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Autumn Lawn Maintenance

October is the perfect month for autumn lawn maintenance and to ensure your garden is winter ready. October is noticeably cooler and wetter than September so perfect conditions to achieve optimal results.

Autumn is also a great time to start thinking about any garden projects you might like to do over the winter months in preparation for spring.

Assess your lawn

Don’t be tempted to use a summer or winter fertiliser on an autumn lawn. Autumn lawns need special autumn lawn treatments. Bare patches, weeds, insect infestations and moss need attention (they’ll only deteriorate over the winter months).

Garden hygiene will need addressing by pet owners. Prevent diseases from carrying over into next year is a task all sensible pet owners need to address.

We would recommend our autumn lawn treatment for the months of October, November and December. We believe that adding a micro-nutrient feed will help to strengthen the grass plant for the winter months, aiming less for growth but more for a healthy structure. Moss control is also targeted at this time of year.

When to stop mowing lawns?

Some lawn care professionals advise to cease mowing lawns between the end of October and the beginning of April. With British weather being unpredictable this isn’t always beneficial.

We recommend mowing lawns at any time whilst grass is growing and the soil is able to support the weight of a mower. All lawns need mowing as it maintains healthy grass.

Remove Autumn leaves

Make sure autumn leaves are regularly raked off lawns. Excess fallen leaves on a lawn will block light and moisture reaching the grass. Fallen leaves also provide the perfect environment for moss and algae growth.

Pruning

Pruning of deciduous trees, shrubs and hedges can start from now and be carried out throughout the plants dormant season. Pruning hedges can minimise snow damage. Prune stake plants to protect from winter wind damage.

Autumn Plants

Autumn is a great season to plant spring flowering bedding plants.

Most perennials need planting between September and November. Planting during this period ensures your plants will offer bursts of colour during the warmer winter months and vigorous growth in the spring.

October/November are great months for planting tulip bulbs and roses.

Lift and store plants or mulch

Tender plants can be cut back and protected with a covering of mulch or lifted and stored in a dormant state. The decision on whether to lift and store or leave under mulch is a matter of choice.

Dahlias, cannas, begonia and gladioli are all tender plants.

Maintain garden equipment

Autumn is the perfect time to service your lawn mower ensuring it’s going to be in perfect condition for spring. Sharpen shears, secateurs and pruning scissors. Other tools such as spades, forks and planting trowels will benefit from a wash. Add an oil to metal parts of garden tools to prevent rust.

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