If you’re new to Greensleeves, you might be wondering what you can do to help improve the appearance and health of your lawn.
The truth is our seasonal treatment regime, complemented by annual essential treatments, takes care of pretty much everything for you, so there’s very little else you need to buy or do.
Having said that, there are a few small things that will help you get the lawn of your dreams. We’ve put together this little list of items we think you should invest in, and things we think you should avoid wasting money on!
Need
Lawnmower
The single most important tool you can have to care for your grass is the humble lawnmower. Mowing your lawn regularly, with a good technique, is the single best thing you can do to keep your lawn looking its best.
Picking the right lawnmower, however, is no simple feat. There are corded, battery, petrol models, ones with rollers and even robotic varieties. You can pick some lawnmowers up for as little as £50, while some cost thousands.
The right mower for you will depend on many factors, which is why we put together this little guide to help you decide which is right for you.
As a general rule, we think there’s no need to spend a fortune on a mower, but you should spend enough to buy one that you’re going to enjoy using – or at least makes the job less bothersome. If you scrimp and go for a cheap model, that is annoying to use and keeps breaking down, you’ll probably mow the lawn less than you should.
Plastic Leaf rake
Leaves, sycamore seeds and general detritus will at various times of the year accumulate on your lawn. This starves the grass of sunlight, allows weeds to flourish and may cause various types of fungal lawn infection. So, being vigilant with your leaf rake should be a core part of your lawn care regime, especially in the spring and autumn.
Plastic leaf rakes are a simple, cheap solution that are nice and light to use. If you have a particularly large lawn, you may instead want to invest in a leaf blower to make the job a literal breeze. But remember, similarly to mowers, if you decide to go down this route it’s better to invest, rather than going for the cheapest option — if you end up buying a cumbersome blower with a terrible battery life you’ll end up resorting back to your trusty rake!
Hosepipe/water butt
During heatwaves giving your lawn a thorough soaking a couple of times a week, depending on the specific conditions, will help to prevent it from turning into a barren, brown, dust bowl. If you’ve got a really small lawn, you might get away with a simple watering can, but if you’re going back to the kitchen to fill up every 30 seconds it soon becomes a laborious and unrewarding job.
For these reasons purchasing a hosepipe and an inexpensive multi-setting nozzle is a good idea. Remember that hosepipe bans only apply to mains water, so it’s a good idea to also install a good-sized water butt to collect rain — this could be the thing that saves your lawn this summer.
Edging spade
Neat edges around flower beds and other areas are a staple of traditional British gardens. The trouble is of course that as your lawn’s growth rate accelerates in the warmer weather these edges can quickly become unkempt. Happily, investing in a good edging spade makes this chore quick and easy.
Don’t need
Now we’ve talked about the tools you probably should have in your shed, we’d like to just highlight a couple of things that you don’t need.
Scarifier
Garden centres and DIY superstores stock a variety of cheap scarifiers for the domestic market. The trouble with them is that they tend to be not very effective and in using one you’re likely to leave a lot of thatch and moss untouched.
The powerful commercial machines used by Greensleeves are more akin to powerful rakes, that can extract much more thatch and moss, without harming the grass above. Our Lawn Care Managers are also trained in their best use. This is why we recommend letting us take the hard work out of scarification for you.
Aeration tools
Again there are a great variety of aeration tools for the domestic market, from gimmicky spiked shoes to motorised hollow tine machines. These range from being quite ineffective to genuinely dangerous and we’d again advise against their use. The spiking and hollow tine aerators used by Greensleeves Lawn Treatment Experts are far more effective and you have the assurance that they’re being used by an expert.
Looking for more lawn care advice?
Check out our dedicated lawn care page.
