Lowering the cost of lawncare

Lowering the cost of lawncare – If you take notice of all the adverts for lawn care products, you could spend a small fortune on maintaining the perfect lawn.  Here’s how to make some savvy savings.

If you invest time in these:-

• Mowing little and often.
• Lawnmower servicing.
• Applying good quality lawn feed.
• Aerating at least once a year.
• Scarifying once a year

You won’t need to buy these

• Chemical weed killers.
• Moss control.
• New turf.
• Grass seed.
• Disease control.

Mowing regularly will keep weeds away and reduce costs

Weeds will invade your lawn wherever they find a weak patch or a bald spot.  Mowing little and often will help to keep the sward thick, healthy and weed free.  That way you won’t need to buy chemical weed-killers or fancy tools to dig out the imposters.

Don’t let the grass grow under your feet

We’ve all done it.  Gone on holiday, got distracted by domestic duties or just plain not got round to mowing the lawn.  When the lawn starts to look straggly and shaggy it’s only natural to want to get out there and cut it really short really quickly.  That’s the worst thing you could ever do.

Letting grass get long and then scalping it shocks the plants and weakens them.  Weak plants are more susceptible to drought and disease.  Before you know it, your lawn gets thin and it’s easy for weeds to invade.

Lowering the cost of lawncare for a family lawn or one that contains dwarf ryegrasses means trying to keep it between 3 and 5 cm high.  I like to lean towards 5cm.  I know that sounds long but I do find that it stays greener all year round that way.

Mow little and often to reduce the cost of lawncare – That might mean twice a week during spring and early summer.  I find a mowing session that removes half a centimetre or so of grass is so much quicker and easier than a major chop.  I’m not emptying the grass box nearly so often.

Keep your lawnmower blades sharp.  I can’t stress that one enough.  Blunt blades rip at the grass leaving open wounds that let water stores out and diseases in.

Feed regularly and care for the soil

When you mow the grass you’re taking away all the nutrients that the plants have drawn up from the soil and stored in the leaves.  Eventually soil nutrients are depleted and the plants become malnourished.  We think of grass as being a really resilient plant – and it is – to an extent.  But every living thing needs good nutrients if it is to thrive.

Feeding your lawn means the difference between thriving and surviving.

There’s a big difference between thriving and surviving.  When your lawn is thriving it will have a dense sward of healthy plants.  The colour will be deep green and even.  Rainwater will soak straight into it.  You’ll be proud and your neighbours will be envious.  When a lawn is surviving the plants are clumpy, you can see the soil between them, the leaves are pale and the drainage might be poor.

It’s more cost-effective to apply a good quality lawn feed 3-4 times a year than it is to keep reseeding or re-turfing.

Scarifying and Aerating keeps the soil healthy

Healthy soil makes for a robust lawn that is easy to care for.

Scarifying and aerating may seem like hard work but they’re so important.  What they’re doing is allowing air to reach the roots of your grass plants. Without air, roots cannot thrive.  The lawn will look sad for a week or so after the work has been done but my goodness, within a month you’ll be so glad you made the effort.