Lawn Care and Repair

March is a good time to choose to repair bare patches left in your lawn after the winter. Do not be tempted to do anything with a garden that is frozen or waterlogged, but as soon as the weather warms up towards the end of the month, you can get going and lay new areas of turf or get ready to sow seeds to fill out any scant patches in your existing lawn.

This is also a good time to plant bulbs in the green for a lovely display of early spring flowers next year. This is also a good time to move or divide clumps of daffodils if you are not happy with their placement in your lawn. Trim the edges of your beds and borders and generally tidy up your lawn a bit before spring gets into full flow. Do not, however, be tempted to cut your lawn until it gets the chance to establish itself a bit more and properly start growing some time next month.

The first thing to do when repairing a lawn is decide whether you will patch the area with new turf or whether the damage is more diffuse and you will use grass seed. If, as you will do in most cases, you decide on seed then you will then have to decide what sort of grass seed to purchase.

The sort of grass seed that you should purchase will depend on a number of different factors. Firstly, you must consider the conditions in your garden – are they shady or is most of your lawn in full sun. Is the terrain lumpy or do you have and wish to maintain a smooth and manicured lawn. Secondly, you will have to consider who uses your garden and for what purpose. If you have dogs or children who love to run around outdoors then you will know that your lawn can take quite a battering. You should probably choose to reseed over your existing lawn with a seed mix designed to give a tough lawn that can stand up to a fair bit of abuse. If you are more delicate with your lawn you may like a fine mix, if you keep chickens, you may like to choose a mix specially designed to give them a good mix of food to eat. These are just some of the variations on offer.

Finally, when it comes to choosing a seed mix for over-sowing and repairing bare patches on your lawn, it is important to consider your own personal preference. Do you prefer a wild and natural meadow look, a neatly trimmed, perfect edged lawn or something in between the two? You should also consider how often you will have to mow the lawn – those with less time could perhaps choose a slower growing variety.