Fairy Rings in the Lawn

Fairy Rings which are caused by fungi start to show signs of activity during the end of spring or early summer. They are easily recognisable with distinct dark green rings and/or fruiting bodies including mushrooms, toadstools and puffballs. The rings can be full or part circle. Although there are thousands of types of fungi that cause these rings, there are in fact only 3 types of Fairy Ring, each having different characteristics. Fairy...

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Soil Compaction in the Lawn

What is soil compaction Most lawns will have or will experience the affects of soil compaction during their lifetime. All soils require a certain percentage of air in order to support a healthy lawn. Soil compaction occurs when the majority of the air is squeezed out of the soil by excess traffic. The traffic can include garden machinery such as mowers, vehicles like cars or people using the lawn. The more traffic the lawn receives the greater...

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Sulphate of Iron on Lawns

Sulphate of Iron is one of the most widely used products in the professional turf care industry. This is because it is very versatile, it had many uses and is also relatively cheap to purchase. This product is primarily used for controlling moss during the spring months, however it can also be used to help prevent certain lawn diseases and discourage earthworm activity, thus preventing worm casts. It is also a great product for giving...

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How high should I mow my lawn

One of the most common mowing questions is 'how high should I cut my lawn'. In fact there is no one answer to this question as it can depend on may factors: Quality of the lawn - If you are maintaining a luxury lawn you will want to mow it shorter than someone who is maintaining a general purpose lawn. A luxury lawn would contain a high proportion of bents and fescues, these grasses are very fine, produce a tight sward and tolerate close mowing. It should also be noted if you are going to mow you lawn short, it will require a lot more maintainance...

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Choosing the right mower for your lawn

As a lawn mower is the most widely used piece of equipment on the lawn it is very important that you choose the right type of mower to begin with. A good lawn mower that is correctly set up and maintained is essential to the health and appearance of the lawn. The problem is nowadays there are many types of lawn mower to choose from it can become a bit confusing for the gardener to tell which is best type for their lawn. Lawn mowers can be walk behind or ride on, cylinder or rotary and powered by petrol, diesel or electric. Types of lawn mower There...

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Tips for overseeding a lawn

Over seeding new grass seed into an existing lawn is always going to prove very difficult task. This is because the new seedlings will have to compete with the established grasses and they will need all the help they can get to ensure they not only germinate, but establish successfully too. However there are a few factors to take into consideration, and these can ultimately determine how successful your overseeding regime will be. Soil Compaction - Any soil or rootzone that suffers from extreme compaction will have a detrimental effect on any...

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Anthracnose lawn disease

Anthracnose is caused by the fungus Colletotrichum graminicola. It can attack most species of grass on the lawn butannual meadow grass (Poa annua) is very susceptible (hence the previous name of this disease was 'Basal rot of Poa annua'). Antracnose is a stress disease attacking grasses that are under stress due to environmental factors. Identification of anthracnose Anthracnose usually appears on the lawn during the late summer and can...

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Moles in the lawn

There are few lawn and turf problems that cause as much damage to the lawn, and frustration to the gardener as moles. These creatures can cause widespread damage to all types of lawn. Moles create runs (tunnels) in the soil beneath the surface of the lawn, as the runs are built the excess soil is pushed onto the surface of the lawn. These tunnels can often cover a large area and affect the whole lawn. Moles are carnivorous creatures, their diet...

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Worms and worm cast problems on lawns

Worms are in many cases the gardeners friend as they provide a valuable contribution to the health of the lawn. Worms keep the soil aerated and breakdown the organic matter helping control the thatch layer. In fact a large population of worms points to a healthy soil. However, despite these benefits worms are often seen as a problem on lawns and other areas of turf as they produce casts. This is especially true if the root zone or soil has a high...

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Take-all Patch Disease

Fortunately for gardeners Take all patch is not a very common lawn disease, as it can bequite devastating. The disease is very common on new sand based golf green constructions, where the root zone is still relatively sterile and has not had time to build up a population of micro organisms. The disease is usually most active between June and December and primarily attacks bent grass. Until recently there have been no effective chemical...

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