn then cut the lawn often and not too low. A lawn that sees a lot of traffic on it, like children playing, should be cut no less than one inch. When your grass is growing rapidly in summer try to rake the lawn once a month. This will bring out thatch and dead moss, which if left builds up and you find you have brown patches on your lawn. Top dressing in spring with horticultural sand will aid fertility, help decomposition of thatch and also improve the structure of soil. If you cut the grass regularly you won’t need to use fertiliser. Leave the grass box off the mower; the grass clippings left on the lawn will feed it. If at the time weeds are flowering then use the mower with the grass box on to prevent the spread of weeds. If your lawn is infested with weeds and not much grass, then the best thing to do is start again. Cut out all the old grass lawn and re-turf or seed. The best time to do this is in late summer or early autumn while the soil is warm and rain is about more often. These are ideal conditions for your new lawn to get established. Lawn Watering
Frequent watering will harm root systems, making them shallower and more susceptible to pests, and would add to the Milton Keynes community storm water runoff, which pollutes water systems and carries lawn chemicals into our rivers.
Too much watering not only impacts on your water bill, but can increase with disease and insect problems too. Use a rain gauge to determine how much water you've applied. Once you know how long it takes to water your lawn then you can adjust your sprinklers and watering time that way. If you're not sure then you should water simply walk across your lawn. Turn around and look for what is called "foot printing" where your footprints remain in the grass. This is caused by leaf blades not bouncing back up after they've been stepped on - an indicator showing the lawn needs to be watered. When you do water make sure it soaks down to the roots. You can't do this in a few minutes so spraying the lawn with a hose for a few minutes out of guilt will do more harm than good. Not only does this promote shallow root systems it also encourages more weeds.
If you're doing the watering make sure your sprinkler system spreads an orderly path across the lawn. Many people will set out a sprinkler without moving it. Uneven watering can lead to an uneven greenness. Putting out coffee cans or some sort of straight sided container will help you measure you sprinkler's application rates. Watch out for runoff in areas where your lawn slopes. Steeper hills and slopes may require additional watering to accommodate runoff and allow for better soil penetration. Knowing the kind of soil you have - whether it's peat, loam, sand, silt or clay - is important. Penetration is based on the percolation rate of your soil type. Some lawns may require shorter periods of watering followed by another period of watering to allow the first application to sink in. Finally, when it's time to use fertilizer or other chemical treatments on your lawn, try not to do so when it is expected to rain. The rains will only wash the nutrients out of the root system and down the drain. Follow the directions on the package and make sure that you water as directed to make sure you don't burn your lawn or your grasses root system. More Information on gardeningFor more information on Gardening please see our Milton Keynes Gardeners Calendar article. Back to the index ...
|
In order to give your lawn a better look you should mow it in two different directions i.e. horizontally or diagonally and vertically. For the best results you should mow your lawn in opposite diagonals. Remove fungi from the lawn before mowing, to stop the spread of the spores.
Mow your lawn frequently to encourage dense growth, mow once a week when grass is growing strong. If grass is growing slow don’t mow, say due to a drought for example. Don't cut lawn too short; about half an inch should be fine if you have a very flat fine lawn. A common mistake lawn owners make is wanting their lawn as low as possible so it they won’t need to cut it for a few weeks.
There are five factors to consider when watering your lawn: how much water, the time of day, the weather, the method of watering and the use of chemical agents or fertilizers in the water are all important factors. Most turf lawns only need about three-quarters to one inch of water a week to keep a nice green glow. During hotter days or drought periods, you will want to reduce, not increase your watering. This will allow the lawn to grow naturally slow during extreme conditions. It's better for the water supply and actually healthier for the lawn. Allowing your lawn to go under mild droughts makes the root system stronger and healthier.
The more you water your lawn the faster it will grow and more frequently you need to mow it. Decide, before the summer season begins, if you're going to let your lawn go dormant in the worst heat or if you're going to water it through a drought. If in Milton Keynes the town imposes watering restrictions you may want to decide early on not to try to have a green lawn summer round. On the other hand, if you have unlimited water resources (such as a deep well or nearby river you draw from), you may want to continue to keep your lawn green in spite of a drought. But don't let the lawn turn brown then decide over the weekend to water it and green it back up. Sure, it may look okay, but continually breaking a lawn's dormant periods will actually deplete its food reserves and weaken the lawn.
Water as early in the day as possible, usually when the grass and plants are already wet with dew. Watering later when the sun is higher and temperatures are up can lead to evaporation of water. Mid-day watering also leaves droplets on the plants that become small magnifying glasses that allow the sun's ray to burn or scorch the plants. That leads to a brown, scruffy looking lawn in spite of adequate watering. You can water later in the afternoon or early evening, but late night watering can lead to problems with disease since the water sits on the lawn longer. There are exceptions to this rule however. If daytime temperatures are extremely hot, and night time temperatures don't drop below 68-70 degrees, you can safely water at night. Weather is a factor as well. Keep an eye on the weather report and try not to water your lawn when it is expected to rain. Keep a rain gauge on your lawn so you can monitor how much rain the lawn received and adjust your watering that week accordingly.
