After a long harsh winter, springtime is time to rejuvenate your garden and make sure it is ready for the time of year when you use it the most, summer. Owners of the best kept lawns know that work starts well before the sunshine begins.

The first step in ensuring your lawn is ready for the next year is to rake thatch and any other solid matter littering the grass such as clippings and leaves. This layer can trap moisture in the soil and leave it at risk of mould. Obviously the exception is with gardens in particularly dry climates. Raking would ideally take place in autumn as you may be raking up fallen leaves, you might also want to rake up any grass clippings when you mow.

If particular areas of grass have been subject to traffic and activity, such as a footpath or driveway, the soil will compact squeezing out all the air. This will suffer from excessive run-off and provide for a poor root bed for new grass to grow. To fix this you will need to aerate the area which can be done in a variety of ways ultimately perforating the surface of the soil. One fun way is to wear spiked shoes and walk up and down on the damaged area.

If your lawn suffers from unexplained bare patches you can just spread seed to fill them in. This is referred to as ‘over seeding’ which involves sowing grass seed over the bare patches along with nitrogen fertilizer. It is best to do this in the autumn and with a freshly cut lawn which will give it time to take root and grow slowly over the winter ready for the spring boom.

You will need to control any weed problems you have, you will want to apply herbicides in spring to address the issue by preventing seeds germinating. You might need to take further steps if you have ‘over seeded’ as this may fuel a weed problem. However some herbicides won’t be able to distinguish between weeds and grass seed. So be sure to tackle your weeds before planting grass, or leave it until the grass has grown.

When spring arrives it is good practice to spread fertilizer, because of the unpredictable weather in spring, it is best to use a slow release fertilizer so your grass won’t quickly grow then be killed by unexpected cold weather.

There are many companies who provide a variety of lawn care services and most DIY/garden centres will have a selection of lawn treatment products to help you maintain your garden.