Monty Don warns against common lawn tasks – otherwise you risk ‘bad’ grass this summer

Now that winter is almost over, many enthusiastic garden enthusiasts have already started preparing their outdoor space for the coming summer.

But before you run outside to work on your garden, find out what common task could potentially destroy the grass, as explained by the gardener, the one and only Monty Don.

Although the lawns need to be mowed in March, there is a crucial mistake to avoid, Monty shared with fans on his website.

According to the expert – who recently confirmed the return of iconic BBC series – fellow garden enthusiasts should not mow their lawn ‘too short’.

“Just give it a light trim for the rest of this month,” the whiz kid explained the mail.

“This promotes good root growth and the grass will therefore be a lot healthier and better able to withstand summer drought.”

The 68-year-old, who has been dubbed a ‘sex siren’ by admirers, also urged gardeners to take a different approach when working on their outdoor space.

‘Put your efforts into healthy grass rather than fighting perceived ‘problems’ such as daisies, moss, ants, worms, moles, plantains, dandelions and fairy rings.

“If the grass is healthy, nine times out of ten everything will take care of itself.”

According to the whizz, you can also tell a lot about the health of your lawn just by looking at the grass – and it’s bad news if your garden is covered in moss.

”The best grass likes very well-drained soil. For example, moss is always a symptom of poor drainage, exacerbated by shade.

“Unfortunately, even the best prepared soil becomes compacted by felted roots, rain and especially normal family use.”

The answer here, he noted, was to work on it at least once a year – simply by sticking a fork in the soil and then wiggling it back and forth; a process you will need to repeat approximately every 6 inches.

You can then mix together equal portions of sieved topsoil, sharp sand and sieved leaf mold or compost.

For those who don’t have these things, Monty said sharp or silver sand works fine too.

”Spread it over the puncture site and brush it with a stiff broom, filling the holes with the mixture.

“This will improve drainage and nourish the grass,” the guru told his superfans.

When it comes to preparing your lawn for the upcoming warmer season, Monty also urged giving the area ”a good scratch” with a wire rake.

This simple but effective step removes any overwintering thatch and moss, while also allowing light and water into the soil and grass roots.

”Put the debris on the compost and then mow. It will look a little bare for about a week, but will grow back thicker than ever.”

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