Autumn lawn renovation

A healthy good-looking lawn is a fabulous recreational space for children and adults and really sets off the rest of your garden.

Easter Weekend is the ideal time to take a look at your lawn - most will need a repair job before winter.

This is easy to achieve with all the specialised products now available.

Following is our simple “to do” guide –

1. Fertilise with Scotts Lawn Builder - New Lawns and Repairs (for encouraging regrowth and establishing lawns from seed to turf) or Yates Dynamic Lifter for Lawns. Dynamic Lifter is an organic food that will encourage biological activity in the soil as well as feeding the grass.

2. Lots of weeds? Fertilise and weed at the same time with Yates hose on Weed n’ Feed.

3. Hydrocotyl is a frequent pest weed in damp, shady areas. Improve drainage by applying lime and thin out overhead foliage to let in more light. Spray with Yates Hydrocotyl Killer. Use an appropriate seed blend – Tui Shady Places.

4. Remove moss by spraying the area with Surrender or Iron Sulphate.

5. Dead patches? At this time of year most likely caused by Porina Caterpillar. This pest eats the top of the lawn at night, hiding in their telltale tunnels during the day. Treat with Soil Insect Killer. Grass grub is another pest around in autumn; again treat with Soil Insect Killer. Note that the application rate and method are different depending on the pest present so it is imperative that you know which one it is and use the appropriate application as per the label.

6. Repair the holes and patches in the lawn by spreading and levelling with Tui Lawn Preparation Mix to a maximum of 50cm and compact by walking over the area with your heels.

7. Select the seed appropriate to your site and sprinkle evenly using the rates recommended on the packet. More is definitely not best.

8. Use the Tui Superstrike range for germination in approximately 5-7 days. Patch Packs are available for areas of 2-3 square metres.

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