With the weather finally turning after a long period of snow and frozen lawns we will soon see soil tempratures starting to rise and the grass starting to grow.  The following mowing regime provides a guide to mowing your lawn throughout the year but if you don’t have the time to mow as frequently as suggested it is important that when you do mow you get the blade height correct.  Do not cut too low! 

In early spring if the weather is mild enough the grass should be cut at a height of 25mm, this cutting level should be gradually lowered to 19mm as soon as the grass growth strengthens.

It is good practice to swish or brush the lawn daily removing dew and worm casts. Brushing prior to cutting will make the grass leaf stand up producing a cleaner cut.

The mowing frequency should be increased to three times a week, depending on the weather conditions. I recommend cutting at 19mm on all areas of lawns, even the formal areas.

It is good practice to have trial areas of lawn, cutting at different heights to find the one that suits best. As mentioned before, from personal experience the lower the cut the more problems you will have.

The problem starts when particles of soil in the top 4 inches are compressed, reducing pore space between them and impeding the movement of air, water and nutrients through the soil profile. This in turn leads to poor grass growth, weed invasion and moss colonisation.

Generally all lawns are compacted, as you can imagine, they’re walked on, rolled, and played on. All this contributes to consolidation then the solution is simple: Aerate. This is the practice of physically punching holes in the surface 4-6 inches deep.

Aerating a lawn benefits the soil in the following ways:

• Loosens compacted soil and increases the availability of water and nutrients.
• Enhances oxygen levels in the soil, stimulating root growth and enhancing beneficial bacteria in the soil to multiply and feed the grass.
• Allows water to drain away form surface reducing the incidence of moss.
• The physical action of aerating severs roots and stimulates new roots to fill up the holes
• Increases drought tolerance and improves overall health.

Aeration is one of the most important jobs to be carried out on your lawn and can be carried out from autumn until the spring. It is advisable at least once per year.

The conference was well attended and a positive and interesting agenda provided a full day for the attendees.  The morning session covered the coming year for the network and a very informative presentation from Headland Amenity on product usage and lawncare programmes.  A final discussion on pesticide controls and legislation provided an up to date position for everyone.

The afternoon session started with a 1 hour presentation from a US lawn care company on succesful marketing approaches adopted in the mature US market.  The presentation stimulated a good discussion on the application of these approaches in the UK market and the experiences of the attendees.

The event was an excellent start to the new lawn care season with many acquaintenaces renewed and contacts formed in this growing network.

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