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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| Food heaven |
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| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Spring into action on the lawn
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| Thursday, 20th March 2008 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
We all love a weed-free, straight and striped lawn…but in order to achieve this we need to put some work in. And now is when you should start your yearly maintenance programme.
Here is my spring regime:
Early spring…
1. Remove debris – before you get the mower out, pick up any twigs or branches that have accumulated on the lawn.
2. Rake over – lightly rake over the grass; use a wire rake to lift any grasses that have laid flat over the winter.
3. First cut – go over the lawn with your mower blades set high so that the grass is just topped. Avoid mowing the lawn if the ground is sodden, or if frosts are forecast.
4. Lightly roll – gently firm the lawn surface down with a light roll, passing over just once. Do not use a heavy roller as this will cause surface compaction. Not many people do this these days, mainly because they don’t have a roller at home…but if you have, do it, and the lawn will be better for it.
5. Moss control – Apply lawn sand or a proprietary moss killer as per instructions; Ferrous Sulphate in the product will have a greening-up effect on the grass.
Mid-spring…
1. Repairs – carry out any repairs or restoration work. Lay new turf and repair worn patches with turf lifted from the edge of the lawn; by widening a border slightly you can often gain enough turf to carry out this work.
2. Over-seeding – where grass cover is thin, over-seed with a suitable seed mix (there are several types available from the garden centre, from hard-wearing, fine lawn, drought tolerant, low-maintenance and shade mixtures).
3. Edges – straighten up edges with a half moon edging iron to create a definite edge for easier trimming throughout the growing season.
4. Frequent mowing – Gradually increase the mowing frequency, and lower the blade height until you reach the desired height of cut – this will vary depending on the type of grass you have and the purposes to which your lawn are usually put. A fine back garden lawn is normally mown so that the grass blades are ¼in to ½in long. Mowing closer than this can weaken the grass, and encourage moss and weeds. On the other hand a family lawn can be cut to between ½in and 2in. The harder-wearing the lawn, the longer the grass, so that it is slightly protected from, say, children’s ball games.
Late spring…
1. Scarifying – If you did not scarify in the autumn it can be done now. Basically this involves raking the lawn vigorously (or use an electric model) to remove the dead moss and old, rotting grass leaves, called ‘thatch’.
2. Spiking – if your lawn is old, it is almost certainly compacted as well, and a way to partly counter this is to aerate it. Spike the lawn with a garden fork, penetrating the ground to at least 10cm (4in), and wiggle it around so that the holes are of a decent size. This will allow air into the soil; professionals use hollow-tined aerators that bring out a plug of soil each time, which is even more effective. There are some hand-tool hollow-tine aerators for amateurs, but for the average gardener a garden fork isn’t a bad alternative. Be thorough though, making sure that enough holes are made to do some good.
3. Feeding – give the grass its first feed of the season when the grass is actively growing and the weather is warmer. Apply either a simple fertiliser, or a weed and feed brand, or even the more sophisticated weed, feed and moss killer types. But don’t use a fertiliser high in nitrogen this early in the season, as it will encourage soft, lush growth that will be prone to disease.
Most lawn fertilisers you can buy at the garden centre will tell you whether they are for spring, summer or autumn application.
4. Weeding – about two weeks after the feeding, use with a selective lawn weedkiller. Feeding beforehand ensures that the weeds are growing strongly, with a larger leaf area to absorb the chemical.
Do all of this, and your lawn will be so good this year you could eat your dinner off it…I suppose that’s called a picnic! Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
When conditions are good enough, sow seeds of lettuce, parsley, salsify, turnips, beetroot, leaf beet, broad beans and radishes.
Most hardy herbs are available the year round, and as long as they are not quick-growing, or will swamp other plants, they make fine container plants, for keeping near the back door. Try thymes, chives and parsley. Only choose bigger subjects like sage and rosemary if you have the space.
Start growing tuberous begonias, gloxinias, achimenes and cannas.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
NEXT WEEK: Focus on fuchsias
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