Looking After your turf in Winter   by Gertrude Williams

in Home / Gardening    (submitted 2011-11-15)

So you have decided to buy your turf online, you have laid it in your garden and are pleased with the results. You need to make sure that you look after your lawn properly so that it remains in perfect condition - not that we are competing but surely everyone wants the greenest and lushest lawn on the street.

The winter maintenance for your lawn should begin before the cold temperatures strike. By giving your lawn some TLC after the summer months it will be revitalised and healthy enough to survive and weather the winter. Before doing any work on the lawn you should wait for a decent rainfall and active growth to make sure the lawn has completely recovered from any dry weather.

If you have moss on your lawn now is the time to use moss-killer and then some vigorous raking to remove the dead moss. Moss is often prevalent in areas under trees and hedges or lawns with poor drainage. To prevent moss in the future consider improving drainage and reducing shade by reducing the height of hedges and removing lower tree prances. Raking also removes any debris left over and will prevent weeds growing on your lawn.

Now is also the time to drain your lawn, lawns which are heavily used can become very compacted - causing problems with drainage weeds and moss. To solve this you should use the Calley aerating process to do this you push a garden fork into the ground as far as you can and repeat the process every 10cm. Then put a sandy top dressing and brush it across the lawn to fill the air vents. This will allow air and water into the lawn and vastly improves drainage. If you have a very large lawn you can buy an aerating machine.

During the winter months you should not fertilise your lawn as often as you do in the summer - it does not need as much feed when the grass is not actively growing as overfeeding can lead to fungal problems later on. You should also make sure that you have a winter fertiliser as using a spring one in the winter can actually damage your lawn.

Keeping your lawn clear from leaves is recommended as if not large amounts of leaves will smother your lawn, weaken the grass, and welcome garden pests. On frosty and snowy days try to avoid walking across lawns as this can also cause damage.

And finally don't forget your lawnmower needs some care and attention too. Generally you don't need to cut your lawn in winter so take advantage and give your mower a service so that it is in tip top shape for summer.

About the Author

Q lawns are part of a farming enterprise that was established in 1942. They cultivate over 1,000 acres and have a variety of garden turfs, if you are looking to buy turf online Q lawns come highly recommended.