When and how do I make the first lawn cut of the year?
The temperature that decides the timing rather than the date, and why the first cut must be high.
beginner1 hr4 min read
Lawn Care
Grass that survives both summer and children.
37 guides in Garden
Why does the moss in my lawn keep coming back?
Moss is a symptom of six different conditions, and killing it treats none of them. How to work out which cause you actually have before spending another autumn raking.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I improve a waterlogged lawn?
Telling compaction from a drainage problem, aerating properly, and when the answer is not a lawn at all.
beginner4 hr3 min readHow do I maintain a lawn?
The seasonal jobs that make the biggest difference to a lawn — mowing height, feeding, scarifying, aerating and dealing with moss.
beginner3 hr3 min readHow do I renovate a tired lawn without digging it up?
The autumn renovation sequence — scarify, aerate, overseed, top-dress, feed — in the right order, in the right weeks, with realistic expectations of what one season achieves.
intermediate8 hr5 min readHow do I repair a lawn after a drought?
Most brown lawns recover on their own within weeks of rain returning. What to do about the parts that do not, why autumn is the moment, and the repairs that fail if attempted too early.
beginner40 min5 min readWhy does my lawn have brown patches?
A diagnostic order for dead patches — grubs, disease, drought, urine or the mower — based on the shape of the patch and whether the turf lifts.
beginner25 min3 min readHow and when should I feed a lawn?
Spring and autumn feeds do different jobs, applying evenly without stripes, and why more is worse.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I fix a patchy lawn?
Diagnosing bare patches, repairing them with seed or turf, and the aftercare that decides whether the repair takes.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I overseed a patchy lawn?
Preparing the surface so seed reaches soil, choosing the right mixture, and the watering that decides whether it germinates.
beginner2 hr3 min readHow short should I cut my lawn, and how often?
The one-third rule, the cutting heights that suit a family lawn through the year, and why scalping causes most of the problems people blame on weather.
beginner30 min3 min readWhen can I cut new grass for the first time?
Cutting too early pulls seedlings out by the roots; leaving it too long lets the grass go leggy and thin. The height to judge by, and the one adjustment that matters more than timing.
beginner12 min4 min readHow do I kill lawn weeds without killing the grass?
How selective lawn weedkillers work, when to apply them so they actually take, and the cultural changes that mean you need them far less.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I get rid of moss in a lawn?
Killing and raking out moss, and fixing the shade, drainage or compaction that let it in.
beginner3 hr2 min readWhy has my grass seed not come up?
The four things that stop grass seed germinating — soil temperature, moisture, seed-to-soil contact and birds — and how to tell which one you have.
beginner30 min3 min readWhat are the little heaps of soil on my lawn?
Worm casts appear in numbers in autumn, smear under a mower and look like a problem. Why they are a sign of a healthy lawn, how to tell them from molehills and ant hills, and the only management that is worth doing.
beginner12 min4 min readWhy does my dog leave yellow patches on the lawn?
Why dog urine scorches grass, the dark green ring that proves it, and what actually reduces the damage.
beginner20 min3 min readHow do I look after a lawn in summer?
Managing a lawn through hot dry weather — mowing height, watering decisions and what brown grass actually means.
beginner1 hr2 min readWhich grass seed should I use for my lawn?
The four grass types in British lawn mixtures, what each is actually good at, and how to read a seed bag so you buy for your site rather than for the picture on the front.
beginner20 min4 min readHow often does a lawn actually need scarifying?
The honest answer is: when the turf profile says so, which for most lawns is a good deal less often than once a year. How to measure it, and what aerating does that scarifying does not.
intermediate30 min4 min readShould I lay turf or sow grass seed?
What each option really costs in money, time and risk, and the situations where one of them is clearly the wrong answer.
beginner30 min3 min readIs lawn weed and feed safe for pets and children?
What is actually in these products, what the real exposure route is, how long to keep everyone off, and the low-chemical alternatives that suit a garden with a dog in it.
beginner20 min4 min readHow do I level a bumpy lawn?
Top dressing shallow hollows, lifting the turf for deeper ones, and why rolling a lawn makes bumps worse rather than better.
intermediate3 hr3 min readShould I mow the lawn in winter, and when do I stop?
Why there is no last cut date, how to judge whether a winter lawn needs topping, and the two conditions that make mowing genuinely harmful.
beginner20 min4 min read