Hannah Stephenson looks at ways to give your lawn a boost before winter sets in

SO MANY of us leave our aerating and scarifying until spring, yet lawns will benefit from a pick-me-up now before winter sets in.

So says grass care expert Steve Taylor, of GreenThumb, the UK’s largest lawn care provider.

With the predicted long winter and some springs being particularly cold, there may be a shorter period for your lawn to recover if you carry out work in spring than if you prepare the ground now ahead of Christmas, he says.

“At this time of year, the ground temperature is warmer than the air temperature which speeds up recovery from aeration and scarification. Essentially, your grass will recover quicker at this time of year because spring doesn’t always play fair.”

As daylight hours diminish and temperatures cool, key things to watch out for include air movement over the lawn.

“This can be hampered by fencing, leaves being left on the lawn or the fact that the lawn is on an estate and surrounded by houses, which can create issues such as poor air movement, resulting in disease,” says Taylor.

Other problems to look out for include: Disease: We are starting to see leaf spot in lawns along with microdochium patch. Both of these are affected by air movement and a lot of dew left on the grass plant for too long a period. He advises: “Try to keep the lawn area dry by removing the dew or trying to find a way to improve air movement.”

Leaf removal: Leaves left on the lawn for too long will restrict the amount of light the plant will receive and, at this time of year, light is important. You want as much light on the lawn to help keep the plant reasonably healthy. Try to remove the leaves, if not daily, then weekly as a minimum.

Cutting: “Many believe that as soon as you get to the end of October, you can stop cutting the lawn, but this is not a great idea due to the weather patterns we get in the UK. If the lawn is growing then it is advisable to cut it. When cutting, ensure you have a sharp blade on the mower and do not cut the lawn too short.”

Treatment: If you are going to treat your lawn now, use a micro nutrient feed which helps to toughen the plant, assisting with the chlorophyll (which allows plants to absorb energy from light). It also turns moss black.

Compaction: After a season, many lawns can build up compaction, reducing air, water and nutrient movement in the root zone, which can in turn affect the production of thatch due to reduced microbial activity. Taylor suggests: “Have the lawn aerated to reduce compaction and if the compaction is not the issue and the soil is light, it could be that the thatch levels have become sub-surface and the best control for this is hollow tine aeration.”

Thatch: The build-up of dead grass between living grass and the soil can prevent air, water and nutrients from reaching plant roots. In small areas where the thatch isn’t thick, you could remove it with a stiff lawn rake or thatch rake, but you may need a power tool for larger areas with thick thatch.

BEST OF THE BUNCH: SMOKE BUSH (COTINUS)

Darlington and Stockton Times:

THIS deciduous tree-like shrub offers a cloud of tiny purple-pink flowers in late summer, which is where the name ‘smoke bush’ comes from, but it’s an all-round winner for much of the year because of its impressive oval purple leaves which turn a brilliant red in late autumn. The plum-coloured smoke bush Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ makes an excellent backdrop for other flowering plants.

However, I think it’s best grown as a showy specimen shrub to show off its haze of flowers in June and its brilliant leaf colour in autumn.

The smoke bush will grow in any reasonable garden soil, but prefers full sun. Remove unwanted branches in spring.

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT: LEEKS

Darlington and Stockton Times:

LEEKS are among the healthiest of vegetables, being full of iron, and they are hugely versatile, whether being made into thick warming soups or added to chicken and ham pies, or added to the mash topping of shepherd’s pie.

They are also pretty easy to grow and can be dug up as and when you need them as they’ll stay in the ground quite happily until they are required.

Start them off in pots in the spring as they are easy to transplant, or alternatively grow them in a seedbed and use the thinnings as an alternative to spring onions. Sow seeds around 1-2cm deep and 15cm apart.

They will germinate at fairly low temperatures and if you are sowing them in pots, keep them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Plants raised indoors can be moved outside and hardened off when temperatures start to rise in May, and they should be in their final position by June.

Make a trench about 10cm wide and deep as this will make earthing up, the blanch the base of the plant, easier later.

If you’ve sown them in a seedbed, you can ease them out of the soil in July, spacing them out to a plant every 15cm and trimming very long leaves.

Harvest them from October through to spring. Good late varieties include ‘Apollo’ and ‘Bandit’.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

Plant tulip bulbs in November to give them a better chance of avoiding catching the fungal disease tulip fire

Pot up hippeastrums (amaryllis) if you want them in flower for Christmas

Protect slightly tender herbaceous plants like penstemons from frost by placing bracken or straw over them, held in place with netting, or a layer of mulch such as leafmould or bark chippings

If you live in a cold part of the country, leave some old growth on flowering plants to protect them from the worst frosts l Cut back grasses which are not ornamental in winter

Plant bare-rooted trees, shrubs and climbers if soil conditions allow

Continue to rake fallen leaves to stop disease and pests from taking refuge under them

Clean and store gardening equipment such as metal tools and bamboo canes

Stop secateurs from rusting by smearing lubricant on to the bevelled edge and rubbing it gently with a scourer

Start winter pruning of established apple and pear trees