Lawn care in early autumn

It’s time to prepare your lawn for winter, says Ruth

- Ruth Hayes

THE weather this year has been far from ideal and our gardens have suffered. The cold, dry spring gave way to an indifferent summer with a brief spell of scorching heat followed by some torrential downpours.

Lawns have struggled accordingly, and now with winter waiting in the wings we have a short window to give them some love and prepare them for the return to cold, wet weather.

The relative warmth and dampness of October and early November are ideal for sowing and turfing a lawn, but September is often still too dry, unless you have the time and patience for regular watering.

But there are still several tasks you can do to keep your lawn healthy and looking as good as possible.

One important thing not to do is feed your lawn with nitrogen-rich lawn food, as this will provoke excessive new growth that is vulnerable to being damaged or killed when the colder weather comes.