As we wave goodbye to summer and welcome autumn, it’s the perfect time to get ahead with gardening jobs before the cold weather and frost sets in. Gardening expert Michael Griffiths urged green thumbs to get on top of lawn maintenance, as it’s the perfect time to revive it after a hot summer.
In a recent TikTok video, Michael detailed a number of gardening jobs you should be doing in September. Lawn maintenance is one of those. He said: “Autumn is the perfect time to start lawn maintenance again.”
When it comes to keeping your lawn in tip top shape, September is the perfect time to get ahead for the colder months. When it comes to mowing, Michael explained that you want to cut the grass to 4cm.
This will allow the grass to get ready for winter. This can be done manually or mechanically.
He also recommended scarifying the lawn. To prep the ground, you can use an aerator, scarifier, or even a garden fork. This is to poke holes directly into the soil to help the water drain in.
Scarifying works by using rotating blades on a machine to cut into the lawn, removing layers of dead grass, moss, and debris, and stimulating grass growth.
Once this is done, you can add plenty of grass seed. However, Michael explained that the grass seed should be switched from a summer lawn feed to an autumn feed.
If you find that you’ve got patches on your lawn that need a bit of TLC, garden designer Ish explained that all you need is a homemade “lawn paste” to do the job.
Mix well-drenched compost with some grass seed, which can be done using your hands. Ish explained: “Now the reason I like to make this lawn paste is because the compost will retain the moisture quite nicely. And by smushing this over the top, it will create a nice layer ready for this to grow.
“Now grass seed only really needs about a centimetre to be deep, even surface level. But the slow bits will grow through, meaning it has a nice, strong lawn, obviously overseeded and looks fantastic.”
Give the lawn paste a good watering everyday or two to make sure it stays nice and hydrated.