Other Lawn Services

Aeration

Aeration is an extremely beneficial process and will provide a number of key improvements to any lawn, whether in a good or a poor state. Aeration is the process of making multiple small holes in the lawn and soil. Aeration should be carried out at least once per year and the benefits of aeration are numerous and include:

Reduces soil compaction
Improves absorption of water
Replenishes beneficial gasses in the soil
Boosts soil health
Improves drainage especially in heavy clay soils
Encourages deeper rooting
Improves drought resistance
Enhances penetration of nutrients into the soil

Aeration can be done with a garden fork but this is extremely hard work for even an average size lawn (ask my sore back!), and much better results are obtained a lot quicker using powered tools. We use the top grade professional aeration machines which provide excellent results with minimal disruption to you.

Scarification

Scarification is another key cultural treatment which provides essential benefits to all lawns. In simple terms, scarification is the process of raking the surface of the lawn. The purpose is to remove surface debris which has built up – this could be moss and/or weeds or could be the naturally-occurring waste debris of the growing grass plants and other organic matter known as “thatch”. The reduction of this moss/layer provides a number of benefits to the lawn including:

Improves penetration of water into the soil
Reduces surface moisture
Improves drainage
Reduces the chance of moss encroachment
Mitigates the risk of disease infestation
Enhances nutrient penetration into the soil
Improves air conditions in the soil
Encourages activity of soil microorganisms
Improves drought tolerance

A lawn can be scarified with a spring-tine rake but this is extremely hard work for even an average size lawn and is very time-consuming if even half-decent results are required. Depending on the condition of the lawn and especially the grass types in the lawn, scarification shouldn’t be required every year but should be carried out once every two years. We use top-of-the-range powered scarification machines which can extricate a lot more thatch and moss in a lot less time and with the minimum disruption to you.

Water Conserver

Water is an essential component for a healthy, green and resilient lawn. The climate is changing and weather conditions are becoming more extreme with drought now becoming a frequent challenge to lawns. Water is a valuable commodity and often in short supply. Our Water Conserver treatment is designed to provide innovative and effective support in the face of these challenges. The benefits of the Water Conserver treatment are many and include:

Efficient absorption and retention of available water
Reduction in the need for manual irrigation
Lasts up to 3 months - much longer than liquid treatments
Improvement in root development
Increased drought tolerance
Maintenance of lushness and green colour
Prevention of the formation of “dry patch”

Our Water Conserver treatment is a one-off granular treatment applied each year in spring or summer. As it is a granule it lasts much longer than liquid products meaning just one visit should see the lawn through the summer danger period.

The Water Conserver is not a substitute for watering but it is effective in making the most of available water and in reducing the amount of manual irrigation required. Enhanced results can be achieved by aerating the lawn prior to application of Water Conserver.

Red Thread Treatment

‘Red thread” is a fungal disease which attacks grass plants in the lawn, often when the weather is warm and wet. The disease creates pale patches in the lawn, often tinged pink as a result of the pinkish-red strands or blobs of fungus appearing on the grass leaves. The good news is that red thread doesn’t usually kill the lawn but does damage the grass leaves and can leave an otherwise healthy, attractive lawn looking pretty poor.

Our Red Thread Treatment is not a fungicide so does not cure or kill the fungus but rather accelerates recovery and improves green colour. The treatment can be applied at any time of the year (although not in drought or frost conditions), and comprises a diluted iron mixture to provide a fast green-up of the grass leaves together with a micronutrient feed which also hardens the grass plant against disease.

Red thread can persist in lawns so preventative measures especially regular scarification and aeration are recommended to avoid further damaging attacks.

Over-Seeding/Patch Seeding

Your lawn is a naturally-existing living system there for you to care for and enjoy. Naturally, damage can occur to lawns whether from building work, accidents or spillages, dogs and pet damage, fox/mole/badger damage or even the kids playing. Lawns are to be used and enjoyed after all!

The Lawn Business are able to attend to these patches by patch seeding or over-seeding the whole lawn using our professional grade premium quality lawn seed mixes. We only use tried and tested grass seed mixes so we can sure of the grass types contained and the absence of weed and weed grass contamination. Preparatory work my be required such as aeration and/or scarification to ensure the soil is ready for seed and the seed has the best chance of germination. We may also recommend that a top-dressing is applied subject to the prevailing lawn and soil conditions.

You will need to be prepared to water for a number of weeks depending on rainfall to ensure germination.

Top-Dressing

Top-dressing can mean different things to different people/professionals – greenkeepers may see it as applying a dry, fine sand mixture to improve surface roll and levels. The product used can also be called “top dressing” so you can top-dress with top-dressing!

To us at The Lawn Business, top-dressing is the application of a product to the surface of the lawn. Depending on the conditions, the product applied can differ as can the method of application. A few examples:

Applying a thin layer of dark, peat-free compost to a seeded area following renovation work to protect the seed and keep it warm and moist to encourage germination
Applying a thin layer of a predominantly sandy soil to an area following aeration to improve drainage and reduce further soil compaction
Applying a layer of peat-free compost to a dry area perhaps suffering from poor/thin topsoil to improve water retention in the root zone
Applying a layer of sand/sandy soil to smooth out minor bumps and undulations in the lawn

The Lawn Business sources all its top-dressing products from reputable wholesalers and seeks only to use peat-free materials which have been professionally graded to be fully fit for purpose.