If your lawn is looking a bit sorry for itself then help is at hand. With just a few quick techniques the lawn can look lush and green once again ready for the family to enjoy.

Although a lawn may be able to recover on its own, the likelihood is that the weeds will grow faster, and the grass will be overtaken by weeds, so the first step is to dig out any weeds such as dandelion and buttercup. You could treat them with a weedkiller, but you do have to be careful not to kill the grass at the same time.

For the grass to grow well the soil needs to be aerated which is a simple process and can either be done by poking holes in the lawn with a garden fork or by using a rolling aerator. Improving the air flow in the lawn will make a big difference to how well the turf grows and is especially good for lawns that have become impacted and waterlogged.

Using a good quality fertiliser on the lawn will bring back the lushness and should make the grass look greener and healthier. It encourages the lawn to grow giving it the nutrients that it needs for healthy growth.

Are you looking for the highest quality turf Cambridge has to offer? It might be easier to find than you think – with experienced retailers who sell turf for all terrains and all purposes in the area, you might actually find yourself with quite a lot of choice in the matter. This takes away some of the pressure associated with having the buy what is right for your garden, as you will know that you can find something that is high quality, without having to shop around too much.

So how do you identify a retailer that is selling turf that is worthy of your garden, green or lawn? Here are some of the main things to look out for:

• A variety of turf options. There are many different types of turf on the market, including Rhizomatous Tall Fescue, County Greens, wildflower and more. This gives you options depending on what you are going to do with the turf. For example, County Greens is specifically used for golf courses and large areas that need luxurious turf. Rhizomatous Tall Fescue is known as a particularly hardy kind of turf, that will grow well in many different kinds of conditions and scenarios. If you have a shady garden, it is reassuring to know that you can buy a type of turf that will still grow well.
• The turf is looked after well. Ask your turf supplier about how they keep turf fresh once it has been harvested. It is always a good indication of quality if they are willing to invest in reliable machinery and products to help with the process – you know you will be getting turf that has been harvested in the most beneficial ways, and looked after during the process. One main issue is that turf can dry out quickly, so ask about whether it is chilled once harvested. Many reliable suppliers will have chillers, where they can keep the turf at an ambient temperature until it is ready to be laid. You then know that it will still be fresh when you come to buy it and take it away.
• Turf is sourced from reliable and reputable sources. Look into the nurseries where the supplier gets their turf. You may not know straight away what all this means, but if you look into it a little, you should be able to find out whether it is one of the leading nurseries and whether the turf will have been well looked after during the process of growing.
• Knowledgeable about turf products. It is always a good sign if the person you are buying from knows all about their products. Ask them questions and check whether they can answer them to a standard you are happy with. If they can, this is a very good sign of quality and you are much more likely to be working with someone who can supply what you need.

If you have any doubts at all, look elsewhere. Cambridge has some excellent garden suppliers in the area, so find one you trust.

You may think that having a lawn means that you will need to do very little maintenance and that your lawn will mostly “look after itself”. Of course, this is not strictly true, but working on your lawn little and regularly will reap benefits later.

You will need to mow your lawn regularly in spring, summer and even early autumn and, this may occur as often as once a week or fortnight, depending on weather conditions.

During the spring, tidy up your lawn edges with a half-moon shaped edging tool. If you have a curved lawn edge, you could use a length of hose or thick rope as a guide.

In order to keep your grass looking lush and green, you will need to apply fertiliser at least twice a year – once in the spring and once in autumn. If you have a small lawn, you could spread out the fertiliser granules by hand but larger lawns may need the use of a lawn spreader. Make sure you do this on a dry day after it has rained a day or two before. You don’t want to do it when the earth is bone dry.

If your lawn is plagued with weeds then you may want to use a combined feed and weed product which will encourage good plant growth, at the same time as getting rid of weeds at the root. Ideally, you should use weedkillers in the spring, before weeds start flowering and then spreading their seeds. If you have the odd dandelion or thistle growing in your grass, then you may find it just as easy to dig it out and pull it up from the root.

Dandelions are often considered the scourge of most gardeners. Their fluffy, yellow flower heads may look quite attractive but once the heads turn to seed, the slightest puff of wind spreads dandelion seeds over the whole of the garden. You could try digging them out but they have a long, tapering tap root which tends to break off as it is pulled. You only have to leave the smallest part of a tap root behind in the soil and you will soon have dandelions growing again.

The best way to get rid of these bright yellow flowers with their broad green leaves is to prevent them becoming established in your lawn in the first place. In order to do this, after each mowing, make sure you leave some grass clippings on the surface of your lawn. These will act as a mulch and will help prevent seeds from germinating. Also, make sure you do not cut your grass too short as this weakens the grass, allowing weeds like dandelions to become established. Do not allow bare patches to develop in your lawn. Make sure you rake over the bare patches, break up the soil a little and sow with new grass seeds.

However, if you continue to lose the battle against dandelions, then you could harvest them as an edible supplement for your salad bowl!

How to Lay your Lawn Turf

Do you want to remedy a tired and shapeless patch of grass? Or perhaps you desire to create a new lawn. Whichever the case, laying lawn turf is the sure answer. Of course, it’ll be more expensive compared to sowing seeds, but the benefits will outweigh the costs incurred. For one, you’ll instantly have a usable lawn area. It’ll also have no moss or weeds to spoil the result. So, when’s the best time to lay the lawn? Go for a warm spring or autumn, especially when there’s plenty of rain to help the new grass to establish its roots. The lawn will be ready in time for the summer heat or winter frost.

Now let’s get started on the lawn. First prepare the area by removing stones and leveling the ground. You can use a rake to even it out. Make sure that the soil surface is firm-you can walk up and down on it, taking small and heavy steps. A starter fertilizer, without a pre-emergent, can be applied to the soil. Next, get the turfs and lay them on the soil, slightly overlapping each other. In order to get a clean edge, grab a sharp knife or spade and use it to cut off any excess lawn turf. Voila! You’re done. It’s that simple. (more…)