Archive for the ‘Aggregates and Composts’ Category
So you spent money and time to lay your new turf but now you need to take care of your new lawn. GardenCentresWigan.com have put together this complete guide to cover everything you need to do from January to October. Follow our turf and lawn care guide below through the year to ensure that your lawn is kept in tip top condition. If you have not selected a turf supplier yet try using Rolawn who are the largest online suppliers of quality lawn turf in the UK. Their Medallian turf is legendary in turfing circles take a look here.
Lawn Maintenance
January
There’s normally little maintenance work to be done in the month of January. Avoid using the lawn in really wet conditions and especially in frost.
During fine spells turfing could take place and repair work can be implemented using turf. General debris, such as leaves/twigs, should be removed. Light sweeping can be carried out to take away dew and surface moisture from fine lawns.
This is a good time to check all lawn care equipment is maintained and cleaned.
February
While conditions can be mild don’t be tempted to mow the lawn. Worm casts can be dissipated by sweeping with a birch broom or similar. Turfing and repairs using turf can be implemented providing the ground isn’t soggy and is frost free.
March
As soon as the weather conditions improve the grass will begin to grow.
Lightly rake the lawn to clear up the surface, be careful not to rake heavily as this will harm the grasses. A light rolling with the mower roller will assist to settle the surface if heavy winter frosts have been experienced.
A top cut on a dry day can be implemented, check that the mower blades are on a high setting to avoid removing too much grass. It’s unlikely that more than one or two cuts will be needed in March.
This is a good month for scrutinising the lawn for any signs of disease and dealing with moss. Ensure that any Moss Killers like Lawn Sand has time to fully work before raking away the moss,14 days is about right.
The edges of the lawn can be neatened with a half moon and damaged areas with turf.
April
Coarse grasses can be dug out and the areas turfed but fill these areas first with sifted soil to prevent hollows.
Mow on a regular basis enough to keep the lawn tidy but don’t set the blades at a low cutting height.
If conditions are good and the grass is actively growing fertiliser can be applied. It’s important that the grass blades are dry and that rain is anticipated. If in the improbable event of no rain for 3 – 4 days, water the fertiliser in.
Selective weedkillers can be applied at this time but it’s more prudent to delay until May, when the grass is growing more vigorously.
May
This is commonly a good month for the application of a selective weedkiller, be sure you abide by the manufacturer’s instructions and the product is designed for lawn use. Make certain the grass is dry and there’s moisture in the soil. Weedkillers ought to be applied in good, still weather conditions.
Mowing can now be implemented on a more regular basis and the mowing height should be gradually brought down to the normal summertime setting, but remember not to scalp the lawn. Regular mowing once or twice a week is normal at this time of year
Remember to change the direction of cut and to mow at a steady pace don’t push the mower backwards and forwards, work in a forward-moving direction for a consistent cut and for your own safety
Keep an eye on moisture levels and only water if signs of stress appear, grass is very resilient and over watering, is more harmful than drought.
If you do need to water do it in the evening and check that the water has amply penetrated the lawn not just wetted the surface. If possible have a water storage system set up before the hot dry months. This heads off any troubles with hose -pipe bans.
June
Mowing will now be in full swing and twice a week will be the normal routine, if however the weather is dry and hot make sure you raise the height of cut so as not to stress the lawn.
Light raking before mowing helps to secure an even cut and reduce the survival rate of coarser grasses and clover.
Weeding and feeding can also take place but be aware of the need for a dry lawn with damp soil.
Quick acting liquid feeds are very safe and if granular feeds are used be sure you water them in soundly if conditions remain dry.
In hot dry conditions, be ready to water the lawn on a regular basis. Light spiking will help moisture penetration. Apply water in comparatively small droplet sizes. Don’t flood the area but see to it that the water is soaking into the soil evenly.
July
Regular mowing should be fulfilled at the least once a week on utility lawns and twice a week on fine lawns. If weeds present a problem use a selective weed killer designed for lawn use. If the turf shows signs of colour loss apply a liquid “green up” fertiliser.
August
Follow the main program for July this is the last month for the use of high nitrogen feeds any weed killer shouldn’t be used beyond this month. Repairs or seeding can take place toward the end of the month.
If the lawn is demonstrating signs of stress due to drought then a couple of good
drenchings will help. Remember if you water a little and often then the roots will be most active at toward the surface. It’s best to apply a good soaking less often and allow the water to soak deep into the turf. This won’t only allow the moisture to persist for longer but also encourage the roots to go deep in search for the water. This will then mean that watering won’t be needed as often.
September
Grass development commonly begins to ease at this time of year and mowing may not have to be implemented as regularly as in previous months. The height of cut can also be raised.
This is a good month for implementation of repairs and scarifying some of the thatch out of the surface. Aeration by deep spiking also helps healthy root development and surface drainage. Top dress with a good quality material and work into the holes if possible. Use an acidifying fertilizer to deter worms and ensure the nitrogen content is low with higher phosphate and potassium for root health.
Any sign of disease can be addressed with a proprietary fungicide. Red thread however does respond to nitrogen provided no other diseases are evident.
October
Unless the weather is remarkably mild, mowing will cease to be a major necessity in this month. If mowing is needed then lift the cutting height and ensure the grass is brushed gently prior to mowing to disperse moisture. Light scarifying or raking and top dressing can be implemented as long as some growth is occurring. Leaves and additional debris should be removed on a regular basis.
This is a good month for re-turfing bare patches and general restoration with a compatible turf. Nitrogen feeds shouldn’t be used, but if the lawn isn’t green enough then a feed with plenty of iron may be used.
Watch for fungal disease from and if the grass looks as though it is dying in patches or similar then apply a fungicide. Remember to abide by the instructions carefully.
Plenty of advice and tips on turf and lawn care in this video…
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Who was first to start growing potatoes in the UK? Sir Walter Raleigh is often credited with introducing the potato to the UK, but there is little factual evidence for this. Up to the 1800’s growing potatoes was only for the poor. Their nutritional value and taste has been appreciated more over the last 200 years and the humble potato has now become part of the standard diet of many countries.
A potato plant will grow in most soils as long as it has been well dug. The soil should be clear of large lumps and stones. Add as much compost as is available, or bone meal (or similar) at the time of digging. The ideal position for potatoes is a warm and sunny site with little or no shade. Do not grow potatoes in the soil for two years in succession, this will increase the risk of disease. For the same reason do not plant potatoes where tomatoes were grown the previous year. Both are from the same family and will readily transmit diseases to each other.
When and How To Plant Potato Seed
Potatoes are grown from seed potatoes which grow better if they are allowed to ‘sprout’ before planting This process is referred to as ‘chitting’. Seed potatoes should be selected in January or February to give time for the chitting process to develop. Here at we have lots of different varieties to choose from and you can buy quantities from as little as 1kg
Place the seeds in boxes (cardboard egg boxes are ideal) in a light airy position at a temperature of roughly 10C (50F). The potato seed should be positioned so the the sprouts are uppermost and the ‘stalk’ end (where they were severed form the parent plant) is at the bottom. Sometimes this is a bit difficult to judge, but if you get it wrong, and the potatoes sprout from the bottom end, simply rub off the sprouts and turn the potato to the correct position.
As the potato seed produce sprouts, remove all but the topmost four to ensure that they receive all the goodness of the seed potato. The ideal sprout length at planting time is 2.5cm (1in) although this is not critical. What is critical, is that the sprouts are green and not white coloured. White sprouts are caused by not enough light.
Planting
Early to mid-March is the ideal time to plant the sprouted potatoes in open ground. Plant ‘earlies’ about 30cm (12in) apart from each other, in rows which are 60 cm (2ft) apart. Plant maincrop potatoes about 35cm (15in) apart, in rows which are 75cm (2ft 6in) apart. The trench should be about 10cm (4in) deep, placing the potatoes in it with the sprouts pointing upwards. Hand fill the trench over the potatoes trying to avoid damaging any sprouts. Rake in bone meal or similar long lasting fertiliser over the top soil.
Caring for Your Potatoes
Frost damage is the first concern in the early stages. If shoots emerge above the soil level and frost threatens, draw a little soil from the bed edges over them.
Remove any flower heads or buds which appear because these will produce potato seeds which will divert energy from the potato tubers.
How To Harvest Potatoes
Potatoes are ready for harvest when the foliage first starts to die and turn yellow. Early (new) potatoes can be lifted earlier (no earlier than June ) to get the very tastiest potatoes. In this case, harvest them about a week after the potato plant flowers first appear. New potatoes only produce a couple of handfuls of potatoes per plant, so dig up the whole plant.
How about container growing?
Try planting seed potatoes in halved whisky barrels. Drill holes in the bottom then add some rocks for drainage. Place a thin layer of compost over the rocks then add the potatoes. Add enough compost to cover, adding more as the sprouts come up. By mid summer the barrel will be full of compost and the potatoes are easy to harvest when ready.
Anyone can grow potatoes even if they have no garden space available. See this video on how to grow potatoes in a container or in this case a bag!
We hope that you have enjoyed this article, if you need more advice then take a look at “Great Potatoes“. It’s an ebook jam packed with the best information avaiable on planting and growing potatoes. Its a vital resource, written by experts in potatoe growing and it can be yours by following this link.
Quick Tips on How to Grow Potatoes
Growing potatoes is seen by many gardeners as more work than is justified, given price of potatoes at the store. However, this overlooks the fact that you can get much more variety in the potatoes that you grow in the garden
Growing Potatoes
Daily blogs from the experts at BBC Gardeners’ World.