A GARDENING expert has shared how doing just a few 10-minute jobs before winter sets in can ensure your garden looks its best.
Now the weather is colder many of us don’t fancy going out and tending to the garden – but the expert has revealed there’s still some jobs that need to be tackled.
The gardening pro shared three easy jobs to complete to keep your grass looking its best[/caption]
David Domoney, a chartered horticulturist best known for presenting Love Your Garden, shared three jobs you need to get done in October to keep your grass looking lush.
He told the Express: “Don’t leave your lawn to suffer from the summer heat.
“It’s important to give your lawn a bit of TLC to keep it going through the winter months.”
Leaf It
Autumn has lots of beautiful leaves as the seasonal changes make them drop to the floor.
But when you start to notice your grass covered in leaves you need to clear it.
Grass relies on sunlight to help it grow and stay healthy during the winter – without it the grass will weaken and could even begin to wilt away.
Not only that, leaves also trap moisture underneath them which creates a damp environment that can encourage mould, pests such as slugs, and fungus diseases to spread in the garden.
David recommends picking up and clearing leaves from the grass regularly to prevent disease or dead grass.
Growth Serum
October is a good time to fertilise lawns as it will strengthen the roots as grass prepares to go dormant, which will help enhance nutrient and water storage to store energy.
Giving your grass fertiliser now will make it resilient in the colder months and prevent it from dying off and make it stronger to fight against weeds.
““Select one specifically designed for autumn as these have been formulated with all the nutrients your greenery needs to keep its strength up,” said David.
“For a dry lawn, opt for a liquid feed which you can pick up from your local garden centre.”
Cut Short
The gardening expert reveals you need to get one last trim in before packing away you lawn mower.
Fungal diseases, mould and moss can grow quickly on lawns due to the damp weather in autumn but giving it one last trim can help it get more air circulation to prevent them spreading.
September gardening jobs
With September starting, so does autumn, and The Sun’s Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine has a few tasks to keep you busy as the summer sun winds down.
1. Starting thinking about Spring bulbs
Its early bulb time! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fratillaries for something slightly different.
2. Remember the bees
Make sure you’re still looking after the bees with autumn flowering pollinators – like sedums, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
Maincrop potatoes are ready to dig up – make sure you get them all so they don’t get slug damage.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start to reduce the amount of mowing you do. GIve it an autumn feed, especially if you didn’t get round to it in Summer and start to rake to remove thatch.
5. Plant out new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take salvia cuttings
It’s as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and chucking it in a glass of water to see if it sprouts roots. Especially with tender Salvias which wont survive the winter.
7. Keep camelias well watered to make sure that buds form next year.
8. Keep on deadheading and watering your hanging baskets
They should keep going until the first frosts.
9. Get pumpkins Halloween ready
Remove any leaves shading pumpkins to make sure they’ll be ready for halloween – and make sure you keep watering them, they’re very thirsty.
10. Check on your pond
Net your pond to stop it filling with fallen leaves when the trees start to drop.
However, he reveals that you should never mow the grass once the first frost arrives in late October to early November, but the exact time you should stop cutting the grass will be different depending on where you live.
David added: “Grass may be slow to grow this time of year, so it’s best to raise your mowing height. This gives the grass the opportunity to recover from summer use and retain water.
“Now’s a good time to give your mower a full clean as the growing season ends. You can do this with your garden hose, rinsing off grime and debris.”
