February Garden Care Tips

February Lawn Care Tips

February might be the depth of winter, but it can be a very busy month for gardeners as it traditionally marks the start of the season for sowing new seeds and stepping up preparations for spring. It doesn’t stop with fruit and vegetable growing - when it comes to lawn care, the experts at Johnsons Lawn Seed have some handy tips and advice which will ensure you make the most of this month, ready to enjoy your lovely green lawn in a few months’ time.

But remember, if grass is still frozen or you have a random overnight frost, keep well away from it, as you will easily break off tender green shoots by plodding over them.

Clear and Repair

Provided the frost is past, you can keep up the good work you started late last year by ensuring that your lawn is kept clear of leaves and other debris which might have built up on the surface. Debris on the top of your lawn can weaken or smother grass, making it vulnerable to fungal infections and unsightly yellowing.

If your lawn is tired, old and generally thatch-looking, scarify the surface with a spring-tooth rake to get rid of decaying or dead organic matter. You should first rake over in one direction and then at right-angles to the first set of cuts.

If your grass is looking a bit threadbare, as so often happens during the ravages of winter, prepare to sow bald patches by removing weeds and forking them over lightly to break up the soil. And remember that although your lawn might LOOK dormant, beneath the surface it is raring to go!

Repair messy or broken lawn edges using a half-moon edging iron or sharp spade, which you can use to slice into the turf and square off the rough edges. This will have a miraculous visual effect that leaves your lawn looking fresh and new. If turf is damage you can use sieved soil to fil up any dents and holes.

Remove Moss & Fertilise

February is a good month to tackle moss and treat mossy lawns with a good organic moss killer. Leading the charge against moss infestations is Neudorff’s CleanLawn Moss Control for Lawns Concentrate, which is highly recommended by Johnson’s Lawn Seed. Biodegradable and based on the active ingredient pelargonic acid, this moss killer offers fast, visible results. If the weather has been relatively dry and settled, you can rake up the worst patches of moss first before applying the treatment.

Once you are happy with the overall shape, give your lawn a head start by dosing it lightly with a good fertiliser, which should include all the key nutrients of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Later in the month - or when soil temperature reaches around 55°F - you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide to banish crabgrass and other weeds.

February is also a good month for cutting back ornamental grasses which may have been luxuriating over winter, making sure you catch them before fresh shoots emerge.

The Johnsons Lawn Seed Portfolio

1) Tuffgrass with Dog Patch Resistance

By incorporating naturally dog urine-tolerant fine-leaved dwarf perennial ryegrass, scorched yellow patches in lawns have been consigned to history with Tuffgrass, which has excellent drought-resistance and stands up well to low temperatures and snow.

2) Quick Lawn with Accelerator-treated seed

Quick Lawn’s new formula offers rapid germination and fast establishment – all while needing just a third of the amount of water that’s usually required to get new lawns going. Gardeners benefit from a strong, thick and healthy lawn, even in cold or wet conditions.

3) Luxury Lawn Seed

Luxury Lawn is a traditional mix that’s designed to be mown close whilst retaining a lush appearance. Offering excellent drought-resistance, Luxury Lawn will thrive in shady areas too, with its dense sward giving unsightly weeds little space to establish.

4) After Moss Lawn Seed

With wet winters and drought-hit summers now common across the UK, conditions are ripe for invasions of moss. After Moss is coated in a special calcium carbonate-based shell that gently raises the pH level of the soil to help deter the return of moss. The mix incorporates Green Lawn technology for a lush, green sward any gardener will covet.

5) Lawn Thickener Lawn Seed with SeedBooster

Developed for professional turf care, each seed is wrapped in a parcel of fast and slow-release fertiliser. The result? Seeds germinate sooner and establish faster! The clever coating also harmlessly deters hungry birds from feasting on newly-sown grass seed.

6) Shady Place Lawn Seed

Offering excellent drought-resistance for one of the most challenging situations in which to nurture a lush lawn, Shady Place is ideal for semi and relatively shaded areas under trees, or next to high walls and hedges. It thrives in damp or dry shade, resulting in lawns with a fine appearance.

Find out more

To find out more about Johnsons Lawn Seed products please visit http://www.johnsonslawnseed.com/product-range.aspx

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Editors notes

Established in 1820 Johnsons Lawn Seed is the oldest lawn seed brand in the UK with a long and prestigious record of product innovation and grass breeding.