At this time of year, your lawn is actively growing and there are various jobs to get stuck into that will result in a healthy, green lawn.

April often sees the lawn mower come out for the first time after the long winter months. Regular mowing is good for the lawn, helping to keep it healthy and prevent weeds from popping up. And now’s the time to get that first cut done – if you haven’t already.

Whatever the size and state of your lawn, there’s a mower to suit every type of need and budget in the Draper range – from hand mowers to petrol and electric mowers.

Advice is to keep mowing height in April higher than you would in later months, unless you’re going to rake or scarify the lawn. And if you’re interested in recycling, take a look at our composting advice to see how you can use your grass cuttings to benefit both the garden and the environment.

Scarifying, raking and aerating

April’s the perfect time to scarify and rake the lawn to remove the debris accumulated over the winter months – the lawn thatch and moss that will spoil the look of a lawn. Moss will also continue to grow and spread if not tackled. This can be a major problem after a wet winter like the one we’ve just experienced, with the February storms and their torrential rainfall.

April’s also the month in which to think about aerating the lawn. This loosens the soil to enable air, rain and nutrients to penetrate down and helps the lawn to drain, particularly when the weather becomes warmer and the soil drier. It’s a good idea to pay close attention to the more used areas of the lawn – such as the children’s football pitch and goal mouth and around the washing line.

Not sure what to use to scarify, rake or aerate? No problem! We have tools for all these jobs.

Edging

For a truly smart and tidy lawn, re-cut the edges of your lawn in spring with a lawn edging tool. April is the perfect time of year to edge lawns – the grass has begun growing and the soil isn’t too dry. There are plenty of tools to help in the Draper gardening range too, check out the Long Handled Lawn Shears with Wheels for ultimate convenience, ease and accuracy.

Seeding and overseeding

Once the lawn has been scarified, raked or aerated – whatever your particular lawn needs – you might want to look at overseeding and seeding bare areas of soil.

Overseeding is where seed is scattered across the lawn to improve its overall appearance and thickness, while seeding is done to grow grass from scratch.

The lawn will then benefit from a light raking. This will shake the seeds down to the surface of the soil. A lawn roller drum can help here as well, ensuring the seeds are pressed firmly into the topsoil, to further aid the germination process. A roller drum can also get rid of lumps and bumps in the lawn.

Feeding and fertilising

The ravages of winter weather will have taken their toll on the health of the lawn and the experts advise an April feed. This should be done after any scarifying, raking or aerating, and then weed control can be addressed. 

Weeding

Advice generally is to deal with weeds individually, and a long-handled weed puller can certainly help with this and reduce the strain on the back. If using weed killer – and there are plenty of chemical-free examples on the market – treating each individually is again recommended. Where weeds are too numerous, the lawn can be treated as a whole, but it’s best to wait until the end of April or into May to do this.

The new lawn

And if you’re thinking of starting from scratch and laying a completely new lawn, either from seed (see the RHS’s (Royal Horticultural Society) article or laying turf (watch Monty Don’s video) – April’s the perfect time to do so.

Watering the lawn

With April the month known for its “showers”, it may not be necessary to do much watering unless you’ve laid turf or put down grass seed or lawn fertiliser. But if those showers don’t materialise, then it’s a different ball game!

Be prepared

Draper has a variety of watering tools, such as hoses, spray guns and a great new range of oscillating sprinklers. And with water costs rapidly rising, make sure you’re being economical with water consumption by investing in a simple water timer.