A Simple Lawn Care Calendar to Follow in 2021
For most people, lawn care isn’t naturally at the top of our to-do lists. Actually though, dedicating a small amount of time each week to giving your garden and lawn some TLC can have a huge impact on the appearance and health of your backyard in the long term. By keeping a healthy lawn, you can rely on having a pretty and safe space for your family, children, pets or simply just yourself to spend time when the warmer weather rolls around.
Here’s a simple lawn care calendar to try and stick to in 2021…
January
The start of the year is luckily a quiet time when it comes to lawn care which is convenient as most of us are busy trying to stick to our new year’s resolutions. Try to avoid walking on your grass in the mornings when its frosty or at all if you can help it. If you must walk on your lawn though, try to wait until later in the day when the frost has melted.
On top of this, try to pick up any debris such as leaves or sticks that fall onto your lawn over time. Granted, there will be fewer fallen leaves at this time of year compared to autumn, but it’s still important to make sure your lawn’s surface is clear so it can benefit from as much of the limited sunlight as possible and stay well ventilated to prevent any moss outbreaks. January is also a great time to take a look at your lawnmower and prepare it for the coming months - clean and sharpen your blades so they’re ready to go when needed.
February
In February, continue to keep your lawn clear to allow it to get as much sunlight as possible throughout the day and if you can see excess moisture gathering on your lawn, make sure it is aerated to allow the water to drain. If moss does manage to crop up, you should book in for a professional lawn treatment to get rid of it and prevent it returning in the coming months. It’s important to book in for a moss treatment as soon as you can once the moss has been identified to prevent it from spreading across your lawn.
Although it’s usually too cold to start mowing in February in the UK, you could start to trim and shape the edges of your lawn to tidy up your garden.
March
March is the month where your lawn care calendar starts to pick up a bit, as the temperatures gradually increase and your grass growth gets underway. If the weather feels mild enough, you can give your lawn the first mow of the year, though it’s important to make sure your lawnmower is kept on a high setting for the first cut so your lawn isn’t left vulnerable to weeds and frost.
April
In April, as spring is well and truly underway, you can start to mow your lawn more frequently without the worry of causing any damage. To make sure your lawn is at its best in summer now is the time to apply fertilisers and carry out overseeding on any bare patches that have formed over winter.
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May
In May, keep your lawn tidy and fresh with regular mowing - try to stick to once a week where possible.
June
As we enter into summer, you may want to increase your mowing frequency from once to twice a week as your grass starts to grow a lot quicker to prevent your garden from looking unkempt.
July
Similar to June, keep up the regular mowing. On days where it’s especially hot, try to mow your lawn later in the day once the temperature has dropped slightly. You may also want to start regularly watering your lawn in July to make sure your lawn doesn’t become dehydrated and prevent any dry patches from forming which are hard to repair. Before watering, use a rake or hire a dedicated hollow tine aeration machine to poke holes in your lawn at regular intervals. Aeration relieves any compaction of the soil that occurs over time and allows air, nutrients and water to flow freely among your soil so the roots can benefit.
August
In August, continue mowing but avoid cutting your lawn too short or it will be left overly vulnerable to the heat and can become dry or even scorched. Keep up with regular watering and consider installing a sprinkler if you have a larger lawn that you don’t have time to water regularly. On top of this, consider adding fertiliser to your lawn to give it the boost it may need to get through the high temperatures.
September
As autumn arrives, your lawn care routine will become largely different. You may need to mow your grass less often as the rate of grass growth slows down. September is an ideal time to scarify your lawn - a process which removes the build-up of thatch from your soil before winter arrives, so there is plenty of air circulation among the roots and any water can drain into the soil effectively.
October
Keep mowing but raise your mower height considerably so your lawn is protected as the cold weather creeps in. At this point, you will need to factor in the regular raking of fallen leaves. This way, your lawn won’t be deprived of any sunlight or ventilation and you can avoid moss or fungal diseases occurring.
November
This month you will need to mow your lawn a lot less and keep up with the removal of leaves.
December
Luckily, there is little lawn care to be done during the festive season, as Christmas is a busy enough time of year in other aspects. In December, simply avoid walking on your lawn as much as possible while its frosty or snowy to avoid breakages and keep your lawn clear of leaves.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.