Tackling common lawn problems

Many of us will have weeds in our lawns and although some can look pretty and are great for pollinators, if left untreated, these weeds can spread to fight the grass for space, food and light, gradually taking over most of the lawn. To control the weeds without damaging the grass choose a selective weedkiller or a granular lawn treatment that works on the weeds rather than killing the grass.

Mowing your lawn regularly, and alternating the mowing direction, will help encourage the lawn to become thicker, out competing the weeds and a general annual programme of TLC will benefit the lawn rather than the weeds. To learn more, check out this article to help you make the most of your lawn.

More and more these days we are encouraged to leave flowering weeds in our lawn for wildlife, but if that is not for you then consider allocating a patch of grass to grow early blooming wildflowers that are good for pollinators. Some great options include lavender, borage, foxglove, hellebores, cornflowers, poppies, cosmos, and oxeye daisies.

Moss can be a serious problem in spring and autumn, most often found where drainage is poor, and the lawn is in the shade or very compacted. Apply a lawn treatment containing a moss killer and then try to remove the causes. Spiking (aeration), scarifying and top dressing will improve drainage and overseeding with a grass seed mixture especially suited for shaded areas will improve the vigour of the lawn to help overcome the moss. For four easy steps to managing a mossy lawn, take a look at this article.

Leaving clippings on the grass may feel harmless but this will gradually build up thatch - a layer of dead organic matter including leaves and other debris at soil level. This thatch prevents water getting through and restricts air flow, thus increasing the likelihood of disease as well as gradually turning the grass underneath yellow.

Rake out this thatch in September or early spring with a garden rake or scarifier. The lawn will look worse to start with but pretty soon it will spring back to life. Applying a top dressing like Miracle-Gro Peat Free Lawn Dressing, after scarifying will really help the lawn too.

We always recommend leaving the clippings on the lawn after the very first mow of the season as it adds a layer of protection and puts nitrogen back into the soil. However, it’s important to collect the grass clippings if your mower has a grass box or rake up all clippings after each mowing to prevent stress. Never allow autumn leaves to pile up on the lawn, rake them up often.

This is often a symptom of nutrient deficiency, particularly nitrogen. Lawns go through a lot of wear and tear during the warmer seasons and are often exposed to harsh weather conditions throughout the year. Supplementary feeding with nitrogen-rich lawn treatments such as Miracle-Gro Complete Lawn Food Concentrated Liquid. will give your lawn the boost it needs to become lusher and greener, and with the addition of potassium, will help the lawn cope with cold and drought. See our lawn feeding products section for more details.

Pets can be a problem especially if they repeatedly urinate in the same spot as this can cause scorching of the lawn and you may find you have lots of small yellow patches all over the lawn. Try to get your dog to go somewhere out of sight, and if you can, quickly follow up with a watering can but if this is impractical then use a special dog spot repair product like Miracle-Gro Patch Magic Dog Spot Repair that is specially formulated to deal with this problem.

This problem results from mowing the grass too short, often once the grass has grown really long. This may seem a great way to mow to save time but by scalping the lawn you not only put it under stress, but the bare patches become vulnerable to invasion by weeds and moss.

To solve this issue, fill in any obvious hollows with a lawn soil or topsoil and mow the lawn regularly to a minimum of a couple of centimetres in length. Bald patches can be reseeded with grass seeds and grass seed patching mixes.

Worm casts and mole hills can be another lawn problem that shouldn’t be ignored. When squashed, worm casts make ideal seed beds for weed seeds. When they appear, let them fully dry and then sweep them away with a stiff broom brush before mowing. Worm cast soil is ideal however to use in the garden and is especially good added to a potting mix, so rather than brush it away, collect it and mix in with your compost.

Mole hills are much harder to deal with, but the good news is that the soil makes an excellent soil conditioner and lawn dressing. Either collect the soil up to use on your garden or rake it out and then re-seed the bare patch. Unless you need a bowling green lawn, there is very little you can do but wait for the mole to move away and see the dug soil as a bonus.