A GARDENING expert has revealed the one job you must get done this weekend.
With the weather taking a turn for the worst – most people dread going into their gardens but this job is vital to ensure your lawn is prepped for winter.
Striped Mowed Lawn and Green Leafy Trees in a Garden[/caption]
Speaking on The Ins & Outs podcast, gardening pro Polly shared the job she’ll be busy with this weekend.
She said: “Now is a great time to sow a new lawn, lay a new lawn, but also scarify.”
Scarifying the lawn means to get a rake to remove dead thatch from the surface.
A small amount of thatch is a good thing for gras but in large amounts it can cause problems.
Large amounts of thatch (layers of dead grass and leaves) can inhibit growth of new grass, prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots, and encourage moss to form.
To scarify a lawn you need to grab your rake out of the garden which Polly said will help you ‘get out in the garden this weekend’ – something we should take advantage of before it gets too cold.
You want to gently scratch the surface of the grass to lift up any dead grass and leaves – making sure not to go too deep as it can damage the healthy grass.
Once done, you can collect the thatch and add it to your compost heap or into garden waste bags.
According to Alan Titchmarsh, who spoke to Gardeners World, you then want to aerate the lawn.
To do this use a garden fork and push it into the ground at regular intervals, moving it back and forth.
He explains this will reduces compaction and creates a healthier root system
The aftermath may look unsightly – but they promise it will actually keep your lawn healthy throughout the winter months.
You may also want to think about giving your lawn one last mow before the weather gets too cold.
Your last cut of the year should be about a week before the first frost, according to a gardening blog called Weed Man.
October gardening jobs
The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the jobs you need to tackle in October.
“It’s a good time to trim deciduous hedges – like box, yew, hawthorn, hornbean and beech – plus hedge trimmers are a great upper body workout!
Make leafmould – gather up all the fallen leaves and fill either bin bags or plastic carrier bags. Seal the top, stick a few small holes in the bag – and then store for a year or more. Free compost!
It’s unlikely you’ll get any more red tomatoes so have one final harvest and chuck the plants on the compost. See if you can get the green ones to ripen by putting in a drawer (some say with a banana). Also keep the seeds from a couple – and plant again next year if they went well.
Finish getting in your spring bulbs. Ideally you’d have done daffs and alliums, but tulips are better in the ground when the soil temperature gets a bit colder.
It’s good to leave some plant litter in the ground – it adds to the nutrients as it rots down, and provides shelter and food for insects. But remove the manky brown bits collapsing all over the lawn/winter structure.
Mulch – it not only suppresses weeds, but keeps the soil warm, improves water retention and adds a little winter duvet to your outside space.
October’s a good month for carrots, peas, asparagus, broad beans, and rhubarb.”
Grass typically grows until the soil temperature hits around 50 degrees, which could be as late as November, so you still have a few weeks to get out and do it.
It’s important to cut your grass short before it stops growing for multiple reasons, one of which is the possibility of snow.
If snow falls on top of long grass, the grass could bend or become matted down, which creates an environment for mold and disease.
If your lawn is suffocated, your grass might not recover from the winter.
