May is a tough month for lawn care…
The weather conditions haven’t been too bad for scarifying and raking out that moss as generally speaking it hasn’t been too wet this Spring.
The big problem has been soil temperatures; this is the main factor in influencing growth and seed germination. Soil temperatures in the top 4″ of ground can have an affect on germination of seed as well as response to fertilisers and therefore growth.
What next?
The good news is that the reaction of your lawn is just delayed and slower than normal. If you have concerns over grass growth rates, greening or recovery after scarification then all will come good as temperatures start to rise. The main issue is for seed that has failed to germinate following over seeding. The bad news is that watering adds to the cooling effect so if you have been diligent with the hosepipe you’ve accidentally contributed to the problem! We only use the best quality seeds and in general grass seed is rather resilient stuff so once ground conditions warm up it will begin to grow presuming the birds haven’t got to it first!
Mowing
Grass growth rates will increase dramatically over the coming days and weeks, so our advise in terms of mowing would be to mow at every opportunity. If you miss a week you can guarantee the weather conditions will prevent you from mowing until your lawn resembles a jungle!
After a relatively Mild Winter we are seeing the appearance of many more lawn pests. Red Ants and Leather Jackets have caused above average damage for the time of year. We are also approaching the time when Chafer Grubs begin their hatching phase of life. We can easily treat most lawn pests, or in the case of ants we can supply a DIY product from the van, so let us know if you need help to get on top of a pest problem.