Jobs for April: Lawns

Maintenance

• A biodiverse lawn that includes wild plants such as dandelions, clover, daisies and self-heal will bring value for wildlife such as pollinators. Reducing mowing to once every two weeks will allow these plants to flower and provide for pollinators without the grass from becoming overly long.
• If you can, leave an area of grass to grow long over the spring and summer. Cutting a marginal strip around the edge or a winding path through will make this look deliberate and visually effective.
• If you’re still aiming for a fine, stripey lawn, you’ll need to mow more often to maintain a constant height.
• ​​Where you have bulbs in your lawn,  such as daffodils, wait at least six weeks after flowering before you mow the area, to allow the leaves to photosynthesise and feed the bulbs for a good display next spring. 
• Define the lawn edges using a half-moon edging iron or spade, creating a 7.5cm (3in) ‘gutter’ around the lawn. This will prevent grass creeping from the lawn into your borders.
• Repair bumps and hollows by peeling back the turf, removing or adding soil, then replacing the turf.
• Most lawns grow perfectly well without feeding. If you still need to boost your lawn, use an organic spring lawn fertiliser as these have less environmental impact.
• Use a spring-tined rake to remove old plant debris clogging up your lawn. 
• Add grass clippings to the  compost heap in thin layers. Too much all at once is likely to cause wet, poorly aerated conditions, resulting in smelly slime rather than compost.
• See our guide to spring/summer lawn care.

New lawns

Problems

• Keep your lawn a little longer to make it better able to withstand drought, as well as benefitting biodiversity.
• If summer droughts are an issue, consider investing in an electric  mulching mower. This finely shreds grass clippings then blows them into the lower layers of the turf, where they act as a mulch. The mulch helps to retain moisture in the soil and keep your lawn greener for longer.

• ​If moss is a problem (usually only in damp, poorly drained lawns) and you want to get rid of it, try removing with a spring-tined rake first. See our guide to moss in lawns.

• See all our lawn care advice.