A great looking lawn

After a good looking lawn that suppresses weeds? I for one have a compacted ‘postie path’ that needs a little TLC. Try these great tips from Jerry Coleby-Williams. Remember not to mow your lawn too short – longer grass also helps with weed control.

(Care of Jerry Coleby-Williams)

The annual lawn cycle: Time to aerate my guinea pig’s pasture, speeding its yearly recovery from my open day. I want every drop of rain that falls to do good. In my lawn, turf roots reach 600mm deep, useful for searching out moisture and nutrients. Next comes topdressing with a 10mm layer of pulverised cow manure so its wormy army, our hidden gardeners, can feed the soil food web.

Drive a fork in halfway, gently lever the soil up. Repeat every 45 cm or so. It’s easiest when the soil is dampened (as it was by yesterday’s 7mm of rain). Decompaction aids aeration and drainage, essential for root growth and worm activity.

Compaction caused by the tramping of around 50 people per square metre is a feature of my annual open day. Aeration is the first step to recovery. Decompacting turf once in autumn and spring favours turf growth, which then acts as a natural form of weed control.

A month after sprinkling a 10mm layer of pulverised cow manure (no more, no less) generates a surge of growth following a good soaking by a spring storm. The guinea pig’s have nutritious pasture to mow and my sustainable lawn is ready for another open day (Mothers’ Day Weekend 2016).