6 Steps to a Perfect Lawn this summer

Step 1 - Weed

Most lawns will have some weeds in them. And for some people weeds are fine as they bring in pollinating insects and bees. But weeds can get a bit out of hand and take over your lawn area, or you may just prefer not to have any weeds at all.

There are many brands of weed killer which are specifically made for lawns and can be relatively easy to apply. Some are also combined with feed so you can do step one and step three at the same time. 

Being mindful of the instructions on the product you choose, one way to apply weedkiller is via a spreader. Drop spreaders and broadcast spreaders are available. With one the contents are just dropped onto the lawn as you walk backwards and forwards, with the other the contents are spread out via rotation to a larger area - not ideal for smaller gardens or where your lawn is edged by flower borders.

Step 2 - Scarify

Dead grass, dropped clippings. moss and fallen leaves build up over time on your grass and prevent the air reaching the roots. This makes your grass less healthy.

In order to rectify this, an easy activity is to scarify your lawn. Electric Scarifiers, or lawn rakers, are available and certainly cut down the work on a large lawn. For smaller lawns a simple garden rake can also be used.

The process of raking or scarifying will pull out loose debris and also roughen up the soil allowing more air to get to the roots of your grass.

After this activity your lawn will look a little bedraggled, but will soon pick up again and look even better. Especially if given a beneficial feed - see the next step.

Step 3 - Feed

Like all plants, your grass will benefit from occasional feeding. Often done in the spring, by giving extra nutrients to your lawn you will help it grow strong and more able to cope with the upcoming heat and dry conditions in summer.
A well-fed lawn will also make it more difficult for moss and weeds to grow up through.

You can buy a number of different lawn feeds, either as a standalone product or combined with a  moss/weed killer. Some brands even have grass seed added to the mixture to help cover any bare patches and thicken up your lawn. These are often in purpose built boxes for spreading, or you can use a spreader as in step one.

Lawn feed which gets mixed with water can be applied throughout the growing season and can be applied with a watering can. It may also be  beneficial to some of your plants too. Autumn can also be a good time to feed as it builds up the lawn before the ravages of winter.

Step 4 - Mow

The hum of lawn mowers being used around the neighbourhood on a summer's evening is ubiquitous if you happen to live in a suburban area.

The reason for this is that the best time to mow a lawn is when it is dry, and particularly when it has dried from any dew that may have fallen overnight. Ensuring your grass is dry will enable your mower to cut each blade of grass cleanly without leaving awful chewed edges - that, and keeping your lawnmower blades sharp.

One often repeated mistake which many people fall foul of is to cut their lawn too low. In doing this you will stress the grass and re-growth will be slower. This will also allow weeds and moss to take over.

Unless you have a bowling green lawn of fine grass you will be doing your grass more favours by taking your mower blades up a notch. Once all the area is freshly cut to the same length it will look just as good.

Step 5 - Water

Watering a lawn through summer can be controversial.

Ideally, if you can manage to weed and feed your lawn to keep it at it's healthiest, and not mow it too low then you ought to be able to get through a long, dry period fairly well.
Most lawns will recover even after a long dry summer without water, although probably turning brown which can be unsightly.

However, if you must water and maintain a bright green lawn all through the summer months, then there are a number of sprinklers available so you don't have to stand outside for ages holding a hosepipe. Remember, in the same way as for your flower beds, a good soak occasionally is better than little and often as this only means much of the water evaporates and encourages roots to the surface.

Try also to ensure you don't waste water by having it spraying on paths or driveways.

Step 6 - Edge

The finishing touch to your beautiful lush, green healthy lawn is to ensure that once mown any edges are also neat and tidy.

Nothing spoils an immaculate lawn more than those wispy edges that didn't get cut by the mower. Not only do they look unkempt, but also are likely to carry seed heads which will then carry grass seeds onto your flower beds or into cracks in paths. This will double your workload in weeks to come having to clear the spread.

Depending on your mobility or preference there are a number of techniques which can be used to keep lawn edging tidy.

If you have flower borders you may want to go around annually with a spade to refresh the border edging. Then for regular edging of the grass  you can try long-handled edging shears, a strimmer, or even one-handed clipping shears which are useful for trimming bushes too.