March heralds the start of the lawn care year. Having said that it is still too early for many jobs so make a start with aeration and moss killing, ensure equipment is serviced and ready for use and get your shopping list ready for this year's lawn care.
Summary ‘to do’ list for now through March
• Reduce worm casting prior to mowing
• Treat moss with a Ferrous Sulphate
• Aeration - use spikes
• Light topping with the mower
• Turfing jobs
Shopping List
Angus Downcast - worm casting deterrent, Ferrous Sulphate - moss killer,
Grass Seed, Fertiliser, Weed Killer
Mowing the Lawn
Some of you will already have given your lawn a light New Year cut and with the potential for some slightly warmer weather this month, another cut, or your first cut, preferably on firm, dry ground may be required. It’s doubtful if this is the start of the mowing season just yet but it does offer the opportunity to tidy the lawn and check the mower is working as it should. Keep the cut high taking off just the very top.
Fertilising the Lawn
This is not necessarily the start of your fertilising schedule as weather can still bite with a cold spell. For most parts of the UK April is the time to start feeding though if March does warm up those in the southern half of the country may benefit from an early fertiliser application. If you want to give the lawn a colour and health boost WITHOUT stimulating too much growth, copy the green keeper and apply a turf hardener. This will help the grass resist disease and green it up nicely with the added benefit of blackening moss if used at the highest rate.
Weed Control
You should wait until April at least to use weed killer - May is better still - but manual weeding can be done particularly as the two weeds that are likely to be about this month are hard to kill at the best of times. Digging them out is about the only sure fire way of controlling them.