A GARDENING expert has revealed an essential task you need to do now to make sure that your lawn survives the winter.

The hot weather can take a toll on your lawn, drying it out and killing the grass.

2

2

Now is the perfect time to get it in tip top condition again to make sure that it is resilient enough to survive the colder weather ahead.

Prepare The Lawn

Nick Ee, product and training manager at BLACK+DECKER, said that it is important to aerate, scarify and fertilise your lawn now, to make sure it’s OK for the autumn.

Scarifying refers to the process of using a tool to clear matted grass and moss from the surface of your lawn.

Nick said: “Removing this layer helps to prevent the lawn from becoming waterlogged and promotes healthier grass growth.

“Use a manual rake for small lawns or an electric scarifier for larger areas, setting the blades shallow for the first pass.

“After removing debris, aerate the lawn for better soil and root health, then fertilise and seed bare patches for regrowth.”

The expert revealed that there are two other tasks you should do now to prepare your garden for the colder weather ahead.

Pruning Plants

Pruning plants which are dead or diseased is a great way to improve their overall health, ahead of the autumn.

To do this, take a sharp pruning tool and make clean cuts to remove dead or diseased branches to encourage healthy growth.

Nick said: “This helps to improve air circulation and sunlight exposure for the upcoming growing season.

“Make sure to clean up pruned branches and debris from around the tree to avoid the spread of disease. 

“If you are unsure about how to prune a specific type of tree or if the tree is large and requires extensive pruning, consider consulting with a specialist.”

Clean And Store Gardening Tools

After finishing up your summer gardening jobs, is a good idea to make sure that all of your tools are cleaned in preparation for use next season.

It is also important to make sure that they are stored away in a shed or garage, to protect them from getting rusty or damaged.

August gardening jobs

The Sun’s Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the 10 gardening jobs to take on during the last month of summer – and the all important ones to remember if you’re going on holiday.

1. Watering plants on holiday

Think about how you’re going to water your plants if you’re going away. Irrigation systems are stupidly expensive – so ask a friend or neighbour to pop over. 

2. Remember your houseplants!

For houseplants use the upside down bottle trick – where you fill a wine bottle and then tip it upside down, spout down, and stick it into the pot – the water should seep out slowly. For smaller plants you can use a thick piece of cord running from a glass of water, into the soil – so it slowly takes it up over time. Be sensible with your watering – vistit www.mains2rains.co.uk for some tips on how to conserve water in August. But use as much grey water – ie washing up water – as you can to save such a valuable resource. 

3. Dig for potatoes

Second early potatoes should be ready to dig up. 

4. Carry on deadheading

Use either secateurs or just pinch off the blooms with your finger and thumb. With roses, make sure you’re dead heading back to a set of five leaves, giving you the best chance of more blooms. 

5. Plant strawberries

You can actually plant strawberries in late august – which will be ready next year. For the ones you already have – if they’ve got runners springing off them – try and pot them up to make more strawberries for free. 

6. Prune lavenders

In late August once they’ve finished flowering cut back your lavender – always prune them back to the woody stems – but make sure you can still see some little buds. 

7. Collect seeds

A lot of plants will start going to seed now – so it’s the perfect time to walk around collecting them to get free plants for next year – just make sure you label the envelopes. 

8. Sow hardy annuals

Towards the end of the month, sow hardy annuals in order for them to flower next year. Try and choose sheltered spots for them.

9. Cut back roses

Prune back rambling roses and make sure they are all tied in. And in late August give your roses their last feed. 

10. Keep on top of watering hanging baskets

It’s really important to keep hanging baskets hydrated – they are the first and the worst for drying out. 

Nick said: “Before putting your tools away, give them a good clean by wiping them down with a degreaser and steel wool brush depending on the material. 

“When it comes to storing whether this is in the garage or shed, always make sure power tools are off the ground to avoid moisture damage.”

Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: [email protected] and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line.