AUTUMN is the time to invest in your garden and ensure it stays healthy and vibrant for the rest of the year.
According to experts, this is the perfect time to give the soil some extra attention and keep those pesky weeds under control.
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And a gardening expert has revealed a £2.79 trick that will transform your garden and is a “must have” for the autumn season.
Ben Agnew, Grass Expert at lawn mowerexplained this month the importance of applying fertilizer in the fall and how a checkerboard pattern can ensure even application.
Ben explains that autumn is an important period in the gardening calendar, as it marks the transition from the warm summer to the colder months.
He says, “If you fertilize your lawn properly, you can strengthen it for the coming winter and lay a solid foundation for spring.
“Fertilizer prepares your lawn for cold weather and helps strengthen the grass roots, making it more resistant to frost and disease.
“It also encourages healthier, denser growth in the spring.”
But also when sowing new seeds, fertilization is an important step. Many gardeners do this season to restore bare spots or start a new lawn.
“A fertilizer will support new growth, but you need a balanced diet. For newly seeded or overseeded lawns, use a high-phosphorus diet to support root development,” says Ben.
“Nitrogen is normally found in spring and summer fertilizers, but adding a moderate amount to an overseeded lawn will promote steady growth.”
For existing lawns it is essential to protect them from the winter cold.
A fertilizer with a low nitrogen content and a high potassium content strengthens the roots and prevents excessive growth of the plant.
Ben says: “Iron supplements improve the colour of the grass and strengthen resistance to fungal diseases and moss during wet months.
“Phosphate must also be in the mix to support root development.
“You need to apply your fall fertilizer early enough so that it has an effect before the first frost.”
Avoid using too much fertilizer at once, as you don’t want to over-fertilize.
Ben Agnew
Distribute the fertilizer evenly to avoid overloading certain areas while leaving other areas without product.
Ben says, “You can visually divide your lawn into a checkerboard pattern, using objects to define it if necessary.”
A chess board is available to purchase from online retailers such as Amazon and Temu for £2.79.
“Start by spreading fertilizer evenly as you get moving one direction from one side of your lawn to the other.
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“Then change direction.
So if you previously worked horizontally in rows, now go vertically across your lawn as you apply fertilizer.
“If you move back and forth in rows, you will be going over the same area multiple times. By the time you are done, you should have covered everything.
“When revisiting areas, avoid applying too much fertilizer at once. You don’t want to over-fertilize.”
Garden work in September
As September begins, so does autumn. Veronica Lorraine, gardening editor at The Sun, has a few jobs to keep you busy as the summer sun fades.
1. Start thinking about spring bulbs
It’s early bulb season! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fragillaries for something a little different.
2. Think of the bees
Be sure to continue to feed the bees with fall-flowering pollinators such as stonecrop, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
The potatoes from the main crop are ready to be harvested. Make sure you harvest them all so they are not damaged by slugs.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start reducing the amount of mowing you do. Fertilize it in the fall, especially if you didn’t get around to it over the summer, and start raking to remove thatch.
5. Plant new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take cuttings of salvia
It is as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and throwing it in a glass of water to see if roots develop. Especially with delicate Salvias that do not survive the winter.
7. Give camellias enough water so that buds will form again next year.
8. Keep removing faded flowers and watering your hanging baskets
They must continue until the first frost.
9. Make pumpkins Halloween-ready
Remove any leaves that are covering the pumpkins so they are ready for Halloween. Also make sure to water them regularly as they are very thirsty.
10. Check your pond
Cover your pond with a net to prevent it from filling up with fallen leaves when the trees start to fall.
