May Essentials- The growing season is upon us, and here’s what you need to do

Bank holidays, FA Cup final day, and half-term at the end of the month – there is a lot to look forward to, not to mention the first Barbeques of the year (we can all dream, right?) 

Whatever your plans are, there are lots of reasons to be spending more time outside. As we move into what we call ‘the growing season’, you might notice that your lawn is starting to grow thick, lush grass. If not, now is a great time to kickstart your lawn maintenance plan. 

We’ve put together some quick and easy tips to get the most out of your lawn. We’ve used our decades of experience in maintaining greens at the UK's most prestigious golf clubs to make looking after your grass a doddle, even for complete novices.

 1. Scarification

It’s old but gold advice. Now that it's warmer, you’ll want to remove the dead leaves sitting on your lawn, soaking up the sunshine and suffocating your grass. 

Use a rake (or a scarifier) to clear your lawn of the moss and debris built up over winter. Focus on small areas at a time and scrape in different directions for best results. You'll see moss lifting away from the grass as you work. Keep the pressure on the rake and quickly clear the waste away after.

2. Feeding little and often 

We feed our bodies with the right nutrients to stay fit and healthy, and the same theory applies if you want a happy and healthy lawn. With warmer weather and plenty of sunshine, we want to maximise a healthy topcoat. In So & Mo’s seasonally adjusted lawncare plan (you can subscribe here), our mix of nutrients helps with recovery, so your lawn will still be going strong after a kickabout or a garden party.

The more regularly you can cut during the ‘growing season’, the better. Every three to four days will encourage the grass to grow thicker and healthier. A lovely striped lawn will be the envy of your neighbours, but it will also be healthier as you get a more consistent cut, and you’ll stop the grass from ‘laying over’.  

The grass bent away from the sun looks bright as it reflects. The grass seems darker facing the sun as it casts a shadow. You get an impressive stripe by cutting in two different directions with a lawnmower with a roller (these are usually petrol-powered). 

Did you know diagonal lines make your garden look bigger? In irregular spaces, use the contours of the garden and have wavy lines. The possibilities are endless - play around until you find something that works.

4. Keeping the moisture in the grass

We know it’s hard to believe right now, but even in the UK, you’ll need to water your lawn sometimes. So & Mo is one of the few readily available lawn feeds to have a wetting agent. We don’t want to bamboozle you. All you need to know is that it helps your grass take on nutrients, guards against plant stress, and stops dried out areas. In between your feeds of So & Mo, keep the moisture in your lawn if it hasn’t rained for a week or more. 

5. Overseeding bare patches. 

You might have already had the paddling pool out for the kids this summer, which can lead to the turf dying underneath (especially if it's been there a while). Or even if you’ve just got some moss-heavy areas overseeding is a great thing to be doing. 

You can revive the grass by scarifying (working back and forth with a rake to clear dead grass, weeds, and moss) the discoloured patch and doing a light topdressing and overseeding. In a week, the grass will start to show signs of recovery, and in two to three weeks, it will be growing again. Don’t be shy applying lawn seed, only 50% germinates.