12 Days of Xmas Lawn Care

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Melissa - Lawn Care Support Blogs

There’s so much to do this time of year, especially if you’re hosting Christmas day at your place, but with a little bit of time over the 12 days leading up to the 25^th, you’ll be all sorted and so will your lawn.

Day 1 – Do a walk around and take stock of the general health and well-being of your lawn. Are there signs of disease, are there weeds, how long is the grass, are there bare patches or holes, are there overly shaded areas where the lawn is struggling or moss is present, is it over spongy to walk on, does rain and water not drain correctly, can you stick a garden fork into the soil easily?

Day 2 – Do a pH soil test to determine exactly what your lawn currently needs to be strong and healthy.

Day 3 – Repair any bald patches in your lawn and give it time to self-repair. After raking and removing any dead or struggling grass, holes and patches can be filled with some top dressing mixture, fertilised and watered.

Day 4 – If you cannot get a garden into the soil easily (and/or your lawn receives a lot of heavy traffic) then your lawn may benefit from aeration. Essentially, this is the process of putting small ‘holes’ in the soil to allow oxygen, water and nutrients to penetrate the soil and reach the root system, where they are needed. You can use a garden fork to put these holes into your lawn or hire an aerator from your local plant hire company – these machines will pull cores of soil out and thus creating the required holes – works a treat for larger lawns.

Day 5 – If your lawn is particularly spongy to walk on then you may have a build-up of thatch. When this layer is too deep if can affect the health of your grass but de-thatching is a way to reduce it. You can do this process yourself using a stiff, metal garden rake to briskly rake and remove the built-up thatch or you can hire a verti-mower to get the job done – again, great for much larger areas.

Day 6 – Watering infrequently but deeply to encourage a deep, strong root system and to make your lawn that bit more drought resistant. Take natural rainfall into account and aim for 2.5cms of water per week.

Day 7 – Catching weeds early on will save you a lot of heartache. Remove any weeds now, by hand. Or use an herbicide specific for the variety of turf you have.

Day 8 – Again, catching pest problems early on is the very best course of action. If pests are present, treat immediately.

Day 9 – Your lawn needs sunlight so give it an early Christmas present in the form of trimming overhanding branches and shrubs.

Day 10 – At this time of year you still only need to mow every second week – never remove more than a third of the blade and keep it a bit long. This extra length will help shield the soil from the sun and will reduce the risk of weeds and disease being able to take hold.

Day 11 – If you have not yet undertaken your summer fertilising then you should do this now to allow the grass to grow and be in the best possible health for Christmas. Consider a slow release fertiliser to provide nutrients and minerals, and steady growth, over a period of time.

Day 12 – And relax – your lawn is ready to receive your guests and host the best backyard cricket test series ever.

For further information just contact the team at Harden Park Lawns.