January Turf Tips

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve, it’s certainly not the start of the year that we all anticipated — or hoped for. Yet, with people across the UK staying home, it’s perhaps more important than ever to spend time in your garden and improve your outdoor space right now, because in turn, it can boost your mental and physical health, whilst ensuring your garden is ready to flourish when springtime rolls around.

In this article, we will run through a few of our top turf tips for January, so you can make the most of the world right outside your window and begin nurturing a lawn that’s happy and healthy.

Aeration will help your grass flourish

Aeration will always be crucial to creating a healthy lawn. As we touched on in our December turf tips, you can quickly relieve compaction for small or large areas of turf by spiking your lawn (approximately 2″ to 6″). By punching holes into your lawn, you allow nutrients, air and water to penetrate the soil, thus creating a lawn that’s green, luscious and fresh.

Get up, get out and remove dew!

Dew should be removed from your lawn at the earliest opportunity to reduce the risk of a disease spreading and infecting your turf. January may not be the best month for mowing, especially as there is little to no growth; however, there are other ways to remove dew without bringing the lawnmower out.

With a blower, a dew switch, a bamboo cane, a drag brush or a dew roller, you can quickly and easily ‘knock’ the water droplets off the leaf so that the leaf and turf surface dries quicker when the sun comes out. This process will allow you to make the most of those short bursts of sunshine, reducing outbreaks of disease.

Deal with moles and worms

Worm casts are well known for creating ‘weed pockets’ so it’s crucial to brush these away with a firm brush. During January, it’s not just worms you have to worry about, mole activity may increase too — after all, they are looking for the earthworms! If you spot any mounds of loose earth, be sure to remove them and plan to speed that area in the spring.

Service your lawnmower

In January you will likely see very little growth. You will only ever need to use your lawnmower during the very mildest of winters. Therefore, whilst you have a few weeks before you start mowing again, it’s the perfect time to ensure your lawnmower is working correctly. Depending on the lawnmower you own, you may need to change the oil, sharpen the blades, balance the blades, inspect the air filter, check the oil and clean out the undercarriage. If you do spot issues and don’t feel confident enough to carry out the repairs yourself, you can always contact a lawnmower servicing firm or a garden machinery company.

January may be the middle of winter, but it also marks a turning point. It’s a new year, a time to reflect and re-evaluate, organise your thoughts and prepare for spring. Also, days begin to lengthen, so you can spend more time outdoors! Remember, “plans are nothing; planning is everything.”