Lawns and other parts of the garden can often look a little worse for wear in September when the hot weather has subsided.
To restore your garden to its former glory and bring it back to life, gardening guru Monty Don has detailed this month’s essential gardening tasks.
The garden maestro regularly updates his followers on the most important tasks of the month, and this time he urges gardeners to hurry up to prune the roses and raspberries and make sure the green tomatoes ripen beautifully.
But it’s not all about the plants, as Monty claims September is the best time for a serious lawn.
Regardless of the condition of the grass, the 69-year-old urged that it is “always” important to aerate it at this time of year.
Aeration is the process of putting small long holes in the soil to allow the soil to have good air circulation and improve water and nutrient consumption at the grass root level.
Air circulation is very important because it lets stale carbon dioxide out, which in turn makes room for new oxygen.
Lawn aeration also helps break up accumulated thatch in demanding lawns and reduces lawn compaction, which is the main cause of moss.
To accomplish this task, Monty said, “You can use a pitchfork to work the spikes into the ground every 12 inches or, if the lawn is larger, hire a rolling hollow spike or mower. Ideally, then work the sand into the holes they create with a stiff brush.”
After that, “scrape the grass” with a wire saw to remove all thatch and moss and even if it looks a little stringy this fall, next spring your lawn will “rejuvenate” and even look “thicker”.
For those who just want to repair worn areas of lawn, Monty recommends raking away all thatch and moss, removing all weeds, spreading a thin layer of grass seed, watering well and keeping it moist.
He said, “The seed should germinate and grow in days. Don’t cut it for at least a month, and if it looks ugly by winter, cut the new growth with scissors.”
For larger areas, Monty recommends finishing the edges neatly with a sharp spade before branching to facilitate compaction and then either spreading seed or fitting a piece of turf firmly into place.
When laying a new lawn, he stresses the importance of avoiding foot traffic or mowing until the grass shows signs of vigorous growth, indicating established roots. If the weather turns sour, you may have to delay mowing until next spring.
