July

Taking care of the Lawn in July

Care of established lawns is much the same as for June, with regular mowing being the main task. Ensure the mower is not set to cut too low when the lawn is very dry. If the weather is hot and dry, growth rate will have slowed. If you water the lawn and it is compact remember to spike it over first to allow water to penetrate the surface.

In a dry summer leave the grass-box off the mower once or twice to allow the mowings to fly. This will help to keep the grass in good condition by providing a very shallow mulch.

If the weather has been dry for a while you may find that pearlwort, trefoil and clover can become a problem. Hand-weed as soon as you see it, before it has time to set seed and perpetuate the problem for other year.

Don't forget to take some time out to sit out and enjoy the lawn and borders.

Lawn Tonic

Apply a light application of fertiliser to established lawns. All lawns appreciate a summer tonic to buck them up and keep them going for the rest of the growing season. If you are not able or prepared to water the lawn after using a granular feed, you should feed only before rain is forecast. Alternatively, apply one of the several liquid feeds specially formulated for lawns.

Dealing with Lawn Ants

Ants can be a nuisance in lawns after mid summer. They don't eat the grass, but they hide it beneath their nests which can pile up to 10 cm (4 in) or so. This not only looks awful, but makes mowing quite a problem, and creates seed beds for weeds and moss. Brush the anthill out of the way so that it is scattered over the lawn, and then treat the nest with a proprietary ant or lawn pest killer as instructed by the manufacturer.

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