The classic lawn is a common sight in the typical British garden and many a casual gardener longs for a lush green area of grass even if their other gardening ambitions may be more limited. So here's some good news for those who may not rate their own lawn care skills: if some basic maintenance tasks are carried out before winter arrives, a healthy, attractive lawn will be easily achieved in the following year.
Autumn is one of the busiest and most important times for looking after your lawn. With weather during autumn being quite variable and the nights drawing in quickly, the opportunities for some productive lawn care may be limited, especially for the weekend gardener, so keep a close eye on the weather forecast and use every opportunity as it arises. Those who class themselves as lawn experts will be working through a busy schedule of maintenance tasks in the run up to winter. If you want to see professional evidence of this just take an autumn walk around your local golf course and watch the green keepers hard at work.
For the home gardener autumn lawn care tasks include continuing to mow as dry weather allows and removing thatch and moss by raking and scarifying. Spiking with a fork will aid aeration, while a more thorough job can be done by hollow tining. Bear in mind that this can be a very physical job if done manually on a large lawn, so consider hiring a machine to help. Once removed, the tine cores are swept up and a top dressing applied. The benefits of applying a top dressing are twofold. First the lawn soil can be improved by application of the correct dressing and also any lumps and hollows can be levelled out. Again professional green keepers will take this task seriously and may carry it out every year, but the for the amateur lawn enthusiast applying an autumn top dressing once every few years is probably sufficient. Top dressing materials contain a mixture of sand and sandy loam and are applied to a spiked or tined lawn using a brush, rake, lute or drag mat. Care should be taken to keep the top dressing dry before spreading and not to apply too much.
Early autumn is also a good time to sow a new lawn as mild, damp weather will help the new seeds get off to a great start. Wait until the really warm weather of August is over then get to work preparing the soil. Make sure your levels are correct, weeds are removed and the soil quality is high by adding extra nutrients. You'll need to work quickly and sow the grass seed before any heavy rains arrive and stop you getting onto the lawn area. The benefits of sowing a new lawn in autumn rather than spring are that natural rainfall is more likely and there'll be less chance of people wanting to use the lawn before it is properly established. Also weeds will not establish themselves so quickly.
Other autumn lawn care tasks include the removal of fallen leaves as often as is practical and the application of an autumn feed product. Select one with a moss killer if your lawn requires it. Autumn is also the perfect time to repair any areas of lawn that may have been damaged or become worn out during the summer. In the family garden, favourite football areas or patches of lawn under children's play equipment often suffer and need more attention.
Once all your hard work is done and your autumn lawn care schedule is complete you'll be able to sit back satisfied and await the following spring and the return of a thriving, healthy lawn for everyone to enjoy.
