Lawn Care Guide
Lawn care is essential for maintaining a healthy, attractive lawn. Please refer to this guide for helpful information and best practices. You can download our annual lawn care schedule to keep the guide on hand.
We can also take care of your lawn for you with our ongoing lawn maintenance programme. This service includes fertilising, weed spraying, and renovation work as required to help keep your lawn healthy and green all year round.
Care Guidance
If you need help, visit us for expert advice and the correct products for your lawn. If you’d prefer not to do the work yourself, our team can take care of everything for you, carrying out lawn care or maintenance to keep your lawn in top condition.
Watering
If your grass variety is water dependent, water your lawn during the summer months up to three times per week, ideally in the early morning. Use an oscillating sprinkler to provide even coverage across the lawn. Apply water deeply to encourage strong root development. Consider using a tap timer to prevent overwatering, as pooled water can increase surface heat and potentially damage the grass.
It is important not to water established lawns too frequently. As temperatures rise, we recommend allowing your lawn to dry out slightly between watering. A few weeks of dry weather will not harm healthy, established grass.
Only begin regular watering once dry conditions become prolonged. As summer ends and temperatures begin to cool, gradually reduce watering and allow the lawn to dry out again. Cease watering altogether until the following summer season.
Wetting Agent
Wetting agents are granular or liquid products applied to your lawn at the beginning of summer to improve how water moves through the soil. They work by reducing surface tension, allowing water to penetrate more deeply and evenly rather than running off or sitting on the surface.
By improving water penetration and distribution, wetting agents help ensure moisture and nutrients reach the root zone where they are needed most. This leads to more efficient use of water and fertiliser, and can reduce the frequency of watering required during hot, dry periods.
Wetting agents also help prevent dry patch, where areas of soil become water-repellent and difficult to rehydrate. This supports more consistent growth across the lawn and helps maintain a healthier, greener appearance throughout the summer months.
Fertilising
Apply a quality, high-nitrogen, slow-release lawn fertiliser at regular intervals to keep your lawn healthy and green. We recommend fertilising four times per year in March, June, September, and December. This schedule avoids applying fertiliser during periods of extreme heat or winter dormancy and instead targets the key growth periods when your lawn can make the best use of the nutrients.
It’s best to feed your lawn consistently rather than waiting until it looks unwell, as reactive applications often require higher rates to restore condition. Regular fertilising helps maintain good colour, density, and overall lawn health.
For best results, use a fertiliser with a nitrogen content of 20 or higher and apply it evenly using a fertiliser spreader.
Weed Spraying
Weeds are a normal part of any lawn and must be actively growing for weed control products to be effective.
For ongoing maintenance, we recommend spraying your lawn for broadleaf weeds twice per year. Most broadleaf weeds appear during the warmer months, so apply weed spray in late spring or early summer, and again at the end of summer or early autumn. In some cases, a follow-up application may be required to control more persistent or mature weeds, and occasional additional treatments may be needed to maintain a clean, healthy lawn.
Always ensure you are using a grass-safe, selective weed spray that targets weeds without damaging your lawn. Grass weeds require different treatment products. Refer to our lawn care guide to identify common weeds and grass weeds, and follow the links to find the most suitable products for effective control.
Lawn Repairs
Repairing bare or worn patches in your lawn is important, as it helps prevent weeds and unwanted grasses from establishing. The best times to carry out repairs with grass seed are autumn and spring, when growing conditions are most favourable.
For best results, mix grass seed with a quality lawn soil such as Daltons Premium Lawn Soil. This blend of natural materials supports germination and early root development, giving your new grass the strongest possible start.
For smaller bare areas, pre-mix the seed and soil in a bucket or wheelbarrow, then spread evenly over the patch and lightly compact using your foot. For larger areas, loosen the existing soil, broadcast the seed, and then apply lawn soil over the top before gently compacting.
Bare areas can also be repaired at any time of year using Instant Lawn. Simply square up the damaged area, cut the instant lawn to size, and lay it in place for an immediate result.
Dethatching
Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic material that builds up between the grass leaf and the soil surface. While a small amount is normal, excessive thatch can create problems by harbouring disease and pests, reducing drainage, and encouraging weed growth, all of which can lead to a decline in lawn health.
Dethatching is the process of removing this excess build-up and should be carried out regularly, ideally during autumn when the lawn is actively growing for good recovery. After dethatching, we recommend applying a quality fertiliser and overseeding if required to help restore density and encourage fresh growth.
We have specialised machines available to dethatch lawns of any size. While your lawn may look untidy for a short period after treatment, this is a normal part of the process. The more thorough the dethatching, the stronger and healthier your lawn will be once it has recovered.
Lawn Coring
Coring can help restore a lawn that is struggling to perform at its best. Like dethatching, it helps remove thatch while also aerating the soil to improve overall lawn health.
Our coring machines use a series of hollow tines to remove plugs of soil from the ground. This process relieves soil compaction and improves the movement of air, water, and nutrients through the soil and root zone, encouraging stronger and deeper root growth.
After coring, the holes can be left open for ongoing air flow, or filled with fresh topsoil and/or fertiliser to further enhance recovery and promote a thicker, healthier lawn.
Lawnmower Maintenance
Regular mowing is essential for maintaining a healthy, dense lawn, and keeping your lawnmower in good condition is just as important.
Ensure mower blades are kept sharp to provide a clean, even cut. Dull blades tend to tear the grass rather than cut it, which can stress the lawn, and increase the risk of disease. Checking blade condition regularly and sharpening when needed will greatly improve the quality of your mowing.
It’s also important to keep your mower well maintained throughout the season, including regular cleaning to remove built-up grass clippings and checking for wear on key components. Winter is an ideal time to carry out a full service, as lawn growth slows and the mower is used less frequently. This helps ensure it is in top condition and ready for the busy growing season ahead.
Need a lawn maintenance programme?
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