Lawns will be green and healthy if gardeners do simple task in September

There are some essential lawn care tasks every UK gardener should complete to ensure a healthy, winter-ready lawn

A new month is upon us, bringing with it a host of gardening tasks to tackle as summer begins to fade. With autumn fast approaching, September presents an ideal opportunity to get on top of lawn maintenance and prepare your garden for the cooler months ahead, particularly following the heatwaves that swept across the UK.

Gardening enthusiast and TikTok creator Michael Griffiths recently outlined his comprehensive list of September gardening tasks, including advice on how those with a passion for horticulture can restore their lawns. If your grass is still looking a little sorry for itself, he recommended leaving it alone for a week or two until it recovers its previously lush appearance.

In a recent video, Michael said: “Autumn is the perfect time to start lawn maintenance again, but if your lawn looks like this, then leave it a week or two to let it recover.”

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How to prepare garden lawns for winter

Mowing

Once your lawn has bounced back, begin by cutting the grass to approximately four centimetres in height, which will help it withstand the winter months.

This can be achieved either by hand or using a mechanical mower. However, keeping the lawn in good condition is not solely about mowing — the condition of the soil beneath matters just as much.

Scarifying lawns

Michael explained that September is also the perfect time to scarify and aerate lawns, which will help prep the ground for the colder months ahead. An easy way to get air and moisture into the ground is by doing these jobs.

To prepare the ground, you can utilise an aerator, scarifier, or simply a garden fork. This tool is employed to create holes directly in the soil, helping water to drain into the earth below.

Use the garden fork to pierce holes in the ground roughly four to five inches in depth. Push the garden fork firmly into the soil, then draw the fork backwards without withdrawing it completely.

Repeat this process every six inches throughout the lawn. After aerating your lawn, you can either leave the holes unfilled or pack them with horticultural sand to assist with drainage.

Scarifying operates by employing rotating blades on a machine to slice into the lawn, eliminating layers of dead grass, moss, and debris, while encouraging grass growth. It will also enhance airflow into the soil.

Scarifying is a lawn maintenance technique involving mechanical blades or tines to cut into and extract a thick layer of thatch – comprising dead grass, roots, and organic material – from a lawn.

Your lawn’s condition will benefit as this permits improved airflow, water, and nutrient access to the soil by eliminating any obstacles.

Watering

B&Q recommended providing your lawn with a generous amount of water to assist the soil in absorbing moisture. It also notes that the optimal time to aerate the lawn is one or two days following a rain shower, while the soil remains moist.

Seeding and feeding

To provide the grass with a boost, you should overseed the lawn, followed by a thorough feed. However, remember to transition from a summer to autumn lawn feed.

Apply the feed using a spreader or by hand between September and November. Give it a watering and observe the lawn flourish.

Using an autumn lawn feed will help prevent soft top growth on the grass that becomes damaged by frost. This will strengthen the lawn’s root system, making it more resistant to winter conditions.

Autumn lawn feeds are high in potassium and phosphates, which promote root development rather than leafy growth, Gardeners World explained. They say: “Putting on root growth means the grass will be able to absorb more nutrients and water come the following spring, which will result in more leafy growth when you need it.”