June
Lawncare Jobs
Greenmaster’s
hot tips for your lawn in June:
Mowing Height
Making sure the mower is sharp and properly set is of course
obvious. However selection of the correct mowing height is
sometimes over-looked. For utility lawns we wouldn’t
recommend cutting below 30mm even in the height of summer.
However, even this can be too close if your lawn undulates
and you are using a rotary mower. Remember the more leaf on
the grass plant the more root mass it can support. Deeper,
stronger roots allow the grass to access much needed moisture
from deeper within the soil profile.
Top Tip: In dry
weather raise the height and don’t box off the clippings…let
them fly.
Watering
Like all plants, grass needs water to survive. However, the
fine fescue and bent grasses make the finest lawns and are
much less susceptible to dry conditions than many other grass
types. When watering your lawn use the rule of “deeply
not daily”. In other words in dry weather give your
lawn a really good soaking once or twice a week rather than
a light application every day. This practice allows the whole
soil profile to re-wet and as it dries out again from the
top down the finer grasses are encouraged to put down deeper
and deeper roots in search of moisture, leaving the shallow
rooting weed grasses like annual meadow grass struggling to
survive.
Top Tip: Water
deeply not daily.
Dry Patch
On fine lawns watch out for a disorder known as Localised
Dry Patch. This usually occurs in areas where compaction and/or
thatch are a problem and causes large dry, yellowing patches
to appear on the lawn. On investigation with a soil probe
the soil will be powder dry and even when watered the water
will appear to sit on the surface. The soil in these areas
has become unable to accept moisture. There’s a lot
of science behind this problem, but for now its enough to
know that it can be helped by the application of a wetting
agent before watering. These products lessen the water’s
surface tension and allow the soil to gradually re-wet. Its
best to make some shallow holes in the turf before this application
is made, preferably with a Sarrell type roller.
Top Tip: Use a
sarrell roller to create holes before applying a wetting agent
and water in well.
Feeding and Weeding
Weed control can be carried out on any of the more difficult
weeds that have failed to succumb to earlier treatments..
On the feeding side the lawn will benefit from an application
of nitrogen in the form of Spring and Summer Fertiliser after
the vigorous growth through May, especially if you box off
your clippings. Its important to achieve a consistent release
without growth flushes, ask your technical adviser to recommend
the right treatment for your lawn.
Top Tip: talk to
your adviser for a one step solution to weeding and feeding
in June
Coming up in the July edition:
Mid Season Mower
Clinic: Keep your mower in top shape at this busy time and
avoid the inconvenience of sending your mower away mid season.
Pressure relief for lawns: Yes those of us with kids young
and old know that lawns tend to get a bit of pressure around
Wimbledon time when the old racquets in the shed get a dusting
down for their annual mad fortnight. Top tips next month for
a hard wearing, yet beautiful lawn.
Holiday Preparation: You’ve got your lawn looking great,
but now its holiday time and it will be neglected for 2 whole
weeks! Learn how to prepare for the hols so you don’t
come back to a lawn that looks like it needs a holiday!
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