June

Taking care of the Lawn in June

Much of what was said about lawns in May is still applicable in June. If you are planning to sow a new lawn in August or September, finish any deep cultivation now so that the area has plenty of time to settle naturally. It also provides several months during which you can hoe out any weed seedlings that appear.

June is the last month to apply lawn-sand or hormone weed killers to remove broad-leaved weeds. Hand weeding can also continue for large specimens. Watering is more important at this time of year than weeding. However, grass is fairly drought tolerant so if you are keen to conserver water or you have a hose-pipe ban then it will be ok to leave it go brown for a while so long as you do not cut the grass too short in dry conditions.

Lawns do not have be large affairs. A small area of grass, set in amongst complementary planting, can also be very effective.

However, if the lawn is very small, like the one shown here. It is best to provide stepping stones, as the foot traffic over such a small area could very quickly erode it.

If it doesn't rain for a long time, the surface of the soil can become baked hard so it will be hard for water to penetrate. If the soil does become compact and bone dry, spike the lawn before watering, to allow the water to penetrate.

When you do water the lawn always water well as light watering will only lead to shallow-rooting grass, which makes it even more vulnerable to drought, and also encourages the growth of moss.

Mowing will be a regular task, but remember to raise the blades high in dry weather and leave the cuttings on the lawn-they are largely composed of water and act as a protective mulch.

Often during June the seed heads of grass appear. This is perfectly natural and there is nothing you can do to stop them forming. They usually defy cutting by cylinder mowers so either run over the lawn with a rotary mower or use sheers to remove them.

Next page >> Managing Trees and Shrubs in June >>