insideKENT Magazine Issue 29 - August 2014 | Page 129

LAWNS

Top 10 jobs this month

Raise the blades on the mower before cutting
fine lawns – this will help reduce drought stress.
Mow lightly and frequently so that short
grass clippings can remain on the lawn during
hot summers to act as a moisture-retentive mulch.
Excess thatch can be scarified out during autumn
maintenance next month. Mulching mowers cut
the clippings even finer than normal rotary blades,
making the mulch less visible.
Lawns on thin soils may benefit from a high
phosphate feed. This will strengthen the roots for
winter, rather than encouraging lush top growth
that could suffer in the cold and weaken the
grass.
Avoid using lawn weedkillers in late summer
– they will be more effective in the cooler, damper
autumn weather.
Dig over any areas due to be grassed over
later in the year. Leave them for a few weeks to
allow weeds to re-emerge, and then spray with
a weedkiller or hoe off to ensure thorough weed
clearance before seeding or laying turf in the
autumn.
Summer meadows may need mowing now
if they have past their season of interest, especially
in areas of the country where autumn comes
earlier. In warmer parts of the UK, spring and
early summer meadows that have extended their
period of interest well into the summer could be
cut now if not done already.

1. Prune Wisteria
2. Don’t delay summer pruning restricted fruits
3. Deadhead flowering plants regularly
4. Watering! Particularly containers and new
plants – preferably with grey recycled water
or stored rainwater
5. Collect seeds from favourite plants
6. Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as
they become ready
7. Continue cutting out old fruited canes on
raspberries
8. Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners
9. Keep ponds and water features topped up
10. Feed soil with green manures

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For more information and month-by-month
gardening tips, visit
www.rhs.org.uk/gardening/calendar