Jobs for June: Lawns

Maintenance   

• Mow regularly if you want to maintain a traditional lawn. Even within a traditional short lawn, reducing trimming to once a fortnight to allow flowering will improve provision for biodiversity. See our step-by-step mowing guide.  
• Carry on with No Mow May – continue taking a break from mowing and let wildflowers in your lawn grow up to bloom and provide pollen, nectar and shelter for insects and other wildlife. You can ‘no mow’ your whole lawn or just part of it. Leave it long until at least August for maximum wildlife benefit.
• Leaving your lawn a little longer during dry spells will also help your grass cope better with drought.    
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• ​Mow pathways through areas of long grass to allow easy access around your garden.
• 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. Alternatively, leave the clippings on the lawn to act as a mulch, helping to hold moisture in the soil, especially in drought-prone locations.
• Resist the temptation to water established lawns, even in dry spells – grass should cope well with drought and although it may die back, it will soon recover once rain returns. See our advice on caring for lawns during drought.  
• Most lawns grow perfectly well without feeding. If you still need to boost your lawn and the ground is moist, choose an organic, pelleted or granular lawn feed, as these have less environmental impact. Follow the recommended dose.
• Define the lawn edges using a half-moon edging iron or flat-bladed spade, creating a 8cm (3in) ‘gutter’ around the lawn. This will prevent grass creeping from the lawn into your borders.
• Move lawn furniture and large toys regularly to allow the grass to recover and prevent yellow patches.   

• See our guide to spring/summer lawn care.

​New lawns

• Avoid sowing lawn seed or laying turf over the summer, as it will be tricky to get established in hot, dry weather. Wait until early to mid-autumn instead. 
• Water areas that were newly sown or turfed in spring – these will need regular watering every few days, unless it rains, to keep them going through their first summer. Turf will shrink if allowed to dry out and fail to knit together. Use water you’ve collected where possible.
• For new lawns grown from seed: when the seedlings are 5–7.5cm (2–3in) tall, lightly refirm the soil with the rear roller of a cylinder mower/rotary mower, or by gently treading any raised areas. Two or three days later, cut the grass, reducing it by only about one-third of its height. 
• For new lawns laid as turf: mow with the blades set high once the turf has rooted well, usually about three weeks after laying. Tug on the grass to check it doesn’t lift easily.
• ​Cut new lawns every week or so,  but in hot weather, keep the blades high or stop mowing for a while.  
• Use new lawns as little as possible until autumn.  

Problem-solving

• To keep your lawn green during hot and dry summers, consider investing in a mulching mower. These shred the grass clippings very finely, then blow them into the lower layers of the turf, where they act like mulch to help retain moisture in the soil.
• Remove unwanted weeds using a trowel or grubbing tool. Bear in mind that the presence of wildflowers such as dandelions in lawns greatly increases their value to wildlife.
• If moss is a problem, good lawn maintenance will help to control it – see our advice on moss in lawns. It’s well worth leaving at least some moss though – it helps to keep a lawn looking green even in poor growing conditions and is a valuable habitat for small invertebrates. 
• If moss is a problem (usually only in damp, poorly drained lawns) and you want to get rid of it, remove it with a spring-tined rake and add it to the compost heap. It’s worth leaving some moss – it helps to keep a lawn looking green and is a valuable habitat for small invertebrates. See our guide to moss in lawns.
• Worm casts are a sign of healthy soil, but if you don’t like them on your lawn, brush them off with a hard broom once they dry out.
• ​Molehills can be a problem if you want a flat lawn. Tolerate them if possible, but if you want to encourage them to move elsewhere, see our guide to moles.

• See all our lawn care advice.