Lawn Problems

The thick, green beauty of a lawn is marred by the presence of weeds and other lawn problems. The most common are listed, along with suggested solutons.

Weeds

Controlling them is relatively easy - one application of a lawn weedkiller treatment should kill them if it is applied at the right time. There are a host of other plants with smaller leaves that are not so easily controlled when they infest a lawn. These include lesser trefoil (yellow suckling clover), black medick (a small leaved clover) common mouse-ear chickweed, yarrow, parsley-piert and the blue-flowered speedwell. If left untreated all these lawn weeds will spread to fight the grass for space, food and light, gradually ruining the look of the lawn. To kill the weeds without damaging the grass choose a selective weedkiller or granular lawn treatment that states that it will kill lawn weeds, see ‘Lawn Weeding/Moss Control’ for more details.

Moss

A serious problem in Spring and Autumn most often found where drainage is poor and the lawn is in the shade. Apply an EverGreen lawn treatment containing a mosskiller and then try to remove the causes. Spiking will improve drainage and overseeding with a grass seed mixture especially suited for shaded areas will improve the vigour of the lawn. See ‘Lawn Weeding/Moss Control’ for more details.

Worm Casts

A problem in the Autumn which shouldn’t be ignored. When squashed, the casts make ideal seed beds for weed seeds. When they appear, let them fully dry and then sweep them away with a stiff bristle brush before mowing.

Thatch

Leaving clippings on the grass will gradually build thatch - a layer of organic matter at soil level. Thatch prevents rain getting through and increases the likelihood of disease. Rake out thatch in September with a garden rake or scarifyer. To prevent recurrence, collect the grass clippings if your mower has a grass box, or rake up all clippings after each mowing.

Pale Grass

This is a symptom of malnutrition. Without the correct balanced diet the lawn will stay weak and pale as it has used up available nutrients in the soil. Supplementary feeding with nutrient rich lawn treatment is the only way to replace these lost foods. Simply watering will not solve this problem, see ‘Why should I feed lawns?’ for more details.

Scalped patches

This problem results from mowing the grass too short. Shaving the lawn doesn’t save time and often leaves bare patches vulnerable to invasion by weeds and moss. Fill in any obvious hollows with EverGreen Lawn Soil and cut the grass to a minimum of a couple of centimetres in length.