Five ‘vital’ lawn care steps to follow for ‘thicker turf’ this spring

After a long winter, it’s likely many Britons’ garden lawns are looking a little worse for wear. Months of cold and wet weather can leave yellow patches and bare spots on lawns which means

there’s no better time to breathe new life into them. Guy said: “Scarifying, the process of pulling out dead material is vital before overseeding to thicken your lawn. “Vigorous raking using

a spring-tined rake will take care of small lawns, but for medium or large expanses of turf, a powered scarifier is vital. “You’ll be amazed at the amount of thatch these machines pull out,

and it can all be easily composted.” 2. AERATE COMPACTED AREAS Lawns can be heavily trodden and compacted after winter so will need aerating in order to allow air and water to penetrate

deep into the root zone. “Holes left by this handy machine should be filled with top-dressing (a mix of loam, sand, and organic matter, available at garden centres), which encourages better

rooting and thicker turf.” 3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT SEEDS Before overseeding, or sowing a new lawn, gardeners will need to consider what the garden is used for and what type of lawn would suit

their needs best. For example, those who have kids or pets may want to choose hard-wearing grass. Those who want a deluxe lawn will want to choose a different type of lawn seed. For lawns

cast into the shade by trees and buildings, another type of lawn seed will be required. 4. OVERSEED AND BANISH PATCHES A sparse lawn with bare patches will need to be banished with

fast-germinating lawn seed. To treat patches, use a garden fork to break the surface and rake the soil until it’s fine and even. Then, sow fast-germinating lawn seed and lightly rake it into

the soil surface and gently water. This process can be used on the entire lawn. 5. SOW NEW LAWNS Guy said: “Spring months of April and May when it’s neither too hot nor too cold, are

perfect months for starting new lawns from scratch. “Preparing a good seed bed in your lawn is the key to success. Remove any debris and apply weedkiller or hand weed. “A couple of weeks

later, dig the site over, removing the roots of any perennial weeds. Rake the seed bed to a fine tilth, then leave for a fortnight. “Once any further weeds have been removed, you can sow,

rake in the seed, gently tread the area over to firm the seed in, then water. “In good conditions, grass will start emerging in a week, with the lawn established in six to eight weeks’

time.”