Bare Muddy Areas = Compaction
Really the best thing for your lawn is to keep off it as much as is possible in the winter months. Walking on waterlogged lawns not only makes them compacted, by squashing the soil particles together, but also the mud will come to the surface under your feet suffocating the grass plants.
Moss also thrives on lawns which are suffering from compaction meaning that as a result of poor drainage, water sits on or near to the surface.
The best solution is to aerate the lawn. This loosens the soil which allows the water to drain away with greater ease and permitting better oxygenation of the root zone. If this sounds familiar, check out our Winter Spiking offer!
Mowing Update!
Although we have had snow on the ground, gardens will recover surprisingly quickly now that temperatures have risen again. This means you're not completely let off checking on the length of your lawn!
Thanks to the snow lawns are going to be rather boggy at the moment so we would reccommend waiting to the end of the month before you think about mowing again. It is probably best to mow in the afternoon, once the dew has gone and, if possible, on a windy day when drying conditions are best. Generally if the lawn is a little wet lower down the sward you will need to empty the clippings more often from the grass box - watch out for grass clippings being ejected out of the side of your machine.
As you know, we normally recommend mowing in January and February. Aim to leave the grass at least 4 cms in length, so raise the cutting bar appropriately before you begin to mow.
If you don’t think that your mower is up to the task and yet you need to do it, give us a call as our mowers are designed to cope well with wetter lawns and it will cost you less than you think.
Test our Fox Fence for Free.
We have been very aware for some while that urban foxes can be a real issue, not only in terms of digging up lawns in search of grubs, caterpillar and worms (foxes are omnivores) but also in terms of a health hazard for pets and particularly for humans.
Foxes mark their territory with faeces which is why one will some times see faeces on fences, walls and compost heaps as well as on lawns and flower/vegetable beds. Fox faeces is a bio hazard and contains a number of pathogens and other risks to human health. It should be removed very carefully, preferably with disposable gloves.
Foxes can be trapped (but not poisoned or gassed) and then dispatched humanely. (It is against the law to release urban foxes into the countryside).
Trapping is a short term solution only, a territory once left empty will soon be re-occupied by another family, and trapping services are usually expensive, typically anything between £250 and £500. Shooting, although allowed by law, is not usually an option for most people.
So what to do……
Ideally one would want to keep foxes out of one’s garden before they become established and we have been working with a manufacturer to provide a non lethal fox deterrent which has proved very successful in a countryside environment and we would like to test this out in an urban situation.
The deterrent is an electric fence which delivers a non lethal but high voltage discharge. It has a low profile, can be either mains or battery driven and need be in place for only a matter of a month or so after which time it can be removed until foxes, usually different ones, start revisiting when it can be reinstalled again, once more for a short period. So this is not a once and for all solution and the fence will need to be deployed every so often if you are in an area troubled by foxes but it will mean no fox digging, no faeces and no hazards to children and pets.
We have already trialled a version for badgers which works very well.
So if you would to trial the system, let me know by emailing rosa@londonlawncare.co.uk. There will be no cost to you during the trial, of course. |
